, also known as , is the largest of the

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

districts in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, and also the largest in western

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is located in the Sanno 3-chōme area of

Nishinari-ku is one of the 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It contains some shopping and entertainment areas, such as Tamade. It lies directly south of the Namba transport hub and extends further south toward Sumiyoshi Park. It is served by the Nankai Railway line ...

. Tobita Shinchi dates from the Taishō period. To circumvent the anti-prostitution laws, the brothels operate largely under the guise of being "Japanese-style restaurants" (Ryoutei).

Overview

The area consists of three main streets: Youth Street (青春通り Seishun Doori), Main Street (メイン通り Mein Doori) and Big Gate Street (大門通り Ohmon Doori). Tobita brothels, similar to how brothels in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

have women in the windows, tend to have a young woman kneeling by the

genkan are traditional Japanese entryway areas for a house, apartment, or building, a combination of a porch and a doormat. It is usually located inside the building directly in front of the door. The primary function of is for the removal of sh ...

(entryway) or in the living room (which is fully open to the street) of the brothel to attract customers—an unusual practice for brothels in Japan. Often the women are dressed as schoolgirl or nurse costumes. Most of the prostitutes are Japanese, although there are some

zainichi comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

(Koreans). An elderly woman called the 'Yarite Babaa’ or '

Mama-san A ''mama-san'' or ''mamasan'' is usually a woman in a position of authority, especially one in charge of a geisha house or bar or nightclub in East Asia. In Southeast Asia a mamasan is a woman who works in a supervisory role in certain establish ...

', often the owner of the residence, sits in the genkan and greets male passers-by with phrases like . Many of the brothels will only accept Japanese or Asian clients. The area is popular with visitors from China, Taiwan and Korea. The nearest metro and mainline stations are

Dōbutsuen-mae Station is a metro station on the Osaka Metro in Nishinari-ku, Osaka, Japan. The name in English means "in front of the zoo". It is one of the nearest stations to the Tennōji Zoo and Tsutenkaku. The station is located close to the station operated ...

One of the oldest buildings in the area, the Taiyoshi Hyaku, was given 'cultural property' status in 2000. It was originally built as a 21-room brothel in 1918 and was converted to a restaurant in 1970. The themed rooms of the brothel have been retained.

History

On 16 January 1912, the red-light district of ''Shinchi Otobe'' in the Namba district of Osaka, containing 2,000 prostitutes and 100 brothels, burnt down. The brothels were moved to the current Tobita Shinchi location after a cemetery was cleared from the grounds. The area is on the south side of the then newly built

Shinsekai is an old neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York (specifically, Coney Island) as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half. At this locatio ...

entertainment area, which was thought to be advantageous. However, there were many protests from anti-prostitution campaigners to the setting up of the new brothel district. Tobita Shinchi was one of the last licensed

Yūkaku were legal red-light districts in Japanese history, where both brothels and prostitutes - known collectively as , the higher ranks of which were known as - recognised by the Japanese government operated. ��郭��大百科事典. 第25巻』 (� ...

areas to be created. The area escaped the bombing of Osaka during

WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and continued to thrive until the

Prostitution Prevention Law The (Law no. 118, May 24, 1956) is a law in Japan that aims to prevent prostitution, punish third parties involved in the trade and to protect and rehabilitate women involved in prostitution. It is also known as the 'Anti-Prostitution Law'. The l ...

came into effect on 1 April 1958. However the area only closed for one night, the brothels re-opening as "restaurants" the next day.

Tobita Restaurant Association

To circumvent the anti-prostitution laws, the brothels operate as restaurants. Tea and snacks are served to the client in a private room. Subsequent sexual contact between the "waitress" and the client is viewed as a "private affair" between them under Osaka's liberal interpretation with the law. The brothels organised themselves into a trade associations, the Tobita Restaurant Association (Tobita Ryouri Kumiai), although some genuine restaurants in the area are members. Osaka mayor

Tōru Hashimoto is a Japanese TV personality, politician and lawyer. He was the mayor of Osaka city and is a member of Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Osaka Restoration Association. He is one of Japan's leading right-wing conservative-populist politicians. Early ...

was a legal adviser of the Association. It was reported that all restaurants (159 shops) joining the Tobita Restaurant Association will be closed on June 28 and 29, when the

2019 G20 Osaka summit The 2019 G20 Osaka summit was the fourteenth meeting of the G20, a forum of 19 countries and the EU that together represent most of the world economy. It was held on 28–29 June 2019 at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka. It was ...

will be held in Osaka on May 16, 2019.

References

External links

I went to Tobita Shinchi
- Gigazine (Japanese, with many pictures), May 21, 2012
Japanese hidden prostitution district: red light district in Tobita-Shinchi Osaka
video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Brief history and guide
video on

{{Prostitution in Japan Sexuality in Japan Tourist attractions in Osaka Red-light districts in Japan Prostitution in Japan Geography of Osaka Zainichi Korean culture

Overview

History

Tobita Restaurant Association

See also

References

External links