Tobita Shinchi
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Tobita Shinchi (飛田遊廓, Tobita Yūkaku), also known as Tobita Yūkaku, is the largest brothel district in western Japan. It is in the Sanno 3-chōme area of Nishinari-ku, Osaka. It was one of the largest police-sanctioned red light districts in Japan until 1958, when anti-prostitution laws went into effect. The laws seem to have had little effect for the brothels in the area, however, as they now operate largely under the guise of being "Japanese-style restaurants."[1]
Tobita brothels, similar to how brothels in Amsterdam have women in the windows, tend to have a young woman kneeling by the genkan (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.[1]
An elderly woman, often the owner of the residence, sits in the genkan and greets male passers-by with phrases like douzo, onii-san (どうぞ、お兄さん, "Please help yourself, young man").
Access
Places of interest
- Boshikannonzo (Mother and baby statue) 3-5 Sanno
- Taiyoshi Hyakuban (Restaurant) 3-5-25 Sanno
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Mother and baby statue -
Monument
Well-known figure from Tobitashinchi
- Natsume Nana (夏目ナナ)
See also
- Nishinari-ku, Osaka
- Kamagasaki Day Laborers' District