But camera-toting foreigners snapping pictures of Tobita, one of its oldest and most famous neighborhoods, are probably not what either he or the local business community have in mind. But get closer and the difference becomes immediately apparent. Light pours from the open door of each establishment. Thirty minutes for 15, yen! Those who stop to peer in see a brightly lit tatami room with a well-dressed young woman sitting behind a hibachi or on a blanket.
The younger prostitutes tend to be found more on the western side of Tobita, while the age goes up as you move east. Throughout the area, though, the price, and the time, remain fixed β and most places do not allow foreigners. Though nobody is exactly sure when Tobita was established, various histories of Osaka show that, by the late Meiji Era , it was attracting impoverished farm girls who moved to the city in search of work, as well as wives fleeing abusive husbands.
During the s, Tobita was something of a Bohemian district. In addition to the working women, there were also a number of artists, musicians and their ilk living in the area who opposed the militarization of Japan and, later, the war. During a postwar trip to Osaka, former U. Today, there are an estimated brothels there. How have they managed to stay in business?
Primarily because of a belief that they are necessary. Police figure it is better to leave the brothels open to service the day laborers who might otherwise cause trouble. Still, customers have to be discreet. What happens after that, police say, is the result of a private agreement between two consenting adults and is therefore not police business. Furthermore, the city allows the brothels to be registered as restaurants. Thus, when they need to advertise for women, the brothels use the term nakai-san waitress.
Prices range from 11, yen for 15 minutes to 15, yen for 30 minutes. Some places, though not all, even tack on the 5 percent consumption tax in order to continue the charade of being a restaurant. Obviously, Tobita draws a large number of men. But one place is popular with both sexes: the Hyakuban restaurant. Located in a former brothel on the northeast edge of Tobita, Hyakuban is famous for its nabe.
