[2023] A thorough explanation of the charm, characteristics, and history of famous red-light districts in the Chugoku and Shikoku areas!

2024-01-19
Are you thinking of visiting adult entertainment shops while sightseeing in the Chugoku region or Shikoku region? In this article, we will carefully select and introduce five famous red-light districts in Chugoku and Shikoku for foreign visitors to Japan. It also introduces the history, so if you are interested, please read until the end.
2024-01-19

Are you thinking of visiting adult entertainment establishments in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions while sightseeing?

The Chugoku and Shikoku regions have famous historical red-light districts. The trend of the adult entertainment shops that are lined up is also different, so you will be able to enjoy it.

What follows is a detailed explanation of the characteristics and history of the famous red-light district for foreign tourists planning to visit the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. If you are interested, please read until the end.

Famous red-light district 1 in the China area: “Nagarekawa/Yagenbori” in Hiroshima Prefecture

We would like to introduce you to the areas around “Machirukawa” and “Yagenbori”, which are famous as large-scale red-light districts in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Charm and characteristics of Nagarekawa/Yagenbori

Nagarekawa Yagenbori is a large-scale entertainment district and soap district in the Chugoku/Shikoku area, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima City.
It boasts an area comparable to Shinjuku Kabukicho and Fukuoka Nakasu.

If you go to the east, there are many store-style adult entertainment shops, but there are fewer on the west side, so if you want to visit adult entertainment shops, we recommend the east side.

In addition to adult entertainment establishments, there are also clubs, cabaret clubs, and izakaya bars, so you can enjoy playing in an entertainment industry after enjoying a drink.

History of Nagarekawa and Yagenbori

There was a red light district in the Nagarekawa and Yagenbori area until the Meiji period. However, it was destroyed by the atomic bomb, and after reconstruction, it flourished as a red-light district and took on its current form.

Until the Meiji period, Hiroshima had red-light districts on the west and east sides, and “Higashi Yukaku” on the east side was located around Yagenbori.

“Higashi Yukaku” is a red light district that was established in 1902, the 35th year of the Meiji era.After the atomic bomb was dropped and the area was destroyed by fire, it flourished as a red light district, and the buildings that remain today date back to that time.
At that time, it is said that there were far more than 200 prostitutes in about 40 brothels.

Access [Short walk from Komachi Station]

It is located a short walk from Hiroshima Electric Railway’s Kumachi Station, and Yagenbori can be reached in about 6 minutes on foot from Kumachi Station.

Famous red-light district 2 in China area: “Okayama” in Okayama Prefecture

It is located a short walk from Hiroshima Electric Railway’s Kumachi Station, and Yagenbori can be reached in about 6 minutes on foot from Kumachi Station.

Okayama’s charms and characteristics

There used to be a soap shop, but as of 2023 it has closed.
Instead, the current mainstream is

Outcall escort service, and especially around Okayama Station and the Okayama Interchange, there are many love hotels and

Outcall escort service is very popular.
Other on-site adult entertainment shops include onakura and adult entertainment beauty salons.

Okayama is a competitive area for Outcall escort service, so it is characterized by the presence of shops with various concepts such as amateur shops, mature women/married women shops, and chubby shops.

History of Okayama

Okayama has the East Yukaku (Higashi Nakajima Town) and the West Yukaku (Nishinakajima Town), and in the early Meiji period, it is said that there were about 120 prostitute houses in both east and west.
According to the National Red Light District Guide, there is a record that the East Yukaku (Higashi Nakajima Town) and the West Yukaku (Nishinakajima Town) combined had approximately 750 prostitutes.

The eastern and western red-light districts were heavily damaged by air raids just before the end of the war, and after the war, some areas were rebuilt as brothels authorized by the former Japanese military.

However, in the 1940s, a law was enacted abolishing rental parlors and prostitutes, so the red light district disappeared and the area moved to the red line. After that, the history of the red light area came to an end with the enforcement of the Prostitution Prevention Act in the 1950s, and the area transformed into the residential area it is today.

Access [Short walk from JR Okayama Station]

There are many love hotels scattered around JR Okayama Station, making it easy to use delivery health services.
If you want to go to Higashinakajima-cho, it would take about 30 minutes on foot, so we recommend taking a taxi, which takes only 10 minutes.

Famous red-light district 3 in the China area: “Kurashiki” in Okayama Prefecture

Introducing Kurashiki, a famous red-light district in Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku area.

Kurashiki’s charms and characteristics

Kurashiki’s charms and characteristics

Kurashiki is the second most populous city in Okayama Prefecture, and Outcall escort service services are very popular.
Recently, the number of men’s beauty salons has increased rapidly, and the number of customers looking for men’s beauty salons is also increasing.

The center of Kurashiki city is lined with shopping streets, and the surrounding area is lined with bars and cabaret clubs, making it a lively place at night.

There are many snack bars and cabaret clubs in the Mizushima area, and both Kurashiki and Mizushima areas have a few brick-and-mortar adult entertainment shops, with the main focus being Outcall escort service services.

History of Kurashiki

In Kurashiki, there used to be a “Kawanishi red-light district”.
The ruins of Kawanishi Yukaku are located at the Kurashiki Station intersection and past Kurashiki Ichibangai.
Kawanishi Yukaku was established in the 4th year of the Meiji era and is said to have reached its peak around 1933.
However, around 1955, the prostitution prevention law was enforced and red light districts were abolished.

In addition, Tamashima, Kurashiki City used to have a red light district called Tenmacho, and even today, the former red light district of Tenmacho is lined with old wooden buildings and retains the atmosphere of that time.
The former Tenmacho red-light district area is located further past the Tenmacho Public Hall.

Access [Short walk from Kurashiki Station]

There are many love hotels around Kurashiki Station, and there are also love hotels located south of Kurashiki Station around the Kurashiki City Library, Achi Shrine, and the Kurashiki Art Museum.
There are hotels near Mizushima Station, but there are more hotels around Kurashiki Station, so it will be easier to find one.

Famous red-light district 1 in Shikoku area: Yaegaki Shinchi in Kagawa Prefecture

We would like to introduce Yaegaki Shinchi, a famous red-light district in Kagawa Prefecture located in the Shikoku area.

Charm and characteristics of Yaegaki Shinchi

Yaegaki Shinchi is a typical red-light district in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture.
It is sometimes called “Joto” because it is located in 2-chome, Joto-cho, Takamatsu City.

It is also famous as the largest red-light district in Shikoku, and even attracts customers from Okayama Prefecture in the Chugoku region, which has strict entertainment laws and few adult entertainment establishments.

Yaegaki Shinchi was originally a red light district, but now it is flourishing as a soap town.
There are many store-style health stores, and the best part is that you can enjoy both soap and health products depending on your mood.

In addition, while many old buildings built after the war still remain in this town, giving it a quaint feel, there are also many brothels with exteriors that give you a sense of foreign culture, such as castles and palaces.

As a result, during the day it has a nostalgic atmosphere from the Showa era, but at night it transforms into a neon city that gives you an extraordinary feeling, making it a mysterious city.

History of Yaegaki Shinchi

Its original appearance was the Yaegaki red-light district that developed during the Meiji period.
After the Yaegaki red light district became a bustling red light district after the war, it changed into the current soap district when the anti-prostitution law was enacted.

At the time when Higashihama Port, the predecessor of Takamatsu Port, was located, the land was expanded by land reclamation, and the new land that was created during this process came to be called “Yaegaki Shinchi,” and it is said that a red-light district was eventually built there.

Access [About 5 minutes by taxi from Takamatsu Station]

If you walk from Takamatsu Station to Jotocho 2-chome, it will take about 25 minutes, but if you go by taxi, it will take about 5 minutes.
There are soap shops, hotels, convenience stores, and restaurants in the surrounding area.

Famous red-light district in Shikoku area 2: “Dogo Onsen” in Ehime Prefecture

We will introduce the area around the famous “Dogo Onsen” in Ehime Prefecture, located in the Shikoku area.

Charm and characteristics of Dogo Onsen

Dogo Onsen is Japan’s oldest hot spring town, loved by Natsume Soseki, and is still a popular hot spring entertainment district both domestically and internationally.
There is the Dogo Health Building, which has become a symbol of the red-light district, and as the name suggests, health stores are gathered here.

There are also several soap shops, many of which are long-established shops.
The main red-light district is not the hot spring town where the Dogo Health Building is located, but the area around Dogo Tako-cho.

History of Dogo Onsen

“Neonzaka Red Light District” has a history of once flourishing as a red light district, and continued to operate as the Matsugaeda red light district for about 80 years until the anti-prostitution law was enacted.

Around the beginning of the Meiji period, the name was changed to “Neon-zaka Entertainment District” and the line moved to red, and at that time there was an arched signboard that read “Neon-zaka Entertainment District.”
Nowadays, it has been demolished due to deterioration, and few buildings remain, but some of the buildings that are famous for their red-light district architecture still remain.

The building right next to the stone monument that says Hogonji Temple is a building that has been preserved in such a beautiful state that you can see what it looked like back then.

Access [About 5 minutes walk from Dogo Onsen Station]

It takes about 5 minutes to walk from Dogo Onsen Station to Dogo Health Building.

It’s a 3-minute walk from the station to Dogo Onsen Main Building, and it’s also close to the Dogo Health Building, so you can enjoy a hot spring after playing.

summary

There are many red-light districts in the Chugoku and Shikoku areas, and some of the most famous are listed below.

Chugoku area

  • “Nagarekawa/Yagenbori” in Hiroshima Prefecture
  • “Okayama” in Okayama Prefecture
  • “Kurashiki” in Okayama Prefecture

【Shikoku areas】

  • Yaegaki Shinchi in Kagawa Prefecture
  • “Dogo Onsen” in Ehime Prefecture

Each red-light district has a history of being a red-light district in the past, and the transition to the red light district led to its current appearance.

Today, buildings from the Red Light Era and the Red Light Era still remain, and there are places where you can experience the atmosphere of those days.
If you visit the Chugoku or Shikoku areas for sightseeing, don’t just visit the brothels, but also enjoy a trip that lets you experience history.

[Famous red-light district in the Chugoku/Shikoku area]

Click here to search for adult entertainment shops in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture (Nagarekawa/Yagenbori)

Click here to search for adult entertainment establishments in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture

Click here to search for adult entertainment shops in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture

Click here to search for adult entertainment shops in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture (Yaegaki Shinchi)

Click here to search for adult entertainment shops in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture (Dogo Onsen)

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Q&A

Q: What are the famous red-light districts in the Chugoku area?

A: It is located in Hiroshima, Okayama prefecture. In Hiroshima Prefecture, there is a large and famous red-light district in the Nagarekawa/Yagenbori area in Hiroshima City, and in Okayama Prefecture, there are famous red-light districts in Okayama City and Kurashiki City.

Q: What are the famous red-light districts in the Shikoku area?

A: In Shikoku, they are located in Kagawa and Ehime prefectures. In Kagawa Prefecture, Yaegaki Shinchi in Takamatsu City is famous, and in Ehime Prefecture, the area around Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama City is famous.