Sordid Kyoto
Sordid Kyoto Cycling Route いかがわしき京都
Overview
Kyoto presents itself to the world as Japan's most refined city, the home of wabi sabi understated elegance.
It is the home of tea and temples, gardens and geisha, koto and kimono, craftsmen and both old and new Japanese cool (think Nintendo). Even the Kyoto dialect, thought to descend from the imperial retinue and aristocracy, is to this day considered the most refined form of spoken Japanese.
Like all Japanese cities, though, Kyoto has its fair share of sleaze.
Japan has a long and deep relationship with the world’s oldest profession and the sensual arts. (It needs to be stated, for the umpteenth time, that geisha and maiko are not prostitutes; they are highly trained performers.)
Until 1958, when prostitution was made illegal in Japan, every city in Japan had red light areas. Kyoto’s most famous akasen or yukaku – both terms denote a red light area - was Shimabara. The place still exists, but today there is nothing particularly sordid about it.
Several of the former red light areas however have reinvented themselves, often playing a cat-and-mouse game with authorities and official laws, statues, and regulations.
CycleKyoto does not profess profound expertise in this area, but here are some of our favorite sordid spots in Kyoto.
The ride starts south of Kyoto Station. Not far from Toji Temple is a temple of another sort: DX Toji.
This area was once a slum and is close to areas where Koreans and Japan's traditional underclass, the Burakumin, still live. Within this mix is the DX Toji Theater, an old school strip tease joint. No touching or onstage fornicating permitted – in the good old (pre-AIDS) days, an anything goes atmosphere prevailed – but paid photography is allowed.
The next area is Gojo Rakuen (Fifth Street Paradise), a former red light area north of Kyoto Station. Thanks to being spared US Air Force bombing during World War II, Kyoto has a larger percentage of old housing stock than any other Japanese city. In Gojo Rakuen many of the older tea houses and buildings still stand, giving one an idea of what the pre-1958 scene must have been like. There are however no brothels here today.
Though not frozen in time, Gojo Rakuen still has 15 tea houses, a kabuki theater, and quite a few older buildings. Gojo Rakuen is located south of Gojo Dori, from Kiyamachi to the Kamo River. In the Taisho Period (1912 - 1926), its heyday, it stretched south all the way to Shichijo Dori.
To see actual working houses of ill repute, it is but a short ride north on Kiyamachi.
For those who do not read Japanese, telltale signs include the following: bright (often pink) signs with numbers that denote cost and time; a male tout, often in a white shirt and tie, standing next to such a sign; men, usually alone, entering and exiting quickly with their heads down.
Many of these establishments can be found north of Shijo on the east-west side streets between Kiyamachi and Kawaramachi. Most of these alleys are narrow; it is easier to walk.
Continuing north on Kiyamachi are several Love Hotels, or rooms rented by the hour. (Those along Kiyamachi unfortunately are not particularly gaudy. For the worst of the worst, a ride over to Okazaki is in order.)
The next stop is the last (?) operating adult movie theater in Kyoto. The Senbon Nikkatsu movie theater is just west of Senbon Dori and Kamichojamachi Dori (north of Marutamachi before Nakadachiuri).
The theater is a holdover from the golden age of Japanese cinema of the 1950s and 1960s. However, at some point, it made the jump from showing first-run films to porn.
The exterior today is festooned with posters of partially nude women displaying varying degrees of ecstasy. A ticket machine saves one the embarrassment of having to face a human being. The mainly middle-aged patrons park their mami-chari bicycles in the front.
The last place on the Sordid Kyoto tour is any corner video store. Two of the bigger chains – America or Tsutaya – would be good candidates. A full one quarter to a third of the floor space will be given over to adult films. That is why the above theater is the last of its type, and perhaps headed for extinction.
After all of the filth, it is time for a cleansing bath. Not far from the movie theater are several good public baths. All are noted on the map.
Getting to the Starting Point
From City Hall, head south down Kiyamachi or Kawaramachi. Cross to the south side of Kyoto Station using the underpass on Kawaramachi. Head west on the road that faces the south side of the station. Ride with the station and then train tracks on your right until you get to Omiya Dori. Turn left and ride about 100 meters. At the first small street, turn left. On the right.
Directions
Please use the map below.
Total Riding Time
2 easy hours.
More Information
DX Toji Theater
Tel: 075 671 2124
Entrance Fee: from 5,000 yen Open: 10:00-22:00 Closed: Never
Senbon Nikkatsu Theater
075 462 2161
Entrance Fee: 500 yen
Public Bath
Entrance Fee: 420 yen
Map
Sordid Kyoto Cycling Route
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