News On Japan

Why Most of Japan's 'Ladies of Pleasure' Came From This One City (Edo Period)

Aug 09, 2024 (Linfamy) - In 1822, Japanese officials searched a town in Musashi Province, looking for illegal prostitution. They found 21 serving girls who served more than just matcha tea, 18 of them came from one province that we'll talk about later, and most of those from one city.

Another investigation of a town in Shimotsuke Province shows 43 out of 53 secks workers were from the same province, most of those from, yes, the same city. In fact, when people looked into the towns alongside major roads, they also found similar numbers. By the 1800s, all over the country, most prostitutes from the busiest towns to the sketchiest hut under a bridge, most of them came from the same city and its surrounding area. What was this place? Why did it create so many prostitutes? And what were the problems with running a city of secks?

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Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

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