During the Edo period, Tokyo's famed red-light district of Yoshiwara was an isolated world of luxury, culture, and deep hardship enclosed by a secure ten-yard-wide moat known as the Ohaguro Ditch. While grand fires and postwar redevelopment erased the district's historic structures, a single section of the defensive stone embankment quietly remains on the corner of a modern lot. Visiting this humble relic offers history enthusiasts a poignant, unfiltered glimpse into the complex lives of the courtesans and sex workers who shaped pre-modern Japanese culture.
- Edo Period
- Hidden Gems
- Historic Ruins
- History & Culture
- Monuments & Memorials
Swipe more in Tokyo
tryJP is a swipe deck for Japan places — save spots you like and plan a route.
Open tryJP