大阪ファションとソープの看板

Though prostitution in Japan was formally made illegal in the 1950s, those in the pink industry are very adept at finding loopholes in the statutes.

Government officials rewrite the laws; the brothels alter their modus operandi. A fascinating cat and mouse game.

The industry is often said to comprise 5% of the Japanese GNP - and it is very openly conducted.

You will thus find, in the former red light areas, establishments offering nearly the same services as they did in the "good old days" when it was legal.

One such area can be found in the back streets a short walk from Osaka's Kyobashi Station.

The area is sordid, and a bit depressing. It is the preserve of older men, the jobless, and misfits. Cheap noodle joints, pachinko parlors, and an assortment of raffish shops line the arcades. Just off them, though, you enter a different universe.

Kyobashi has none of the verve of Namba or Umeda or Shinsaibashi - where many more brothels are located - but it still is packed in places with multi-story buildings in which every floor has at least one business offering a range of services for men.

The two places pictured here were both in the same ten-story building.

The photo at top is of "Kiss," which is on the 4th floor. And Visa is accepted! The other establishment is on the second floor, and we are not sure about credit cards.

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