Osaka Red Light District

Normally I would stay the hell away from red light areas. Paying for sex is gross, and I preferably prefer to stay un-stabbed with my wallet still on me. Japan really is the safest country there is, supposed bad neighborhoods are completly tame in comparison to NYC. Looking up strange places in Osaksa I come across Tobita Shinchi, the so called red light that is like Amsterdam in Osaka. I have never been to Amsterdam, all I know is the girls are in windows on display. Prositution is illegal in Japan, but you would never know it. There are always girls at night ask to give "messages", and this places exists because the cops just don't care. It is my last day in Osaka and I have nothing to do, so my curiosity gets the best of me. Interesting pictures come from interesting places.

So I walk down there and it is true. There are all these open little buildings with a girl sitting on display in each one. All of the girls were all dolled up and seriously pretty. Next to the girl is always on old woman. The old women sits facing a mirror to see men coming walking down the street and calls out to them when they pass, trying to get them to buy the young girl. Some guys in cars drive slowly down the street looking at the girls. This was mostly a no foreigners area, so a lot of the old ladies wouldn't bother with me. Those who did, I would just say hello. Some I gave a good afternoon in German (Guten Abend) just to see how they would react. Some surprise I guess.

I really wanted to take pictures, but it was hard, I knew the old ladies would get pissed. So I had to take the sly approach, which resulted in terrible quality. I felt really out of place so I didn't last long. What a crazy job is all I could think.

I guess they got a customer.

A random street picture on the walk down.
There were some great night scenes, but all came out blurry.