Characteristics of the Nightlife District Viewed from the Relocation History of Sex Workers: Case Study of Yokohama in the 1950s

Abstract

This study clarifies the characteristics of the nightlife district based on sex workers’ relocation history and methods of livelihood. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted of the diachronic history of sex workers in Yokohama during the 1950s, which had one of the largest nightlife districts in Japan at the time. The results showed that the nightlife district in 1950s Yokohama accommodated numerous and varied sex workers, who were important members of that area. Some sex workers had relocated from other nightlife districts, and some had intentionally chosen to move there. Yokohama’s nightlife district attracted many people from throughout Japan, which in turn increased the number of sex workers in the district. Sex workers made various careers for themselves after beginning prostitution in Yokohama. Overall, the nightlife district of Yokohama was characterized as a highly heterogeneous space, maintained by the continual influx of numerous sex workers with diverse backgrounds and methods of livelihood.