About
In a quiet corner of Senzoku, Taito Ward, in Tokyo’s old downtown, there stands a discreet bookstore. Its name is “Kasutori Shobo.” Established in 2016 as the only bookstore in Japan specializing in books about red-light districts and licensed quarters, it opened in this area that once flourished as the Yoshiwara pleasure district.
The owner, Go Watanabe, has traveled to former red-light district sites all over the country, continuously recording their history. Filled with his passion, this bookstore is not just a place to buy books, but a base for passing on the history of the pleasure quarters to future generations.
In 2023, Kasutori Shobo took a new step forward. It relocated to 3-21-14 Senzoku, Taito Ward, in front of Yoshiwara Benzaiten, and was reborn as a multi-purpose facility, adding a café & bar and event space to its bookstore function. The new store is located on a site where a statue of Kannon stands to memorialize the courtesans who perished in the Great Kanto Earthquake, making it a special place where history and the present intersect.
Stepping inside, you are enveloped in an atmosphere that transcends time. On the warmly wooden bookshelves, books about pleasure quarters from the Edo period to the present are neatly lined up, inviting visitors on a journey to the past. In the back, there is a reference room housing valuable documents that cannot even be viewed at the National Diet Library. Here, visitors can deeply learn about the history and culture of the pleasure quarters.
In the café & bar space, visitors naturally sit side by side and conversations arise. It is a place where women can feel comfortable talking about topics related to pleasure quarters and sexuality, serving as a relaxing spot for locals and geisha working in Asakusa. In addition, exhibitions and events are regularly held in the store, introducing the history and culture of the pleasure quarters from various perspectives.
For example, in April 2025, a photo exhibition by erotic town photographer Beniko was held. She became a sex worker in her teens and spent over 13 years moving between red-light districts throughout the Kanto region. At age 48, she taught herself photography and has continued to visit and photograph places considered to be in the shadows, such as pleasure quarters and modern red-light districts. Her photo exhibition was held at the sites of the two major former pleasure quarters: Yoshiwara in Tokyo and Tobita in Osaka, attracting many visitors.
Kasutori Shobo has gone beyond the bounds of a mere bookstore, taking on a new role as a place that conveys the history of the pleasure quarters and brings together and connects local people. Here, the past, present, and future intersect, and the history of the pleasure quarters is passed on to the next generation.