red-light district; pleasure quarters
Historical term for a licensed entertainment and prostitution district, especially in the Edo period. In modern contexts, it may sound literary or old-fashioned.
In the Edo period, Yoshiwara was a famous red-light district.
Edo-period red-light district language
Compound of 遊 (play, amusement) and 里 (village, district), literally 'pleasure village'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the Edo period to denote licensed quarters.