noun
meeting place for assignations, drinking, etc.
Archaic term for a type of establishment in the Edo period where people met for romantic rendezvous, entertainment, or social drinking. Not used in modern Japanese.
江戸時代の待合茶屋は、密会や遊興の場として使われた。
In the Edo period, machiai-jaya were used as places for secret meetings and entertainment.
Compound of 待合 (machiai, 'meeting' or 'waiting place') and 茶屋 (chaya, 'teahouse'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term refers to a specific type of establishment in the Edo period.