red-light district; pleasure quarters; world of the geisha
Refers to the traditional entertainment districts where geisha and courtesans worked, often associated with the Edo period. The term carries a literary or historical flavor and is not used for modern red-light districts.
She was a geisha who grew up in the pleasure quarters.
I read a novel depicting the customs of the demimonde.
Compound of 花 (flower, beauty) and 柳 (willow, elegance), combined with 界 (world, society). The phrase evokes the refined yet ephemeral world of geisha and courtesans.