noun
sightseer; pleasure-seeker; frequenter of red-light districts
A somewhat literary or old-fashioned term for someone who goes out seeking pleasure, whether sightseeing, carousing, or visiting entertainment quarters. The specific nuance depends on context; it can range from a simple tourist to a dissolute playboy or a regular patron of red-light districts.
江戸時代、吉原には多くの遊客が訪れた。
In the Edo period, many pleasure-seekers visited Yoshiwara.
彼は遊客のような生活を送っている。
He leads a life like that of a playboy.
Composed of 遊 (play, amusement) and 客 (guest, visitor). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used since at least the Edo period to refer to patrons of pleasure quarters and, more broadly, to sightseers or idlers.