The Yasuura district of Yokosuka City has a deep historical connection to the Great Kanto Earthquake and the formation of its "Meishuyagai" (sake shop district).
The Origins of Yasuura and the Great Kanto Earthquake
• Land's Origin: In 1922 (Taisho 11), the Yasuda Hozensha, a subsidiary of the former Yasuda zaibatsu (financial conglomerate), reclaimed land from Toda Beach and named it "Yasuura-cho," combining "Yasu" from Yasuda and "ura" from Kaigan (coast).
• The Great Kanto Earthquake and Barracks: Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 (Taisho 12), approximately 2,000 evacuees moved to city-owned barracks built in Yasuura-cho.
• Establishment of Rice, Miso, and Sake Shops: With the rapid increase in refugees and migrants, everyday shops such as rice shops, miso shops, oil shops, sake shops, and general stores began to appear.
Transformation into a "Sake Bar District"
• Relocation and Consolidation After the Earthquake: As part of the post-earthquake reconstruction plan, "sake bars" (establishments serving alcohol and employing prostitutes) that had been scattered throughout Yokosuka City were forcibly and compulsorily gathered in a corner of Yasura.
• Development and Vibrancy: With the provision of public funds, the area transformed into an entertainment district and geisha area, with approximately 88 shack-like sake bars (later said to have reached 150 cafes and other establishments at its peak) lining the streets, mainly in 3-chome.
• Entertainment District of a Military City: The area was bustling with military personnel from the Yokosuka Naval District and Naval Arsenal, as well as fishermen from Nagaura Port.
• Post-War and Present: After the war, it retained its remnants as a red-light district (former red-light district) until around 1958, but now most of it has been transformed into a quiet residential area or reclaimed land for "Heisei-cho."
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Yasura (present-day Yasura-cho) in Yokosuka City has a history as one of Yokosuka's three major red-light districts (brothels/unlicensed prostitution areas), alongside Kashiwagida and Minagasaku.
History and Transformation of Yasura
Origins (Taisho Era):
• It began in the Taisho era, forming near Yasura Fishing Port (on reclaimed land by Yasuda Hozensha, etc.).
Pre-war Golden Age (Around 1937):
• With the wartime boom following the Manchurian Incident and the development of Yokosuka as a military city, the area rapidly expanded, catering to naval personnel and laborers. It is said to have had approximately 80 establishments and over 300 women.
Post-war Era of the Allied Powers:
• After the end of the war, with the arrival of GHQ, establishments such as "Yasura House" by the Special Comfort Facilities Association (RAA) were set up, and it reached its peak as one of Yokosuka's largest red-light districts, frequented by American soldiers and dockworkers. Records indicate that there were approximately 150 establishments and around 400 prostitutes during a period after the war (around 1955).
The Prostitution Prevention Law and its Aftermath:
• Although it officially disappeared with the enforcement of the Prostitution Prevention Law in 1958, remnants of the area, including so-called "blue-light districts" and unlicensed brothels, and café architecture, remained until the Heisei period (around the 2000s).
Current Situation:
• The nearest station, "Yasura Station" on the Keikyu Line, was renamed "Kenritsu Daigaku Station" (Prefectural University Station) at the request of local residents. Currently, Kanagawa Prefectural University of Health and Welfare and apartment buildings have been constructed in the surrounding area, transforming it into a residential area with some remnants of the past, such as tiled café architecture and retro public bathhouses (Hinode-yu).
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FOOTNOTE/ADDENDUM:
神奈川・横須賀「ドブ板通り裏と安浦」：米海軍の喧騒から一歩入った旧赤線特飲街の静寂 | Living The Single Life
Kanagawa, Yokosuka: "Dobita-dori Ura and Yasuura" - The tranquility of a former red-light district, a step away from the hustle and bustle of the U.S. Navy.
Yokosuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture is a naval port city that controls the throat of Tokyo Bay.
For many people today, this city appears as a mosaic of extremely catchy tourist attractions. There are the cruise ships of the "YOKOSUKA Naval Port Tour" lined up with Japanese and American warships, "Dobuita Street" with its heavy hip-hop music and English signs, and the "Yokosuka Navy Burger" and "Yokosuka Navy Curry" that draw long lines of tourists. Furthermore, in recent years, it has become widely recognized as the setting and pilgrimage site for acclaimed anime with naval and maritime themes, such as "Arpeggio of Blue Steel" and "High School Fleet," establishing itself as a vibrant pop culture hub that attracts young fans on pilgrimages.
Biting into a giant hamburger filled with coarsely ground meat, gazing at the gates of a U.S. military base, and taking commemorative photos next to anime collaboration panels—it's undeniably a perfect light weekend day trip.
However, if you think you've truly understood Yokosuka by only considering this commercialized, neatly packaged "American culture" and "subculture," you've completely missed the profound and essential burden this city has carried.
Just beneath the barbed wire fence surrounding the U.S. Navy base, I slipped away from the hustle and bustle of Dobuita Street into a narrow alley barely wide enough for one person, and from there headed southeast to the site of the former red-light district and entertainment district in Yasuura. There, a heavy, cold layer of history has settled, where Japan and America clashed nakedly at the boundary between military and war, desire and life, and were forced to coexist until they were worn down.
— From a late Edo period ironworks to a US naval base: The framework of an artificial city that has breathed life into the military.
The DNA of the city of Yokosuka was designed from the very beginning as a "military" entity.
Starting with the "Yokosuka Ironworks (shipyard)" built by Oguri Tadamasa, the Edo Shogunate's Commissioner of Finance, and the French engineer Verny, it rapidly expanded after the Meiji Restoration as the heart of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the "Yokosuka Naval District." Numerous Combined Fleet vessels, including the battleship Mutsu, were constructed there, and the entire city functioned as a fortress of national military secrets and defense.
Then came the defeat in August 1945. The Imperial Japanese Navy base was handed over to the US military and reorganized as the vast US Navy Yokosuka Base.
Choosing to survive as a base town, Yokosuka was thoroughly Americanized down to the last detail. Military currency (B yen) and dollars circulated throughout the city, signs were repainted in the alphabet, and jazz and rock and roll spewed from bars night after night.
The origin of American food that captures the stomach:
Yokosuka's Navy Burgers are not just a tourist attraction. They became deeply rooted in the city as an "energy refueling device for soldiers," faithfully recreating a traditional U.S. Navy recipe to instantly satisfy the stomachs of the burly American soldiers who flooded the port when ships docked.
The multi-layered nature of Yokosuka as a mecca for pop culture:
Modern content such as the memorial ship Mikasa and submarine I-401 in "Arpegio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova-," and the Yokosuka Girls' Marine High School in "High School Fleet," choose this city as their setting not merely because of its beautiful scenery, but because the city's "realism and gravitas as a genuine military port" are essential background elements.
However, the presence of troops is not simply a matter of well-organized warship parades and the aroma of delicious meat. Cities had to prepare a "huge nighttime receptacle" behind the scenes to prevent the immense energy of young soldiers from erupting into peaceful residential areas.
— The back alleys of Dobuita Street: Just 3 meters away from the American excitement.
Dobuita Street (Hon-cho Shopping Arcade) leads from Keikyu Shioiri Station to the US military base gate.
Named after the thick iron plates supplied by the Navy that were laid over the ditch that once flowed down the middle of the street, this street is now the main thoroughfare for Yokosuka tourism. It's lined with specialty shops selling sukajan jackets, military surplus stores, Navy Burger restaurants, and shot bars catering to American soldiers. At night, US military personnel and Japanese customers mingle, creating a boisterous and raucous atmosphere.
However, just behind this American frenzy lies a stark contrast.
Between the flashy neon signs of the main street, numerous dark alleys, barely wide enough for one adult to squeeze through, are carved out. The moment you slip into one of these narrow passages, the English shouts and the heavy bass of club music behind you rapidly fade away, as if blocked by a thick soundproof wall.
Showa-era shacks clinging to the cliffs of the valley: On the steep slopes of the "yato" (hidden hills & valleys) where the rugged mountains unique to Yokosuka meet the sea, old wooden and mortar houses and rusty corrugated iron roofs cling to the walls in a layered fashion.
Steep stairs and the breath of life:
Narrow stone steps that leave you breathless lead up the mountain, and above, clotheslines that seem to be the epitome of everyday life jut out. Completely cut off from the exotic atmosphere of the outside world, a gritty Showa-era Japanese living space remains intact.
A quiet, old-fashioned snack bar district:
In contrast to the American bars on the main street, small counter-only bars run by elderly shopkeepers who have witnessed the ups and downs of catering to American soldiers in this town for many years lie dormant.
If the main street is "a theater of dollars, English, and the military," then the back alleys are "air raid shelters for downtown settlements that have weathered the storms for generations." The shadow of America and the indigenousness of Japan coexist back to back.
— Yasuura Red-Light District Ruins: Memories of the "former red-light district" formed on the tidal flats along the coast.
If you take the Keikyu Line from Hon-Cho, where Dobuita Street is located, and travel southeast to Kenritsu Daigaku Station (formerly Keihin Yasuura Station), the scenery changes dramatically. What you find there is the site of what was once known as "Yasuura Special Drinking District," a (pre- and) post-war red-light district.
Yasuura holds special significance in the history of Yokosuka's entertainment districts.
After the war, with the arrival of GHQ, the Japanese government and local authorities, fearing sexual crimes and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases by American soldiers, concentrated special drinking establishments in Yasuura, a reclaimed land area along the coast a certain distance from the base. Until the Prostitution Prevention Law was fully implemented in 1958, hundreds of women were gathered here, forming a nightlife district catering to American soldiers and Japanese laborers.
Today, Yasuura appears unremarkable during the day, a quiet residential area with few people. However, a careful observation of the alleys reveals the "architectural genes" left behind by the former red-light district.
Surviving café architecture:
Clearly different from ordinary houses, with its curved facade, vibrant mosaic tiles around the entrance and on the columns, and mysterious stained-glass-like skylights. The original building, spared from demolition, stands quietly, its sign removed.
Overly orderly grid-like alleys:
Not a spontaneously formed settlement, but a grid-like street layout deliberately planned with a clear intention. It ensures visibility and gives a sense of control, suggesting it was once under the management of the police or military police.
The vanished coastline and the lingering atmosphere:
This place, once overlooking the sea and directly swirling with sea breezes, has been inlanded by further offshore land reclamation. Deprived of the sea and the heat of its entertainment district, the city is left with a unique, inorganic sense of desolation, like the scars of a city that have dried up.
The place where desire and foreign currency once swirled and the lives of countless men and women intersected is now completely cooled down, disguised as just an "ordinary residential area." However, each crack in those walls and tiles undeniably bears the shadow of the postwar history that the naval port has been burdened with.
— The reality of a naval port lies beneath the facade of a trendy tourist city.
Enjoying a delicious Navy Burger, being overwhelmed by the state-of-the-art Aegis destroyers on a harbor cruise, and tucking away clear files from "Arpeggio of Blue Steel" and "High School Fleet"—these are undoubtedly the charms that Yokosuka should be proud of, the legitimate light the city has acquired to survive the times.
However, the stronger that light, the more we must not ignore the shadow that falls beneath the city's surface.
The exotic heat that hangs in the air in front of the U.S. military base gates, and the Showa-era silence that sinks into the back alleys of Dobuita Street.
And the chilling memory of the red-light district, emanating from the tiles of the café buildings remaining in Yasuura along the coast.
The full picture of Yokosuka, a city that has been tossed about by America, embraced the military, swallowed up pleasure and decadence, yet still managed to survive with resilience. To stand on the boundary between its front and back, light and shadow, is the most robust attitude required of anyone walking this city.