This is also Tobita Shinchi (Photographed by Beniko). The face it shows changes drastically depending on the time of day and the lighting. Beyond the underground and subculture After dropping out of high school, Beniko went on to attend an art vocational school. During her time as a sex worker, she also engaged in art activities. “I had a longing for worlds like those in Shuji Terayama’s films and the Ankoku Butoh (Dance of Darkness). When I entered the world of sex work in the ’90s, it was a time when adult entertainment was also discussed within the underground and subculture scene, so it wasn’t uncommon to progress into the sex work world as an extension of that. But the actual world of sex work is far from underground. It’s a world that values respect and manners, so in order to be accepted by the customers who come, you have no choice but to go in the opposite direction of the underground. When I engaged in art, I expressed it as a sex worker, but in reality, it was just a means to survive.” Having been a single mother raising her child on her own, Beniko was away from creative activities for a long time. However, at the age of 48, she began her activities as a former Yoshiwara soapland worker and Shitamachi photographer. When she held her first photo exhibition, she worried that only male customers who came with the same mindset as visiting a sex establishment would show up, but the actual audience was very different. “We had women and elderly couples, as well as a wide range of people. It seemed like women were viewing the photos while reflecting on their own lives and the sexuality hidden within them. Some elderly people, who had known about the old yūkaku during its active years, seemed to feel a sense of nostalgia for the past through the photos. I was really happy that people genuinely appreciated the photos.”