Former Tobita Shinchi Courtesan Reveals Her Painful Past and the Day She Was Bought

I screamed and cried at the reality of having sex with creepy old men

In a compact 400-meter-square neighborhood, around 160 ryotei (traditional restaurants) stand tightly packed, illuminated by lantern light, taking on an eerie allure as night falls. Men drawn in by this mysterious atmosphere exchange short words like “How much?” with seasoned female attendants. This is the daily scene in Tobita Shinchi, Japan’s largest red-light district, located in Osaka’s Nishinari Ward.

In recent years, there have been concerns that Tobita might disappear due to cleanup operations related to the upcoming Osaka-Kansai Expo. One attendant admitted, “There were voices worried that Tobita would vanish,” but so far, the area appears unaffected.

Tobita Shinchi is often spoken about with a mix of amusement and curiosity, as though it were a world removed from everyday life. Yet, the full picture of this town and the hardships of the women working there remain largely unknown. Now, a woman who once reigned as a top girl in Tobita and retired last year is revealing the real Tobita Shinchi.

The first surprise upon meeting Kaho (a pseudonym) at the arranged location was learning she was in her mid-40s. She often hears that she resembles Atsuko Maeda, and indeed, she looks youthful—no older than her 20s.

Kaho describes her career as a Tobita girl as unusual, mainly because she started late—at the age of 30.

Born in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, she grew up in a family of four with an alcoholic father, a mother who lived in fear of him, and a younger brother. She recalls little affection from her parents and says she wandered the streets at night, driven by loneliness. At 14, she left home and drifted from place to place, seeking shelter from the elements. In this world she’d escaped to, she encountered horrific experiences that even threatened her life.

“While walking around my hometown, I was suddenly abducted in a car and raped in a bathroom. Another time, I was taken to Mount Rokko, raped again, and abandoned naked in the mountains. I’ve been sexually assaulted more times than I can count.”

Despite this, her life gradually stabilized as she worked in factories and temporary jobs. In her mid-20s, she got married and gave birth to a son. She juggled childcare with work in eldercare. But then, her father died, leaving behind debts amounting to tens of millions of yen. She was forced to shoulder the repayments, and her life changed dramatically.

After being compelled to divorce, she searched desperately for a job that would pay well. Through a scout, she was introduced to Tobita Shinchi. Although she had experience working in local bars and lounges in Osaka’s Kitashinchi area, she had no background in sex work. To say she had no reservations about selling her body would be a lie. But as a woman with only a middle school education and already in her 30s, she couldn’t think of another place where she could earn so much money.

“On my first day, being stared down by passersby and then ‘purchased’ by a man old enough to be my father—I couldn’t hold back the tears. Faced with the reality of having sex with some creepy old man, I screamed, ‘I absolutely can’t do this!’ I just couldn’t suppress my instinctive disgust.”

In the April 18th issue of FRIDAY (on sale April 3rd), and in the premium edition FRIDAY GOLD, Kaho (pseudonym), the former top girl, openly discusses the hidden truths that never see the light of day—such as annual income, sales systems, and cosmetic surgery in Tobita. She also reveals the shocking techniques she used to earn big money in the district.

For more details and multiple photos, click here↓.

From the April 18, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”