Osaka

Kita and Minami in Osaka City

The Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau roughly divides Osaka City into Kita, centred on Umeda, and Minami, centred on Namba and Tennoji. Dotonbori, the symbolic district of Minami, lies right outside the Nankai and Kintetsu Namba stations and is also served by Osaka Metro lines.

Kitashinchi in Kita is a block of about 500 m east to west and 250 m north to south, bounded by National Route 2 to the north and the Dojima River to the south, right outside JR Tozai Line Kitashinchi Station. The tourism bureau describes it as Kita's upscale entertainment district of bars, clubs, snack bars and small restaurants.

Where the ordinance allows storefront venues

Article 28 of the national Amusement Business Act bans storefront adult businesses within 200 metres of schools, libraries, child welfare facilities and similar sites, and lets prefectures designate further prohibited areas by ordinance. Article 10 of Osaka's ordinance adds hospitals and clinics, community halls, museums, city parks and public gymnasiums and pools, among others, to those base facilities.

Article 11(1) of the same ordinance bars soaplands (Act Art. 2(6) item 1), storefront fashion health shops (item 2) and item 6 businesses in "the whole area of the prefecture", and Article 11(2) bars outcall reception offices throughout the prefecture as well. Article 12 also bars these businesses from operating late at night.

Venues listed in Osaka are therefore outcall services such as delivery health, which come to a hotel or another place you choose. The ordinance leaves no place in the prefecture where a walk-in format such as a soapland may operate; for outcall venues the area marks the reception or base, and the service range differs by venue.

Getting there

According to JR Central, the Tokaido Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka in 2 hours 21 minutes. Kyoto to Osaka Station takes about 30 minutes by JR Special Rapid, while the Hankyu Kyoto Line links downtown Kyoto with Osaka-umeda and the Keihan Limited Express links Gion-Shijo with Yodoyabashi.

From Kansai International Airport, the Nankai Rapi:t limited express runs directly between Kansai Airport Station and Nankai Namba, so you reach Namba, the gateway to Minami, without changing trains. Times are estimates, so check the operators' guides before you ride.

How RED LIGHT JAPAN divides Osaka

This site splits Osaka into five major areas: Osaka City; Minami Kawachi; Sakai, Sennan; North Kawachi / East Osaka; and Northern Settsu. Osaka City is divided by station into areas such as Namba/Shinsaibashi, Umeda, Kita Shinchi, Hommachi, Tennoji/Abeno, Juso, Nihonbashi, Kyobashi/Miyakojima and Nishinakajima/Shin-Osaka/Higashi-Mikuni.

Minami Kawachi holds Tondabayashi and Fujiidera, and "Sakai, Sennan" holds Sakai, Sakaihigashi, Nakamozu, Kishiwada and Izumisano・Sennan. North Kawachi / East Osaka has Yao, Hirakata and Neyagawa, Fuse, Moriguchi and Kadoma, and Hyotan-yama; Northern Settsu has areas such as Suita/Esaka, Toyonaka / Ikeda, Takatsuki and Minoo.