Former sex worker-turned-photographer Beniko uses her striking images to shed light on the hidden history of Japan’s red-light districts, particularly Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district. Once famous for its courtesans, the area now tells a different story, which Beniko captures to preserve the untold struggles and personal histories of those who lived and worked there.
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00:00Beniko often finds herself wandering the streets of Yoshiwara district, camera in hand.
00:06The fading red light district near Tokyo's tourist hotspot Asakusa,
00:10once famous for its high-class courtesans, is now telling a different story.
00:14One she's capturing in photos.
00:31The struggles are something Beniko knows well.
00:34She spent 10 years as a sex worker in the neighborhood.
00:48Established during the Edo period in a different location,
00:51Yoshiwara was moved to eastern Tokyo after a fire.
00:55Although it declined during the Meiji period,
00:57interest in the history of Japan's red light districts has grown,
01:00sparked by its portrayals in film and anime.
01:03Watanabe Goh's bookshop caters to these interests.
01:27In contrast to its 16th and 17th century heyday,
01:30Yoshiwara is a shell of its former self,
01:33with most of the adult industry moving to the nearby,
01:36vibrant Kabukicho nightlife district after sex work was outlawed in 1958.
01:42Today, most of the area's brothels, like the one Beniko worked in,
01:45are operated as bathhouses, or soaplands.
01:58By her 30s, years of sex work, seeing up to 10 clients a day,
02:02had taken a toll on Beniko, both physically and mentally.
02:06In extreme pain, and wanting to care for her child,
02:09she left the profession, got a part-time job,
02:12and began learning photography.
02:15Now 52, she runs a YouTube channel where she shows her face.
02:19At the same time, Beniko's mother,
02:22Now 52, she runs a YouTube channel where she shows her face.
02:26A decision which has made her the target of abuse,
02:29but also gained her a considerable following.
02:53If I don't show my face and talk to people,
02:57I don't have the persuasive power to convey my message.
03:03Beniko's photo books reveal the hidden back rooms
03:06of Japan's red light districts.
03:08Through crowdfunding, they've raised over US$55,000,
03:12far exceeding Beniko's original goal of US$7,000.
03:15Proof that photography can brighten the corners of a personal history,
03:19while bringing into focus a complex past.
03:22James Lin and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.