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26-515: Various origins for the name Susukino are discussed, but the true origin is not definitely known. One theory is that the area currently known as Susukino was previously covered by Miscanthus sinensis ( susuki ) . Another theory states that the Susukino is named after Tatsuyuki Usui, a supervisor in the construction of the red-light district in Sapporo (Usui is written as 薄井 in kanji, and

52-481: A lot of hotels were constructed around the Susukino district. The Susukino Snow Festival ( Susukino Kōri no Saiten ) was held as a part of the Sapporo Snow Festival in 1983, and since that year, ice statues and other snow objects line up the street of the Susukino district every February. In 1986, a natural hot spring was dug into the ground of Susukino. This was called "Susukino Hot Springs", and

78-774: A painting of the Nikka symbol, the King of Blenders, and the background whose colors are changed one after the other. Every September, the Hokkaidō Marathon is held in Sapporo, and runners pass Ekimae Dōri through the Susukino Crossing and Susukino district, which leads to the finish line in Nakajima Park. Every August, the Susukino Festival is also held, and the line of people bearing Mikoshi parades down

104-480: Is an herbaceous perennial grass, growing to 0.8–2 m (3–7 ft) tall, rarely 4 m (13 ft), forming dense clumps from an underground rhizome . The leaves are 18–75 cm (7–30 in) tall and 0.3–2 cm broad. The flowers are purplish, held above the foliage. This plant is the preferred structure for the nesting of some species of paper wasps, such as Ropalidia fasciata . The Latin specific epithet sinensis means "from China", though

130-472: Is used currently in hotels in the Susukino area. The Hōsui Susukino Station, a subway station of the Tōhō line, Sapporo Municipal Subway, was inaugurated in 1988. Miscanthus sinensis Miscanthus sinensis , the eulalia or Chinese silver grass , is a species of flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, native to eastern Asia throughout most of China , Japan , Taiwan and Korea . It

156-598: Is widely used in the names of landmarks, such as the Susukino Crossing, Susukino Station (a station of the Sapporo Street Car and Sapporo Municipal Subway ). Susukino Crossing is located between Nishi 3 chome, Minami 4 and Nishi 4 chome, Minami 4, and many neon signs were installed on the buildings along the street. One of those signs is the Nikka sign at the front of the Susukino Building, which has

182-575: The sex work industry in Japan , specifically within the time period of January 1946 through to March 1958. The term 'akasen' literally translates as "red-line". Though similar to another term previously used for red-light districts, " yūkaku " , 'akasen' was used as a collective term for red-light districts only between 1946 and 1958, following an issue ordered by GHQ (SCAPIN 642) nationwide to abolish Japan's legalised system of sex work. Another term, 'aosen' ( 青線 , lit. "blue-line"') ,

208-598: The Sapporo Precinct) was placed in Susukino. The transfer of the Susukino yūkaku to the neighbourhood of the Kamokamo River, headwaters of the Sousei River , was planned in 1901, in consideration of the elementary schools and women's professional schools that were located around the red-light district. The transfer, however, was not realised until the summer of 1920. Prior to this year, in 1918,

234-512: The brothels in Susukino were removed, many restaurants, cafes, and movie theatres were constructed and popularized in their place. It was quiet during World War II , but the cabaret and dance hall were erected right after the War, and the American occupation troops also walked around the district. Susukino was not an akasen (red-line) district, an area where prostitution was acknowledged by

260-474: The character 薄 refers to susuki grass in Japanese). Susukino is not an official designation of any municipality. Rather, it is a commonly used name for a rough area with uncertain borders. Susukino Tourist Association defines the area of Susukino as lying between the roadways of Minami 4 and Minami 6 to the north and south, and from Nishi 2 chome to Nishi 6 chome to the east and west. The name Susukino

286-488: The counterpart "non-permitted districts" were known as aosen (blue-line) districts. In practice, "aosen" and "akasen" referred to the colors on municipal zoning maps that outlined brothel districts ( akasen ) and "normal" entertainment districts ( aosen ). The precursor of akasen districts were yūkaku ( 遊廓 ) , legal red-light districts in Japan where both brothels and sex workers (known collectively as yūjo ( 遊女 , lit. "woman of pleasure") ,

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312-640: The criminalisation of sex work, by the beginning of the 21st century, businesses such as soaplands ( ソープランド , sōpurando ) and fashion health ( ファッションヘルス , fashion herusu ) massage parlours had come into existence, regulated under the Businesses Affecting Public Morals Regulation Law Act ( 風俗営業等の規制及び業務の適正化等に関する法律 ) , also known as Fūzoku Eigyō Torishimari Hō ( 風俗営業取締法 ) or fueiho . These businesses, which avoid criminalisation through offering only non-coital sex acts, are required to file

338-425: The designated regions for state-regulated sex work. Due to GHQ orders, brothels - often numbering in their hundreds - began to front non-adult faces of their businesses (such as coffee shops, cafés and beer halls), but would offer sexual services to customers, creating new avenues for the sex industry to continue, especially in popular districts such as Yoshiwara , the akasen region of Tokyo . However, following

364-414: The effect of disbanding the short-lived Recreation and Amusement Association , which had, for a period of one year, worked to ensure that sex workers were not abused and exploited by stationed American soldiers, amongst other things. Despite the increased restrictions and the restructuring of the sex work industry, commercial brothels continued to operate within the law, with akasen districts remaining

390-557: The exposition of the 50th anniversary of Hokkaidō was held in the Nakajima Park, which was located close to the Susukino, and the Susukino Station of the Sapporo Street Car was also opened. Two years later, although the transfer of the red-light district was not carried out in time for the exposition, the district was moved to the place where Kikusui district in the Shiroishi-Ku, Sapporo , is currently located. After all

416-408: The government, but was actually an aosen (blue-line) district, where a lot of restaurants and bars illegally promoted prostitution. The Prostitution Prevention Act was enacted in 1958, however, prostitution in Susukino did not disappear. The street stalls were the actual hotbed of the promotion of the prostitution, which were eradicated by their compulsory removal by the government in 1964. In

442-679: The higher ranks of which were known as oiran ( 花魁 ) ) recognised by the Japanese government operated. In January 1946, GHQ issued an order (SCAPIN 642) nationwide to abolish this licensed sex work system. This had a number of impacts on yūkaku areas, the largest of which was the yūkaku being renamed as "akasen" ( 赤線 ) districts. Brothels had to rename themselves as either cafés ( カフェ ) or ryōtei ( 料亭 ) , sex workers were no longer bound by state-guaranteed contracts, and all known houses of sex work were declared to have "Off Limits" status by SCAP GHQ. The order also had

468-596: The late 1960s, Sapporo City was reserved as the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics , and the expansion of the Sapporo Ekimae Dōri (Sapporo Street in front of the station), the construction of the Sapporo Municipal Subway Nanboku-line, and the maintenance of the underground shopping arcade, Sapporo Poletown, were carried out in around 1970. In 1974, a department store, Matsuzakaya Sapporo Branch (currently Robbinson's Sapporo Branch)

494-546: The leaves. Those marked agm have gained the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . M. sinensis is a candidate for bioenergy production due to its high yield, even in high-stress environments, easy propagation, effective nutrient cycling , and high genetic variation. Aosen Akasen ( 赤線 ) was the Japanese slang term for districts historically engaged in

520-580: The partial disbanding of traditional red-light areas, formerly law-abiding akasen sex work businesses began operating within aosen areas, creating difficulties for the SCAP to identify brothels and continue its "Off Limits" policy. In 1958, the Anti-Prostitution Law ( 売春防止法 , baishun-bōshi-hō ) was enforced, thus officially abolishing legalised sex work, the red-light akasen districts and their label of 'akasen' . Despite

546-594: The plant is found elsewhere in eastern Asia. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate climates around the world. It has become an invasive species in parts of North America. However, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of escape or hybridization with extant wild M. sinensis populations with breeding and proper management. Several cultivars have been selected, including 'Strictus' with narrow growth habit, 'Variegata' with white margins, and ‘Zebrinus’ (sometimes incorrectly rendered as 'Zebrina') with horizontal yellow and green stripes across

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572-492: The red-light district. After the construction of the district, the Kaitaku-shi named this place as "Susukino Yūkaku" (Susukino red-light district), and integrated other brothels into this district. One of the reasons the Kaitaku-shi constructed a red-light district in this place was to keep laborers engaged in pioneering Hokkaidō in Sapporo. In 1872, a 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) wall, 900 metres (3,000 ft) long,

598-635: The street. The Ganso Rāmen Yokochō and Shin Rāmen Yokochō, where ramen restaurants are lined up along the pathway and visitors can have many types of the Sapporo ramen, are also located in the Susukino and are an attraction to sightseers. The Susukino area originated in 1871, when the Hokkaidō Kaitaku-shi , the Settlement Envoyship pioneering Hokkaidō, designated the area from Minami 4 and Minami 5 to Nishi 3 chome and Nishi 4 chome as

624-476: Was erected around the Susukino Yūkaku and a gate was placed between Nishi 3 chome and Nishi 4 chome by Kaitaku-shi. In the fall of the same year, an act to emancipate prostitutes was announced by the new government, which had little influence on the district. With the establishment of licensed prostitution, the Susukino yūkaku and its surrounding area thrived. In 1880, Susukino Kōban (Susukino police box of

650-526: Was opened, which was the first department store in the district of the Susukino. Other notable buildings included the "Emperor", a huge cabaret which opened in 1973 and later closed its business in September 2006, and the "Mikado", another large cabaret which opened in 1974 and later closed in the spring of 1982. Since the late 1970s, disco-style bars began to be popular in Japan and many discos were constructed in Susukino, while nightclubs decayed. In 1980s,

676-456: Was used for "non-permitted" or "non-legal" sex industry districts. In Tokyo, the area directly across the Sumida river from Yoshiwara (Tamanoi, now called Higashi Mukōjima) was a well-known aosen district; it features in some of Kafū Nagai 's short stories. The term 'akasen' is often compared directly with the term " red-light district " in the west. However, this does not explain why

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