Drunken men scream at each other, hot for a fight. Honey-voiced hostesses attract clientele to their clubs. Geisha take their company to luxury restaurants, their geta clattering in their wake -- This neighborhood used to ring with countless sounds. It has since grown quiet.

After the end of World War 2, Japan experienced an economic boom in which fabric weavers grew very wealthy. It was a golden age for Shimoyoshida as a weaving town; they worked tirelessly to meet the nation’s demand for their fabrics. It was a time of such excess that there are anecdotes of textile industry people who lit 1,000-yen bills on fire instead of using lamps to find their shoes in the dark. They'd take their earnings to the nightlife oasis of Nishiura.

Over 250 geisha walked this town, bringing men to luxurious ‘ryotei’ restaurants where they’d eat, drink and be merry. The passage of time also brought with it countless bars, pachinko parlors, movie theaters, and hostess clubs. The entire town became like a miniature theme park.

It especially came alive during the once-monthly “teiden-bi” or “No-Electricity Days”. The town would forcibly cut off the textile factories’ electricity to force the endlessly toiling fabric workers to rest. Men and women of the industry seized the day and primped themselves up for a night on the town of Nishiura. Though they didn’t have many options, they explored every neon-soaked route, again and again, stopping for a bite at a 50-yen eatery, watching movies at the theater before popping into a bar for drinks...and here is where many people probably blacked out.

Here’s an interesting tidbit that illustrates how famous Nishiura became as a pleasure district: when Shimoyoshida locals traveled to Izu, they’d hail a taxi and say to the driver:

“Isn’t there anywhere fun around here?”

To which the savvy driver would respond, “I know just the place,” before carrying them to their usual neon-soaked stomping grounds: Nishiura.