Maruyamacho in Shibuya. The area was famous for its geishas in the 1950s -- not the earnest, "What we do is art"
Memoirs of a Geisha women, but the straight-up prostitutes. The area has definitely retained its seediness throughout the years. Walk a minute off the main road, and you're surrounded by the gaudiest, tackiest love hotels. But stylish cafes dot the area, and there is also a greengrocer's nearby, as well as houses. Here, the most rudimentary of parks is squeezed in next to yet another love hotel. Not my kids...
