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Illuminated signs draw patrons to their favorite bars.
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Nao-san surveys the scene from behind the counter at Nabe-san.
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The map at the entrance to Golden-gai.
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A Golden-gai street viewed from a second-floor establishment. Until the law banning prostitution was enacted in 1958, the upper floors were used for assignations between prostitutes and their customers.
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Sanbangai is where Golden-gai’s distinctive atmosphere remains most in evidence.
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Golden-gai’s alleyways, redolent of Japan in the 1950s and 1960s, attract foreign visitors.
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Bars along Hanazono Gobangai. In recent years, a growing number of ordinary office workers have discovered Golden-gai as a place for solo bar-hopping.
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