Oiran (花魁?) were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yūjo (遊女?

) "
of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that
they were entertainers rather than simply sex workers,[citation needed] and man
y became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art an
d fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural asp
ects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day.
-keisei
城
iroko (prostitute)
kamuro (the apprentice iroko)
shinzou 16-17
oshoku (best seller)
soapland
bijinga: pictures of beautiful women with the specific purpose of illustrating t
heir beauty
Emonzaka: Emonzaka (which means "clothing hill") is the hill at the entrance to
Yoshiwara where clothing streets used to line the path into the area with the br
othels.
flower viewing/hanami: For those who aren't familiar with hanami (flower viewing
), it's when groups of people get together to look at the cherry blossoms... and
party.
furisode: a style of formal kimono with long, trailing sleeves worn by unmarried
women. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furisode for a little more info and a p
icture.
harimise: a section of a (traditional Japanese) brothel where the prostitutes ar
e displayed behind wooden grates so the customers can see what they are buying i
n advance.
iroko: a male homosexual prostitute
kabuki-mono: groups of young people who dressed and acted peculiarly (used to de
scribe Kichou multiple times)
kagema: basically, male prostitutes from the Edo period. There's not much, but s
ee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagema
keisei: a form of courtesan, often portrayed in Kabuki
kosode: a type of garment that was precursor to the modern kimono and worn as an
undergarment in earlier eras
koto: a traditional Japanese stringed instrument with 13 strings
looking back willow: a willow tree is near Emonzaka. People were said to stop at
the tree and look back while on their way home from the brothels, thus the name
"looking back willow" (mikaeri yanagi in Japanese).
nagajuban: a sort of "under kimono" similar in style to the kimono, but worn und
erneath to protect the actual kimono
najimi: Literally, a friend or someone you're close to. Used to refer to a frequ
ent customer at Hanafurirou.
Naka no Machi: a street that runs through Yoshiwara
nikuman: steamed buns filled with pork
oiran: a traditional high class courtesan (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oira
n )
okami-san: Okami literally means landlady or proprietress. The okami of a ryokan
is either the owner or the wife of the owner, and she acts as a general manager
.
-shi: a formal honorific, often used for someone the speaker hasn't actually met
.
-kumi/-gumi: Kumi (and gumi) means group or class, and is often used to refer to
yakuza groups.
pudding: Japanese "pudding" is actually a sort of custard, similar to flan.
ryokan: a traditional Japanese style inn
soapland: a type of store where customers (usually male) are bathed by female pr
ostitutes. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soapland for more info.
shikake: a specific type of uchikake used by the keisei at Hanafurirou
shinzou: Shinzou means new or newly made. Refers to boys at Hanafurirou between
the ages of 16 and 18.
shokai: first time
uchikake: a type of long kimono that used to be worn by high class women on spec
ial occasions. Now it is used for weddings. See http://www.yamatoku.jp/classic/l
isting.asp?genre=1 for a longer explanation and several images.
ura wo kaesu: a phrase that means either to request a specific prostitute for th
e second time or to look at/think about something from a different viewpoint
Yoshiwara: a district of Tokyo that was famous as a red light district in former
times. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiwara for more information

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and some name meanings...
Hanafurirou: Hanafurirou is written with the characters for flower, fall/drop, a
nd tower.
Hotaru: Hotaru means firefly.
Karin: Karin is a type of flower similar to the quince that is used as an orname
ntal shrub. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaenomeles
Kichou: Kichou means something along the lines of "beautiful butterfly."
Kagerou: Kagerou means dragonfly.
Shirayuri: Shirayuri means white lily.