TOKYO (TR) – December 19, is — probably not officially — ‘Soapland Day.’
On this day in 1984, a bathhouse association held a press conference at the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo to announce the name “soapland” had been chosen for the style of sauna bath that provides full sex.
Good, clean fun was never the same again.
12月19日は #ソープランドの日
1984年9月トルコ人の青年が「愛する祖国の名前が、いかがわしい風呂屋の名前になっている」と厚生省に直訴。問題となり東京都特殊浴場協会が「トルコ風呂」に代わる新しい名称を一般公募し同年12月19日に新名称「ソープランド」が誕生した。 pic.twitter.com/G4uGabyzkv
— 吐きだめビデオ (@hakidamevideo) December 18, 2024
Turkish bath
Prior to the use of soapland, the bathhouses went by the name “toruko,” which is a shortened version of toruko buro, or Turkish bath.
The impetus for the change came via a Turkish exchange student who found displeasure with the association of his culture and sex. In August of 1984, he submitted a request to then health minister Kozo Watanabe to change the name. “There is no connection between Turkey and the toruko baths,” the student said. “Such a strange image creates a feeling of unpleasantness.”
The history of such “unpleasantness” dates back to April 1, 1951, when the first outlet opened for business under the name Tokyo Onsen in the Higashi Ginza area. The establishments spread nationwide, peaking in popularity three decades later with the rise of the asset-inflated “bubble” economy. Popular red-light districts to this day that feature soapland bathhouses include the Chuo area of Kumamoto City, Tokyo’s Yoshiwara, Nakasu (in Fukuoka) and Kobe’s Fukuhara.
Among those who supported the change of the name in 1984 were politician Yuriko Koike, who was a journalist at the time, and representatives from the Turkish Embassy.
“Love You”
The Special Bath Association eventually got wind of the controversy. Its first consideration was to conceal lettering on the bathhouse signboards. However, it finally decided that a more permanent solution was in order. The November 16 issue of the Yomiuri Shimbun announced that prospective names were being sought.
The association received approximately 2,200 responses, including “Romance Bath,” “Colt,” “Lovely Bath,” “Toriko (Prisoner),” “Love You,” written with yu for hot water, and “Honey.”
In settling upon the name soapland, which is modified from sekken no kuni, or soap country, the association said it found “the bright and clean image” appealing.
“Nonsensical name”
The name was not well received initially. Among its critics were writer Keiichi Hiroka, who said, “On the face of it, it’s a nonsensical name. If one thinks of it as a surface name it is nonsensical. There is no sex appeal. There is no conjuring of an exciting image at all. I don’t get a feeling of wanting to go there and play.”
Newspapers, however, embraced the change with such headlines as “Let go of turko; it’s now a ‘soapland.’” “From now, we want to only use the name toruku for the country of Turkey,” a government official said in the Osaka and Nagoya evening editions of the Asahi Shimbun on the day of the announcement.
In attendance at the press conference at the Akasaka Prince was the Turkish ambassador, who was satisfied with the decision.
