“Exploration of Devil Caves,” Tairiku Nippō: Part 2 | 大陸日報「魔窟探検記」: 続編

Three years have already passed since we published the first series of Exploration of Devil Caves and imposed great sanctions on Japanese-owned cave folks across the Canadian interior. The past three years were short and, at the same time, long. In those years the situation of devil caves went through a considerable change. 

The continuous upward trend of development is not limited to Vancouver alone. The entirety of British Columbia and Alberta over the Rockies have shown a tremendous growth. We might worry whether caves have also developed along with the general upward trend but this should not be of great concern. Publication of Exploration of Devil Caves deflated some of the underground leaders who finally convinced themselves that the game was over and it is not worth holding on. Some shut their businesses down in Nelson or Cranbrook and left for Japan. No growth is possible when the leaders are backing away. Now, most readers may jump to the conclusion that the caves will diminish year after year but that is absolutely not the case, either. 

The reason why we decided to launch the second series is because those prostitution businesses have their successors. Japan has its unique family system, which can cause a number of problems but is also serving as a great foundation for national morals. People work hard not to shame their family name or extinguish their family. There is filial piety and faith. But when they are applied to caves that is another story. Cave successors are urged to protect and continue existing businesses and even straight men jump into the mud of immorality and contaminate their legs. This is outrageously impudent as Japanese. In fact, these successors used to be admirable workers, being engaged in straight jobs at a sawmill or elsewhere three years ago. But many fell into the position of underground leaders today. We cannot nonchalantly wait and see whether a saying proves to be truth: sands on the shore may end, seeds of the cave will not. Granted, seeds of the cave may continue to exist given the social and cultural condition of the world but Japanese-run caves are worth a hundred harms and no good. If we wish for a healthy growth of fellow Japanese, the presence of the devils is our enemy. Interior caves are not developing but transforming. Their situation has changed considerably and this change does not allow pretermission. It is the time for another great sanction. 

Undercover Correspondent 

Last fall, when the maple trees of western Canada began to wither and the snow crown on the Lions began to stretch day by day, a man—an “undercover correspondent” might sound exaggerated an expression—without any disguise, wearing a deerstalker hat low on his face, was sitting by the train window. Avoiding the chilly wind blowing into the Burrard Inlet with the collar of his jacket, the man on the train left from CPR platform. The one who just sent the man off is one of our young students. In past years he traveled all over the interior, even returning pale with fever one time. He knows in detail about the change in the situation of the interior caves over the three years through frequent correspondence and communication with his contacts, and a name can trigger in him all kinds of associated information. As such, he was in the best possible position to complete the given assignment and goals. The student gave the man instructions with twenty or so items and notes: 

“You must complete your mission successfully,” 

“Everything will be all right. I’ll do my best.” 

“Take care of yourself. It’s cold out there.” 

Goodbye, be well—As the eastbound train slowly sped up and left the platform, the student hastily hopped into the nearest bar. 

The student soon started to receive reports from the man on the train about his everyday activities and updates, including information such as where he arrived first and which hotel he stayed at. The amount of information was mountainous, to use an overdramatic expression, but it was plenty anyway. We do not need to write where he got off the train or where he stayed, but we must note that the information revealed that many underground leaders in the interior from old days in fact backed away and left for Japan, a number that was greater than what we expected. 

From Nelson, Kawamoto, Shiraishi, and Inada have left. From Calgary, it has been long since Yamada left, but in addition, Iida, Hashimoto, Chiba, Tsurumi, Kigawa, and Higashi have left. Among them there are some who once returned to Japan and left the country again or more wild ones who have voyaged again via Europe. They are astonishingly vindictive. 

And, of course, we have also seen an active movement among prostitutes. Some returned to Japan, some others died.

We will make sure to report on this further later in the series, but for now we can try counting out those who have left: Four left from Nelson; others left from Revelstoke, including Okiku, a wife of a black barber; Okiyo, a wife of Hashimoto; Osuma, a wife of Higashi; Osachi and Yamada’s wife; Iida’s wife; Osachi, prostitute for Iida; Itagaki’s Osaki; Chiba’s Onatsu and Okin; Tsurumi’s Iyo; and Shinjō’s Otori. All have returned to Japan at around the same time. Women such as Kigawa’s wife, Matsuno’s wife, whose English name is Sara, swapped her position for one in the underworld. There was also the dumb fellow Goemon Kashima who, together with his women, was slapped with a repatriation order by an immigration officer after he ventured from the interior to meet the women in Victoria. In another instance, a famous and adept woman called Sachiko left Blairmore two years ago in the spring and joined Asakusa Park Geisha in Tōkyō. She is already over thirty but proud of being able to speak some English. Calling herself by her stage name, Koetsu, she is throwing around English words such as, “Hey you, don’t be snobbish and pay me by ‘cheque.’ ‘Cash’ is less ‘troublesome’ and better.” There are other movements happening if we look over the situation out there, but we will deal with these later. Before finally writing about the situation in the interior, there is something hanging right in front of our eyes that we want to pay a bit of attention to.

Just Around the Corner

While the undercover correspondent was fighting with the extreme cold of some degrees below zero and exercising his skills and traveling everywhere, we had a mayoral election in Vancouver. As a new mayor was elected, there was an about-face and then a robust policy came to fruition, with the roll of the dice. The world was just turned upside down. You might remember all kinds of debates around street prostitutes versus indoor prostitutes, but in any case, the new policy devised a corner of red-light district, or a “warm-and-soft land,” or else, a devil cave, a prostitute cave, a pleasure quarter—how we call it does not matter but its location is somewhat problematic. The quarter extends between the 500 and 600 blocks of Alexander Street, in the neighbourhood of Powell Street. There is a saying: a mulberry field transforms into the blue ocean*, but indeed the news shocked the Japanese more than mountain potatoes would do by transforming into eels. We are not going to discuss this further here but we admit its significance as the location is extremely close to Japantown.

Investigation before Discussion 

As socio-economic relations are getting more and more complex and we are also faced with issues around the marriage system, cultured citizens in particular are fretting about the crackdown of the caves. Much investigation has been done to minimize their harm and have them only play their role to the extent that it’s necessary. There are some people who were sent from Canada last year to conduct research on the authorized prostitution system in Japan. This, what we might call an “undesirable necessity,” is not particularly strange to exist and it may not be worth reproaching the port of Vancouver for having one or two quarters. However, what is of concern among the Japanese at the moment is the fact that the recently launched red-light district is close to Japantown and adjacent to the First National School (Japanese School). Of course, its influence is not trivial. In fact, the problem is less serious because no Japanese-run cave exists there. If there were any Japanese involved, that must absolutely not be permitted and we must take a definite step to exercise our excellent ability to terminate the situation immediately due to the caves’ proximity to the National School. However, the problem is a little lighter because only whites and blacks are involved. The only problem is that they are too close to us. If they were located far back on the edge of town, we would not bother paying any attention. If that was the case, we would bring our investigation into the caves in the interior here right away. As I have mentioned earlier, because of their proximity, we decided that it is not unworthy to study them even though there is no single Japanese woman among the prostitutes in the district. 

I would not judge whether the presence of the prostitute caves on Alexander Street is acceptable or not. We will advance a different discussion. The discussion does not require special background knowledge about the given phenomenon, but we still completed a series of investigations into the caves on Alexander Street for our reference. However, instead of troubling with an undercover man we used an investigator from a different network and made sure that he strictly stuck with the core duty solemnly and rigidly, without harming a whit of his dignity. This investigator is a respectful member of society but we will not reveal who he is. That will of course be confidential. 

At last, from the next episode on, we will briefly take you through the situation of the red-light district just around the corner. 

(Photograph: Prostitutes’ Caves Seen from the National School) 

Automobile Boom 

According to recent newspaper reports from Japan, Japan has also seen an automobile boom lately, although the total number only amounts to 220 in Tōkyō, 30 in Ōsaka and 10 to 23 in Kōbe, Kyōto, Nagoya, and Yokohama. There are still many folks who have never seen an automobile in small towns of the countryside. In contrast, Vancouver only has a population of 150,000 but of course, it is Canada—though it does not deserve special admiration, there is a disproportionate number of automobiles in this small city, which proves that its economy is good and we agree on that. What we do not appreciate are speeding cars on Powell Street and Alexander Street at one or two o’clock in the morning, driven by happy and wasted humming whites, whose bodies are in the cars but their spirits are flying up to heaven—these are empty bodies that are singing and driving cars. It is getting too eccentric; although they may have the freedom to do whatever they want to do, people living in the neighbourhood are troubled with the nuisances that disturb their sleep every night. In addition, there are also carriages doing the same, adding to the proliferation of traffic. However, despite such vibrancy, most of them are cabs who, out of their business-minds, are waiting to take customers going home. Only a few send customers there and none take customers and women out for excursions. 

Police launched prostitute caves on Alexander Street but they tightened up the regulation more than before when there were caves on Dupont Street in Chinatown, currently East Pender Street, Shanghai Alley, and Canton Alley. Whereas in earlier days prostitutes in impetuous costumes were able to freely visit their prostitute friends during the night, have drinks together and do other things, today police strictly forbid them from going out at night. An officer whom you know is engaged in security, regulation, or guarding behind the trees on one side of the 500 Block. That is hardworking of him indeed, if we think about it.