In Japan, the world of nighttime entertainment is euphemistically called mizu-shobai, the “water trade.” The term began about 400 years ago with the development of large baths, geisha districts and courtesan quarters. This hedonistic lifestyle was called ukiyo or “floating world”; it was seen as a metaphor for the transience, drinking, and impermanence of life. The famous woodcuts of greats like Hokusai would chronicle life in these margins and turn geisha, kabuki, samurai, or prostitute. This whole genre would be called ukiyo-e or “images of the floating world.”