Early Japanese Shops in Indonesia

TSUTSUMIBAYASHI Kazue has been changing jobs. From non-permanent teachers to prison wardens. His introduction to Kakushun, a Taiwanese merchant who has overseas branches, encouraged him to become a merchant. In 1902, he was self-sufficient by opening a grocery store in Taipei.

Karayukisan, a commercial sex worker from Japan, who became a customer of Japanese merchants. Source

In its development, Tsutsumibayashi experiencing soul turmoil. He returned to Japan and studied religious matters until he finally decided to embrace Protestant Christianity. On the basis of his religious beliefs, he is called to do something for his nation, especially to develop the soul and spirit among the youth. To that end, he invited the church youth who are interested to migrate to the South Seas or Nanyo region, namely Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands (Australia and New Zealand). 200 church youths registered, but only 15 were chosen.

Before leaving for the Southern Ocean area, Tsutsumibayashi and 15 youth practiced the traveling trade from Tokyo to Osaka via Nagoya. In April 1909, they finally departed from the port of Yokohama to Semarang, Java.

On the way, they pass through Siji City (China), Shanghai, Hongkong, Singapore, and others. During this trip, they also trade around. On May 3, 1909, they arrived in Semarang.

If Tsutsumibayashi trades in the Southern Ocean region because of his religious beliefs, other Japanese traders come because of the appeal of karayuki-san, the Japanese women who became commercial sex workers (PSK) and spread since the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

According to the historian Meta Sekar Puji Astuti, karayuki-san literally means people who go to work to China (kara: China or China; yuki: go or go to a place), usually in the field of prostitution. However, they not only went to China but also Siberia, India, America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, including the Dutch East Indies.

"Indirectly, it is this karayuki-san who invites and attracts Japanese male traders to come to the Indies," Meta said. "The male merchants originally went around providing for karayuki-san's needs, especially the most commonly refreshing drug called Jintan, and also the accessories."

The link between the merchant's arrival with karayuki-san is told by former pimp, Okamura Iheiji, who lives in the Indies. "How remote the villages are in the countries of the Southern Ocean, there will soon appear prostitutes (joshigun or karayuki-san) soon to be followed by the establishment of a grocery store. The traders from Japan will come. Once they are independent they will set up their own shop. Then they will make headquarters (Japanese stores). The head of prostitutes, because they do not like to be called by pinpu (pimp), then they manage the Japanese shop, "said Iheiji, quoted by Yano Toru in Nanshin no Keifu (Genealogy of the Movement to the South).

Since the Dutch East Indies government prohibited CSWs in line with the convention of women's and children's anti-trafficking in 1912, also signed by Japan, there was a change of orientation of Japanese immigrants who came to the Dutch East Indies. They come not because karayuki-san, but the market potential. Meanwhile, Japanese traders who had been in the Indies shifted their buyers' targets to a potentially bumiputera community.

At first, according to Gusti Asnan in Penetration Through the Sea: Japanese Ships in Indonesia Before 1942, Japanese men who trade around or small merchants can exist in this country because the goods they sell are generally needed by karayuki-san.

In subsequent developments, their merchandise consists of factory produce, in the form of glassware and grocery, of relatively good quality but affordable. These items are delivered directly by the sellers to the "doorstep" of the buyer's house, sold by sale in traditional markets, or traded in eastern shops in urban areas.

"The Japanese store is a phenomenon in the history of Japanese presence in Indonesia at the beginning of the 20th century," Gusti Asnan wrote.