Shimabara (嶋原, often simplified to 島原, sometimes styled 嶌原) was the designated courtesans' district (yūkaku) in Kyoto, from 1640, and later also a geisha district (hanamachi). It is now defunct, both as a courtesans' district (prostitution was outlawed in Japan in 1958) and as a geisha district (since the 1970s), and thus is often excluded from the list of Kyoto hanamachi. It continues to operate as a tourist area, however, and does have one operating ochaya.