For most of the Edo period Maruyama was one of Japan's three great pleasure quarters. While the rest of Japan was closed to foreigners, the Maruyama courtesans were among the very few Japanese permitted to interact with the Dutch on Dejima and the Chinese in Shinchi, and the district absorbed influences from both. The neighbourhood today is a quieter mix of historic ryotei, small bars, and izakaya in narrow lantern-lit lanes. The bronze stub of the old curfew gate at Shianbashi marks the entrance.