Banda Street, Singapore

Banda Street, Singapore (9 July 2011)


Banda Street is a short one-way street in the Chinatown of Singapore, just behind the newly built Buddha Tooth-Relic Temple. The only building along the street today is a high-rise apartment block with some shops at the ground floor.

From the late 19th century to just before the Second World War, Banda Street and nearby Spring Street was a red-light district housing mostly Karayuki-san, or Japanese prostitute. For that reason, the Cantonese people called the street Fan Tsai Mei, meaning "end of the foreign brothels". In this respect, Banda Street is similar to Cintra Street in Penang.

Karayuki-san, meaning "Ms-gone-overseas", are Japanese girls from impoverished parts of rural Japan who out of circumstance were forced into the flesh trade. They were a presence in many cities in Southeast Asia until before the Second World War.

Map of Banda Street, Singapore

Sights along Banda Street, Singapore

Banda Street roadsign (9 July 2011)

References

List of the Streets in Singapore; Discover Singapore

 Sights in Singapore

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Streets of Singapore and Map of Singapore Streets

Singapore MRT and Map of Singapore MRT

Postal Districts of Singapore and Map of Singapore Postal Districts

Planning Areas of Singapore and Map of Singapore Planning Areas

Songs about Penang

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.