Khan Academy: The Floating World of Edo Japan

During Japan's Edo period (1615-1868) the phrase "the floating world" (ukiyo) evoked an imagined universe of wit, stylishness, and extravagance -- with overtones of naughtiness, hedonism, and transgression. Implicit was a contrast to the humdrum of everyday obligation. The concept of the floating world began in the Japanese heartland, migrated eastward, and came to full flower in Edo (present-day Tokyo), where its main venues were popular Kabuki theaters and red-light districts. Each offered an array of rich sensory experiences to the fraction of the populace able to partake of them directly