History

Imagine a street so full of laundry shops that its name never really had a chance to be anything else.

By 1900, Johor Bahru was booming, and Jalan Dhoby sat right in the middle of it, named for the dhoby laundry shops that once clustered thickly around its junction with Jalan Trus. Demand was high in a fast growing city, and for a while this strip was simply where you went to get your clothes washed.

Competition eventually pushed the laundry trade out, but the name never left.

Why It Matters

What was once a street of launderers is now one of Johor Bahru's liveliest pockets for cafes and small independent businesses.

The trade changed completely, yet the street's identity and its energy at ground level have stayed remarkably intact.

If you want to see how Johor Bahru's old trading spirit shows up in its modern cafe culture, this is the block to walk.

Travel Tips

• About 8 minutes on foot from JOTIC, an easy add-on to a walking itinerary. 

• Go hungry. This is café-and-brunch territory, not a quick photo-and-leave stop. 

• Evenings bring a different energy than daytime, worth visiting at both if you have time. 

• Look out for shopfronts that still hint at the street's old trade. A few original facades remain among the newer cafés.

💡 Did You Know? 

• Many of the murals scattered along Jalan Dhoby aren't just random street art. They're part of #tanahairku, a nationwide mural project backed by Petronas in 2014 and 2015 that brought artists from across Malaysia together to celebrate the country's cultural diversity