Geisha in Gion

City : Kyoto

Kyoto is famous for 300-year-old Geisha tradition. There are about 250 Geishas in Kyoto city - they are popularly called Geiko and Maiko in Kyoto - and 100 of them are registered in Gion, the most prestigious geisha community.

"Gion" is also the district name where many houses served tea to people who visited Yasaka shrine in the old days and later they added attractions of singing and dancing to entertain those people. That is the origin of Geisha in Gion.

"Tea houses" survive centuries and they are places today where kimono-clad Geishas pour their guest a cup of sake and perform arts of dancing, singing, playing instruments, and traditional party games over the dinner table. Not many people go such banquet because it's very expensive and inaccessible to visitors without a repeater's accompaniment.

How could travelers see the Geisha tradition in Gion? Let's start with watching them on streets. They sometimes walk to their daily practice or to a banquet at a tea house. There are two classes of Geishas, Maiko and Geiko. Maiko are young girls, an apprentice Geiko and wear a dangling obi belt and high sandals. Geiko are seniors, usually over 20, and wear no items of Maiko but do a wig. You are more likely to see them in the area near Hanami-koji street, probably once in an hour.

If you miss a chance to see a geisha, you -ladies- can be like a geisha for hours using the Geisha makeover sevices. There are about ten shops of the sevices solely in Gion and Higashiyama district. You should choose one which welcomes foreign customers. They usually have several plans for photography and free time out of the shop, and the prices are around 13,000 yen. My recommendations are AYA (http://kyoto-maiko.com/English/) and SHIKI (http://www.maiko-henshin.com/english/) which are located in the setting for an ideal outdoor photography. An advance reservation is required.