Geiko in Kyoto

Definitely was trying not to get my hopes up about seeing geisha (芸者) during my visit to Kyoto a couple of days ago, but I was not disappointed! We were able to see geiko (芸妓), as they are called in Kyoto) on their way to appointments during the early evening in the Gion district, the most famous geiko area in Japan. In this district, the streets are very quiet and dark save for the orange lanterns in front of the exclusive teahouses where the geiko shuffle to meet patrons for entertainment (tea, drinks, dancing, shamisen playing and the like).

A couple of days later, when visiting Kiyomizu temple high in the hills of Kyoto, we were able to get up close and personal with some maiko, (舞妓) apprentice geiko which are exclusively found in Kyoto. Once maiko finish their training, they must decide whether to take the next step to become a geiko, which means giving up on marriage. In order to differentiate a geiko from a maiko, you must examine their clothing. Maiko wear much more flamboyant kimono with longer sleeves, while the geiko don kimono with a more subdued white collar. My goal was to get a good photo with the temple in the background and a close up of their makeup, while many annoying Americans and Europeans wanted to "pose with the geisha." Even while being accosted with cameras, these maiko still maintained their grace and poise, still shuffling about while people shouted at them and followed them down the winding road away from Kiyomizu.


It was very exciting to encounter so many geiko and maiko when every guidebook that I read warned that spotting geisha is a rare occurence in modern-day Kyoto, as their numbers have been fast dwindling since their peak in the 1920s.