10 Tips on how to see a Geisha in Kyoto

Geiko in Kyoto

One of my favourite experiences in Japan was seeing Geisha (or Geiko) in Gion, Kyoto. I read the book ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ many years ago and I do find their way of life very interesting (although the book fabricated many facts about Geisha’s, it was a good introductionto get a feel for what a life of a Geisha was like). Things that stuck in my mind were the hairstyles the Maiko would have to sleep in, the beautiful and expensive kimono gowns, the tea ceremonies and the constant and unrelenting practice of the traditional arts.

Geiko are Japanese women who are cultural ambassadors of ancient Japanese traditional arts of dance, music, singing and the tea ceremony. Geisha are commonly seen wearing kimono. Often, when you think you are seeing a Geiko, you are actually seeing a Maiko (a Geiko in training). For ease of reading, I will mention Geiko in this article as being inclusive of Maiko, unless mentioned otherwise.

You can commonly see Geiko around the neighbourhood of Gion in Kyoto. In recent years, due to increased number of tourists, the Geiko have found it difficult to get to their workplaces (teahouses) due to tourists getting in their way taking photos and blocking their paths just to get a photo. 

There are signs up to make sure you give the Geiko space. You are asked not to block their paths or ask for photos. Often, the Geiko arrive at teahouses in taxis – so they only need to literally walk one metre into the open door of the tea house.

Here are my tips below on seeing Geiko and experiencing Gion:

1. Read the signs. Do not block their paths. Stay a respectful distance away from them.

Keep a respectful distance away from them and try not to intrude on their personal space. They are literally going to work.

2. About 6.15pm head to Hanamikoji Dori road in Gion.

We saw about half a dozen Geiko easily. Some Geiko would arrive in taxis. Some Geiko would appear from literally nowhere in one of the side alley ways. This is the ‘tea house district’.

3. Blink and you miss them

Geiko are not slow walkers which is amazing considering how high their shoes are to walk in (Maiko’s shoes are 10 cm high!). 

You literally only have seconds to see them before they literally disappear into the nearest teahouse or waiting taxi, like a rock-star.

 

4. You can spot the Geisha in the taxis really easy from their hair.

The Geiko sit in the back seat of the car, and their hair-do is piled high above their head – so you can see from a distance away that a Geiko is in the taxi.

5. Geiko are not prostitutes. This is a myth.

In fact there was an entire different stream of women, called the Oiran (licensed courtesans) who were prostitutes, whom dressed similar to the Geiko in Kimono. Geiko were forbidden to be prostitutes as that was the Oiran’s turf and Geiko were confined to the cultural arts only. This is where the confusion started from - the prostitutes dressed similarly.

6. How to tell the difference between a Geiko and a Maiko?

i) The hairstyle – Geiko’s hair styling is plainer, with less ornaments, whilst Maiko’s  hair styling is more heavily decorated with hair ornaments.

ii) Maiko wear very high sandal shoes. Geiko wear shorter height shoes.

iii) Maiko wear a long Obi, that hangs down their backs. Whereas Geiko wear a shorter, more compact, square Obi.

iv) Maiko spend a lot of time doing their hair. Whereas Geiko wear wigs. Because they wear wigs, you will not see any natural skin colour on their forehead as the wig will cover it. In contrast, Maiko’s white face make up does not cover the hairline, so you can see their natural skin colour. 

Fun facts: Maiko hair pins could be used as a weapon in self defence! Also, the white makeup the Geiko originally used was made out of Lead! When it was realised how toxic this was they moved to rice powder. Maiko can also in their last stage of training colour their teeth black!

7. Maiko train for up to 5 years to become a fully fledged Geiko

8. There is a lot of great shopping to do in Gion

I had read prior to our visit that Gion had just the big name brands that are commonly found throughout the world. But, in fact there was quite a lot of ‘good shopping’ to be had here.  You could literally spend a couple of days in Gion just looking around the huge arcades and markets and I’m sure we missed heaps.

 

Inside Tower Records

Which flavour? hmm?

 

9. Don’t miss the Teramachi Street Arcade and Nishiki Markets

We actually missed the Nishiki Markets (a foodie market), as we mistakenly thought the Teramachi Street Arcade was it. Oops. However we loved the Teramachi Street Arcade – its undercover but the shops and the ambience of the place was something else. Teramachi literally means temple street – and some of the shops in this area date back to the 16^th century.

It was like a trip back in time with very niche stores – things we like to poke around in like old bookshops. There was also a lot of food shops and restaurants.

Teramachi Street Arcade

Teramachi Street Arcade

Bamboo for sale at Teramachi Street Arcade

Pictures for sale at Teramachi Street Arcade

Cute little shops at Teramachi Street Arcade

  
10. Want to see a Geiko show? Go to Gion Corner

We didn’t do this due to time constraints, but this seemed like a pretty good deal. There is a daily 50 minute performance by Geiko’s and Maikos exhibiting traditional skills such as the tea ceremony, music, Japanese puppetry and dance. There are two performances one at 6pm and one at 7pm.  Check the official websites online to book and note during the off season, performance days are scaled back.  Adults: ¥3,150, Students (Age 16-22): ¥2,200, Children (Age 7-15): ¥1,900, Infants (Age 0-6): free. http://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html

There is currently a special Tourist Season Discount from July 1st to February 28 2020.

Of course you can always go to an actual tea ceremony, but these cost as much as $400 AUD for 30 minutes.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my tips for seeing Geiko in Kyoto. If you would like to comment please do so in Comments as I would love to hear about your experiences and or feedback.

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Read more about:

Japan 

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Until next week,
KJ

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