Gion - The Geisha District

'A story like mine should never be told.' These are the first words in Arthur Golden's best-selling book, Memoirs of a Geisha. When the book first came out, it was criticized by Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha on whom Golden supposedly based the story. She eventually wrote her own memoirs because she said that Golden had betrayed her confidence and depicted geisha as prostitutes. So, are they or are they not ? Before leaving Japan next week, I have decided to do a short post on Gion - the geisha district of Kyoto.

Gion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. However, the Gion district of modern-day Kyoto no longer had the exotic teahouses, theaters and ornate temples of the 1920s and 1930s. Along the Hanami-koji, some beautiful and old wooden teahouses (o-chaya) are still to be found - a place where geisha entertain their wealthy customers.

The rich and powerful come here in the evening. You won't see much during daytime and at night in some of the more exclusive teahouses, you probably won't be allowed to enter without some sort of connection (no matter how much money is offered).

Moreover, the yakuza-like atmosphere will probably not make tourists feel very comfortable. Shown is Gion's oldest and most exclusive teahouse - the Ichiriki-tei.

Geisha (in Kyoto, they prefer to be called geiko-san) or maiko sometimes wander through the streets during the day, but you will have more chances to spot one between 5pm and 6:30pm, when she is on her way to work.

One might need connections to enter exclusive teahouses to be entertained by geisha, but another way is to hire one to host parties and gatherings in japanese traditional restaurants (probably about USD300 - 400 for two hours session). Basically, there are two types of geisha. One is called 'tachikata' which mainly does traditional japanese dance. The other is called 'jikata' which mainly sings, or plays an instrument (e.g. shamisen).

On the other hand, I am sure there are traditional japanese restaurants in the Gion area which offer some sort dinner plus geisha performance package.

The Minamiza Theater (also mentioned in the book, 'Memoirs of a geisha') was the first kabuki theater built in Japan. Today, the theater is used for a wide variety of performances including musicals and modern plays. The month of december is the annual kaomise (face-showing) season, when popular kabuki actors are lined up on stage for some high drama, with dance and music. There are only two shows per day, but each lasts four or five hours.

Actor's names written on the wooden plate (maneki) and displayed on the wall of the building.

The number of geisha has been declining. Geisha have become an elite group and have therefore become very expensive. Fewer and fewer men are willing to pay the high cost of a geisha when other entertainers are available. Kyoto and the area around the city maintains the highest number of geisha as well as having a more traditional culture of geisha. Tokyo brags the second highest population of geisha, though these geisha and teahouses tend to be less traditional.

Will geisha survive in the modern japanese society ?