Geisha Girl

My friends and I wandered down to Kyoto this weekend... the trip was a little short to fully see everything Kyoto had to offer, but we had what I like to call, "The Geisha Experience."

Admit it, the first thing you thought of when I said Geisha was either "expensive prostitute" or "Memoirs of a Geisha"... If I was wrong about those two, you were probably thinking about about food or wondering where I was going with this. I'll tell you where, dear reader! I'm about to learn you some Geisha facts.

Becoming a geisha (or "geiko"... no, not Gecko...) is actually a very difficult process. For one thing, geisha are required to master dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. They are considered to be top entertainers and the training can take up to 5-6 years. Young women (usually between the ages of 15-18) who become apprentice geisha (called maiko, pronounced like my-ko) have to be interviewed and accepted by an Okiya (sorta like a boarding school for geisha).

You can tell the difference between maiko and geisha based off their makeup... and you can also tell the difference between the girls pretending to be geisha and the real deal allegedly off of makeup/attire, but I had trouble figuring it out. It seems like someone with money to burn could imitate the real deal quite well but what do I know! At any rate, some of the differences are:

1. Maiko make up their own hair and geisha use wigs  (also their hair pieces are informative to their status)
2. Experience = sophistication. Thus, a more sophisticated (i.e. less gaudy) look means they're more senior. I found this fairly difficult to ascertain.
3. Their hair pieces are usually seasonal (so right now, it'd be cherry blossoms)
4. There are a ton of random people chasing them taking their photos, a la the papz!

To be entertained by a geisha requires an introduction by someone else who is already established with the particular geisha community. That means more selective clientele, and if you act like an ass, they can complain to the person who recommended you and that just creates a whole ton of embarrassment that no one wants to deal with. As a result, I will probably never be able to see a private show with a geisha.

As a side note, geisha are not considered prostitutes...this was propagated during WW2 when Japanese prostitutes would call themselves "geisha girls" to the soldiers, who obviously can't tell the difference.

On to MY adventure, the most important part!

My friend was smart enough to find out that there was a special performance put on during the month of April called "The Cherry Dance" (Miyako Odori in Japanese), performed by real live geisha and maiko! We bought the ticket that also included a viewing of the tea ceremony, a free snack and a free plate. It was pretty awesome to see a real geisha (?maiko) doing it in person, since you normally require the ever evasive "connections" to see it.

I also took a picture of my food, per Colin's request (it was green tea and a small pastry filled with bean paste). We got to keep the plate!

After that, we were ushered into the theater to watch a play (Miyako Odori). It was composed of 8 scenes all portraying different seasons (and a myth to go along with it). Despite being in Japanese, it was very impressive... though the music was at times a little jarring for my Western ears, but it was beautiful in its own way. We weren't allowed to take photos, so none for you!

After that, we went on a Geisha Walking Tour, done by a white guy who frequents geisha establishments (and at one point was married to one... the geisha, not the establishment). Though it might seem sketchy at first, it was actually pretty interesting. He was one of the advisers for the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, so we got to see some of the places they used in the movie.

This was in front of one of their tea houses.

Supposedly the most expensive tea house in Kyoto.

Walkway for some of the tea houses or places the geisha entertained. 

On to the actual street-geisha pictures! Unfortunately, we were like the paparazzi so they didn't really let us stop them to take good photos. In fact, they actually started picking up the pace when our cameras came out! I don't think I could ever be a pap... too freaking weird and invasive.

Yeah, that picture isn't creepy at all... 

That was it for the geisha experience, but it was definitely informative!

The other fun facts I learned on the tour (not related to geisha) were related to dog pee. Yup.

 The little torii gate is placed there to discourage people from letting their dogs pee on a sacred symbol. I guess this only works if you believe in it though.

The bamboo was there so that if a dog did decide to pee, it would ruin the bamboo and not the nice wood wall. I guess they still decided to use the right side of the real wall though...

You now know more than most people about the secret world of geisha... you should feel special!