The graceful image of the Geisha passing a tea-cup across a low table, or silently gliding along on slippered feet is a well known symbol of Japan. Geishas can be found in Japan’s major cities but Kyoto is the best place to experience these professional entertainers (their name is geiko in the Kyoto dialect) whose role is to make guests feel at ease: this they do with conversation, dance performances and the tea ceremony.
What or who are geishas?
In Kyoto, it is usual for young girls to start an “apprenticeship” around the age of 15. When they enter the geisha house they are taught communication and hospitality skills and other traditional Japanese arts. To become a maiko and eventually a geisha, requires much training culminating in an examination which only the very talented succeed in passing. Fully qualified geisha and those aspiring to the profession live in special houses.
Where to interact with the geisha culture
There are now only five geisha districts remaining in Kyoto and four of them, Gion Kobu, Gion Higashi, Miyagawacho and Pontocho, are located in or around the Gion district in the centre of the city, while the fifth, Kamishichiken, is located near the Kitano Tenmanqu Shrine.
How can tourists participate in a geisha dinner?
Geisha dinners have always been exclusive and expensive events, but as tourism increases and the fiscal downturn affects even high-class events like these, it is now possible for tourists with a modest budget to have a dinner with a geisha, thanks to travel agencies.
Inside Japan Tours is one such travel company offering interested visitors a chance to do just that. From July until early September, Kyoto is the venue for a great geisha get-together and anyone visiting that city can meet geisha at special beer gardens. Yes, geisha don’t always drink beer. In the heat of summer, cups of sake often give way to icy cold beers.
Do read up on Japanese etiquette before you attend a dinner, as it is very easy to offend. Geishas are not escorts and are treated with the highest respect.
The Shinmonso Geisha Beer Garden is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Kyoto and in the summer of 2011, it will celebrate 13 years of Geisha Beer Garden. Last year over 1,700 customers visited to enjoy its unique atmosphere. Guests can take photos of the white-faced geishas and be photographed with them if desired for a small donation. The beer garden sells out on many days so it is best to book in advance.
Inside Japan Tours have put together a 9-night package which includes 4 nights in Tokyo, 3 nights in Kyoto, and 2 nights in the stunning Mt. Fuji area. All transfers in Japan are included as are daily breakfasts plus two dinners. To help with orientation while in Kyoto a geisha district walking tour is also included as is a tea ceremony and tickets for the Shinmonso Geisha beer garden (including a beer and snacks).
The writer is indebted to the Japanese Tourist Board for further information on the geisha culture.
Mari Nicholson - Award Winning travel writer and historian, member of British Guild of Travel Writers.Travelwriters.co.uk, and Society of Women Writers and ...
