Kyoto's Gion Geisha Community

We visited the Gion District again today on our Cycle Tour and learnt more about this fascinating 'Geisha' community. We thought it was worth devoting a whole Footprint to the topic! There are approximately 1000 Geishas in Japan. In Kyoto there are 120 trained Geishas, however, they are called 'Geiko's'.
To train to be a Geiko, a girl, if she meets the strict criteria, can be accepted into a lodging house by the owner who is called 'Okiya' (mother Geiko and owner of the lodging). The girl becomes a trainee, called a 'Maiko'. She can be accepted as a Maiko at 15 years old. She trains for approximately 5 years. During this time she works from 0600 until 0100 (5 hours sleep). She pays no rent during her training years, but does repay her training costs if and when she qualifies as a Geiko. There are 50 Maikos in Kyoto. The 3 requirements to be accepted as a Maiko are - they must speak Japanese, have a social personality and during their 5 year training they cannot have any social media & no boyfriend's! Maikos have their hair done once a week by one of the 5 trained hairdressers in Kyoto. The Maikos then have to sleep with their necks on a firm support so they can keep their elaborate hair do's intact!
Geiko's can have boyfriend's, phones, own their own homes, etc. They earn anywhere between 3 - 10,000 USD per month. So why train for 5 years to be a Geiko? Well they can earn huge salaries if they are in demand by extremely wealthy business men. For example, to have a top Geiko entertain you in a top tea house in Kyoto would set you back by $10,000 USD for 2 hours! For very wealthy business men, to be able to bring prospective business clients to a tea house with a Geiko to entertain is hugely beneficial!
Geiko's have celebrity status in Japan and when one appears on the street, everyone stops and stares at this perfectly presented and deported woman. We were fortunate to see a Maiko enter her lodging 'Okiya' today.Read more