"Geiko" apprentices, known as "maiko," entertain visitors at a plum blossom festival in Kyoto on Sunday.
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"Geiko" apprentices, known as "maiko," entertain visitors at a plum blossom festival in Kyoto on Sunday.
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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Chuichi Hashimura
Feeling spring is coming soon.
Ganbare Japan!
Absolutely beautiful picture! I'll have some tea here, Maiko-san. Sadly, these unique festivals are attracting more and more foreign tourists, which make it harder for locals to attend, due to hotel overbooking and overcrowding on transport.
Toasted Heretic
As this particular sector of the Japanese entertainment has faltered over the years, it can only be a good thing that foreign interest is helping it survive.
A pity that some onlookers in Kyoto (foreign and domestic) feel the need to grab at the girls for their photo opportunities, though.
Ganbare Japan!
Yes, this is another big issue. Ive seen foreign tourists aggressively demanding "selfies" of Maiko-san in the alleys as they rush to appointments. Special Police should be assigned to protect them as Living Cultural Treasures, and heavy imprisonment for touching or abusing Maiko-san.
gokai_wo_maneku
Traditionally, in Kyoyo, Geiko are female entertainers and Geisha were men entertainers playing women roles (like onna-gata in Kabuki). This is why there are no longer Geisha in Kyoto (the last male Geisha died back in the 1980s). You see the word used in Tokyo for females, but that is just Tokyo, and mainly in advertising for foreigners.
gokai_wo_maneku
Sorry, "Kyoyo" in the above message should be "Kyoto".
Ganbare Japan!
Not convinced that Japanese salarymen in modern times would drop 20-man plus for a night to entertain a client, and have female impersinators and not the real Maiko-san? I'm not from Kyoto, but If that was really Kyoto custom, well some tradition dies out for good reason! lol!!
Toasted Heretic
Interesting. I've seen domestic tourists doing the same.
Asakaze
Are you sure these tourists were domestic, not Chinese?
hudagree
Beautiful in many ways! 頑張って
starpunk
This looks like another unique facet of Japanese culture.