Gion and Geisha

Gion is the most famous of Kyoto’s geisha districts, the narrow roads between bamboo fronted teahouses (ochaya), restaurants and traditional residences (machiya) dating from the late Edo period (circa 1800) have been well preserved and retain some of the bustle and colour of the geisha districts of old. Stone pavements, graceful pedestrian sized bridges and cherry trees add to the impression of a time warp. Traditional music, played by geisha can be heard wafting from the ochayas by the best kept streets around Gion Corner, and their colourful garments glimpsed through the windows give the area life. The most common misconception about Gion and other geisha districts is that they’re akin to red-light districts; geisha are primarily entertainers not prostitutes. Geisha numbers have dwindled over the last 100 years but the area is being preserved and the traditional skills of the artists are still highly respected and quite popular. Now instead of performing for samuri or generals, geisha perform for businessmen—either way you need to be wealthy to afford their company, but then they spend years learning how to be the perfect companions, learning to dance, sing, tell jokes, serve tea and alcohol in a graceful way, so the cost is justified.
The most famous geisha dance still held in Gion is the Miyako Odori also called the ‘Dances of the Old Capital’ or the ‘Cherry Blossom Dances’, held to coincide with cherry blossom season in April, this is an excellent way to make sure you see geisha and tickets start affordably at around 2,000 yen. Another good time to visit Gion is for Gion Matsuri in July. If you can’t afford to frequent any of the same places as the geisha or maiko there are condensed tourist-centric performances of the tea ceremony and traditional music and dance held daily at Gion Corner.