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Nowadays, geisha are no longer as common in Japan as they once were. However, tourists can still encounter geiko (the name commonly used by Kyoto residents) or maiko (apprentice geisha) on the central streets of the five geisha districts in the ancient capital of Kyoto. Among these, the Gion district is perhaps the easiest place for tourists to spot geisha. In the photo, a female tourist quickly captures an image of a maiko on her way to a client appointment.
Maiko often wear several flower-shaped hairpins when appearing in public, while geisha do not.
Avi Lugasi, director of a travel company in Gion, said: "Geisha are aware that they are a special part of Japanese culture and attract a lot of attention. People need to respect them." He often helps his clients choose angles to photograph geisha without offending them.
A true geisha is serving tea at the Kyoto Cherry Blossom Festival. Besides meeting and chatting with clients, they also accept invitations to participate in local festivals.
A maiko's kimono sash is usually long and almost touches the ground, while a geisha's is neatly folded into a square on their back. Maiko need at least five years to study tea ceremony, conversation, flower arranging, and playing musical instruments before being officially recognized as a true geisha.
Occasionally, maiko will wear high-heeled clogs like the ones pictured. Geisha, on the other hand, always wear flat-soled clogs.
A corner of hanamachi (flower street) where geisha and maiko usually live.
Every day, around 5:45 PM, tourists gather in large numbers on Hanami-koji Street in the Gion district hoping to photograph geisha. This is the time when the geisha begin their work.
A female tourist dressed as a geisha is sightseeing in the Sagano bamboo forest. According to Avi Lugasi, quite a few Japanese people can do their own makeup to look like authentic geishas. However, tourists would have a hard time fooling the locals when they dress up as geishas.
