Originally Posted by jib71
For those of us who don't feel like shelling out on the whole-9-yards geisha experience, there are a few places to see "real" geisha.
Kyoto - of course - is the best known city for geisha. During the early evening, when they are making their way to their appointments, the geisha sometimes find themselves surrounded by tourists, who want to take a few photographs of a "real" Kyoto geisha.... that's as close as most people ever get to the real thing.
However, there are sometimes other opportunities to get a teeny bit closer without breaking the bank...
(Nudge, nudge - know what I mean? - a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat - say no more! say no more!)
For the casual tourist, the Gion Corner offers evening performances in a variety of "traditional" entertainment forms, including some performances by
maiko. The shows are pretty much canned, tourist-oriented snippets of the real thing, but do give a peek at what they do.
Also, the Kyoto International Hotel offers half-hour demonstrations of
geiko dance by
maiko in after-dinner performances 4 nights per week in the garden court beside the Azalea restaurant. At least they did last year.
The above are only public demontrations, not "real" geisha sessions, which are unlikely to be available to foreign visitors.
JR
ps: "Whot's it like?"