The Rise of the Geisha in Japanese Culture. In the Edo period, Japan’s pleasure quarters—designated areas in cities like Kyoto, Tokyo, and Osaka—became the central locations for geisha houses.

Detail of a Katsura, a geisha wig. Before WWII, geishas styled with their own hair, but the Katsura enabled them to maintain a polished traditional hairstyle without weekly restyling by an artisan.

What REALLY happens when you spend an evening with a geisha? Two-hour 'invite-only' sessions with traditional Japanese hostesses can cost up to £2,500 ...

KYOTO -- The Setsubun festival began at a shrine in this ancient Japan capital on Feb. 2, with geisha, known locally as "geiko," and their "maiko" apprentices joining a traditional bean-throwing ...

Meet the mistress of Nara’s last geisha house — a remarkable woman who’s on a mission to keep this complex tradition alive in her ancient city, a former capital of Japan.

Kiyoha Kiritaka, who was a trainee geisha when she was 16, ... Maikos, usually aged around 15-20, learn to sing and dance and play traditional instruments during parties and banquets.

First Impressions. Arriving in Gion – Kyoto’s famous geisha district – at dusk was exactly as I’d imagined it would be. The streets were lined with traditional wooden Japanese merchant ...

Gion is Kyoto's traditional geisha district (Image: Getty) Japan is one of the world’s top tourist destinations and in 2023 around 25 million people travelled to the country.

Geisha and maiko (teenage apprentices training to become geisha) are women who perform Japanese traditional arts such as singing, dancing and playing instruments to entertain customers while they ...