I think the last one was very clever of the Geisha. Dress up tourist to give them the experience of playing Geisha for a day and and for the Geisha, create a good diversion off themselves.
my great grandmother said she was from Okinawa but by the time I was old enough to ask he questions all she could remember was both my name and the names of her employees as well as how to cook. She owned a small dinner at a bowling alley. sadly when I went to visit she had been put in a nursing home and I cut tides with my mother because she wouldn't tell me where. She never allowed me to learn of that side of my family. one day my husband and I hope to take a trip to Japan with the kids. I feel that the visit will give me some peace and maybe give me the strength to forgive my mother for not sharing with me at least her sir name to find my roots. thank you for this video I really enjoyed it.
I love Japan and its culture. I am very much of the interest of Geisha and Maiko . Currently reading many books. Kyoto is such a beautiful plce and full of history too. Your video is wonderful and adds to my on going thirst of knowledge of Japan. Thank you for your videos so much.
According to history men where the first entertainment members wearing makeup and clothing musical instruments and cooking . After European made their rude introduction to Japan women became involved and pleasurable meal and music became more than so . Thank you I enjoy your videos very much .
it is my dream to go to kyoto and see some geiko, and to go all over japan and see historic battle sites, graves of famous daimyo, and some castles and famous temples. i don't think i will ever have the money to do that, but who knows what tomorrow might bring? if i could just stand on the same ground as saigo takamori or uesugu kenshin, or sakamoto ryoma did, or touch the water of lake biwa it would be wonderful to me.
Konnicha wa, Yuka. My name is John. I just came back from Japan a few months ago. Around October. What a Beautiful country!!!!!! Although I spoke a little Japanese (example Watashi wa shikoshi nihongo ga hanasemasu I hope I said that right!) Everyone was so kind to me and said for a Gaikokujin my Japanese was very good! I wanted to say I saw some beautiful Maiko at a Buddhist temple behind the Tokyo Tower. They were so beautiful and I was so shy I was afraid to ask for a picture. But they were so beautiful in their kimono's I sneaked a picture from far away so I don't bother them. I hope if I go to Japan I get to meet a Maiko again. I just hope I am brave enough to ask for a picture! Also you're English is Sugoi (Amazing!) Please post more video's. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu. Sayonara!
There are usually many people outside of Ichiriki Chaya in Gion waiting for a geiko or maiko to enter/exit. If you time it well, you can see several of them coming and going. They're like local celebrities.
Frederick König Yes it is actually. So many people speaking this dialect would use that word, regular ppl included. I think she was not clear what she meant. She called it “Kyou Kotoba” Which means Kyoto dialect.
I had a nice experience with geiko in Kanazawa Higashi chaya district. I watched a geiko performance with shamisen and dance, taiko play and I had the chance to try playing kompira fune fune game with a real geiko. It was in a very famous tea house called Kaikaro. After the show which lasted 60 min I had dinner in the tea house, not a truly kaiseki meal but it was a kaiseki bento with some sake. I had the chance to have sake served by a geiko and share some with the Lady of the tea house. PD: What you said about privacy of guests it's very important, the lady of the teahouse I went told us that she has a secret passage to go out the house to ensure privacy of their guests.
How did you get to do that? I really want to learn about geige / geisha / geiko culture from all over Japan. Kaiseki also is exclusively a kyoto cuisine. Each prefecture has their own way of cooking food and their own signature dish!
Watching your videos is making me want to visit Japan more and more each day. Is there something specific I should look out for in terms of safety if I happen to visit alone?
could you put subtitles. i know a bit what you were telling but somethings i cant undestand. please i am from Brazil and apreciate your videos so much.
I Love Japan because their History and Culture, and Geiko and Maiko are one of them.. So I want to ask, what do I do if I want to take a pictute with them (photo)? How to permission for that? Thanks before..
I will be traveling to Japan for the first time in January 2017. I will be traveling alone. I'm learning all the Japanese phrases I need to before my trip. Would I be able to experience these lovely ladies by myself? I will not be in a group.
Oh no, I saw a geisha in Shibuya park while I visited, I asked for a picture from her and she said yes, but I didn't know if she was with her guest or not o:
If she were with a patron she would most likely have refused. It's also a possibility that she was a tourist dressed up, they're normally much happier to have pictures taken^^
Ms. Yuka hello Im Allan. You mentioned that running after Geisha to take a picture with them is dangerous. Will you share how and why please ma'am. Arigoto - Thank You
Some of these seem like such common sense! I try not to make a habit of physically grabbing strangers on the street, whether I want to take a photo with them or not. =/
I just want to say since I was 13 I'he fallen in love with Japan and their culture, everything about feels like I belong there, After finding your videos here Yuka you've really helped me prepare for my one major truest goal, to Go to Japan and most likely move there and possiblly till I die, I was wondering what American money is equivalent to Japanese Yen? I saw your video for it but I'm still quite confused. Could you possibly help explain it?? Thank you so much!
Hi Yuka, Firstly I would like to day that your videos is really informative for us to know so much more about Japan! You are doing a great job! My family is going for a cruise in Japan this September and it's our first time there and its so exciting! We are going on a cruise and 1 stop will be at Maizuru port (I believe is Nishi-Maizuru port). I wanted to see geishas and the bamboo forest so much but is very confused on how to get there from the port. We will only arrive the port at 1pm afternoon and we have to be back to the port before 10pm night. Can you advice on what is the fastest and cheapest way to take a train to Gion as well as the bamboo forest? As well as how much it will cost and how long will the travel time be? If traveling time is too long for the trip to Gion, can I know is there any interesting places to visit near the port instead? Thank you for your time as I have been searching everywhere on the web and the results are so confusing. The only person I can think of that can give me good advice is you!! Thanks Yuka!!!
Cruises are terrible for experiencing real sites like Kyoto though. I took a European cruise and I was angry at how little time I had in Florence. You might get more out of taking an organized cruise tour than rushing about. The bamboo forest is out of the main city.
I will be visiting Kyoto in one week and want to make a reservation for my husband and myself to meet a geiko or maiko in a traditional setting. You said you could help make arrangements?
+SU Shigeno K-car or "Kei" is a car that have 600cc or smaller engine. I believe 'Kei' refer to the word compact. And the have different number plate colour. Also different insurance and road tax rate.
Do you recall the name of the area in kyoto that actually trains foreigners of all colors in the arts of geiko? There was a video I've seen recently and It looked amazing and what i was looking for since i was like 12. And perhaps do a video on the original geiko that were men.. i believe the name was different at that time but still the same arts. And no, i dont mean onnagata but that too is not fully understood even by some japanese both local japanese and foreigner japanese person. 💖
There may be some workshops or different schools that train anyone. There are lots of different arts schools scattered around Japan, some of which teach the same dance styles that Maiko and Geiko learn. And I believe the term you're looking for is Houkan or Taikomochi. There are still Houkan and Taikomochi practicing today ^^
hai yuka i wanna ask you .do japanese people are friendly which you can get along very easily.. I tried to have a conversation with them (online)but they seem not interested in talking with other people that is my opinion..what do you think about that? thank you :)
Typically these services are only by invitation and introduction only, meaning no first time customers (ichigensan okotowari). There are several services where you can watch Maiko dance and play ozashiki asobi with them. You can simply search for these organisations online, they can be expensive though. Gion Hatanaka offer this with a dinner package.
I guess my only question is, what actually happens at the session? I know from watching among other Begin Japanology's videos, that it can involve song, dance and an party games. My main worry is that it will become quite awkward if you don't speak the language, and I mean that in the deepest sense, as in not understanding the deeper social structures and tacit knowledge. Maybe this is one of those things best experienced through video and leave it to the Japanese and culturally fluent non native to experience in person? Of course the song, dance and beauty of dress and makeup can be appreciated. But I have a feeling that the communication is also a subtle but important part?
+Helge Frisenette, usually those venues have a translator to comunicate with the geikos and maikos, and apart from the arts, there's an explanation obout basics of their lives and dress codes. Don't worry.
One year from now we will be making our first trip to Japan. We will be there for fifteen days. Instead of going from city to city we decided to rent an apartment in Kyoto and take day trips to see everything we want. I want very much to have geiko/maiko experience, but not like a tourist where it is all very fake. How may I reach you for advice how to set up such a visit? As I understand it, ochaya require introduction before they will accept a new guest. How does one arrange such a thing? Please, any advice you can give would be gratefully accepted.
I hope this information finds you before the travel restrictions are lifted and you can go to Japan! ^^ There are a few options such as "Enchanted Time With Maiko" which I believe is located in Kamishichiken, there's also Koen Hanare which I believe is in Miyagawacho. Both of these options actually have instagram accounts that you can check out to see what their services are like. I wouldn't say they're touristy as they're still quite expensive, however they do accommodate foreign guests with English Speaking Translators. They're a lot like real Ozashiki with dancing, food, games and such to participate in with the maiko. There's also the Ochaya that the Tomikiku Okiya owns in Gion Higashi, this is one of the more costly options but you are actually having a real Ozashiki with the Tomikiku girls which includes Geiko Tomitae and Tomitsuyu who both speak English (Tomitsuyu is more fluent than Tomitae but I think Tomitae can hold her own^^)
@@moushimoushi8963 Thank you for your kind reply. The date on my post is off by a year. We went last year (2019). It was magical from the first moment our ship docked in Yokohama all the way until our plane left Osaka two weeks later. We loved Japan and all the marvelous people we met officially and casually. While we weren't able to have the geiko experience we wanted, we were able to have a lovely dinner at a restaurant in Gion with a delightful Maiko who enchanted us with her dancing and games. I think I confused her a little because as a former dancer myself, I asked her to show me a few simple moves. Somehow I don't think that's a common request. Kyoto is the first city I have visited in a long traveling life that made me cry when I had to go. We will go back. There is so much more I want to see and to do. But do you want to know the most amazing and wonderful thing about our stay? The very BEST days we had were those when we DIDN'T have a tour. On those mornings we put on our walking shoes, stepped outside, chose a direction, and went to see where our feet would lead us. Everywhere we went people wanted to interact with us, whether we had a language in common or not. I love Japan.
@@DannyJane. That sounds like an absolutely amazing time ^^ I'm so glad you were able to enjoy yourself! XD Lol yeah I can imagine that would be a little strange, since they're students themselves, though they will teach you all the drinking games! But I'm sure while it might have been strange at first she appreciated the interest from one dancer to another ^^ A fun time of the year to go would be during Setsubun (Something I dream of seeing) It's where geiko will dress up as different characters both traditional and more in pop culture, and perform little skits called Obake. Maiko participate by wearing amazing hair styles that you don't see any other time and performing on an open outdoor stage. I have to try and figure out what shrine it's at, but it's amazing~ For example, I think it was just a couple years ago that two geiko teamed up to be salsa dancers. One took the female role and wore this gorgeous ruffly and flowy red dress while the other geiko dressed as a man in a pin striped suit and with her hair slicked back, she even drew on facial hair! Definitely something fun to see~
@@moushimoushi8963 How much fun would that be to see! Yes, the maiko was very young. Next time I will ask for a mature geiko. We were supposed to tour Nara too, but the only bad thing that happened in Japan happened to us there. Our guide left us behind. I told him I could not walk fast and to please pace the tour for me. The rest of the tour took off after him at what I have to call a trot, but I couldn't keep up and my husband and I got left behind. We had no idea what to do so we headed back to the bus. He caught up with us there and yelled at me. I don't think he expected me to yell back or that I would defend myself when he grabbed my arm. But one bad thing happening in two lovely weeks--I put it behind me and had fun all the rest of the time. Next time I will see Nara!
@@DannyJane. Oh man! I'm so sorry that happened! I completely understand the stress of being left behind when you're in an unfamiliar area. We took a trip to Europe last year and ended up visiting Santorini, which was beautiful, but SO overcrowded and hot. I got separated from my husband and my inlaws who treated us to the trip as a wedding gift and ended up having a panic attack XD We're still fairly young and fit and I gotta say that it was difficult keeping up with the guide XD I also tried to help the older participants of the tour who I could see were struggling. I can't imagine how stressful it must have been for them. And it's also inappropriate that the guide touched you. If that's the route you would like to do I would totally reach out to Tomikiku, Again, they have Geiko Tomitsuyu and Tomitae and you may, if you ask, be able to meet Geiko Tsunekazu-san. A woman who has been in the profession for DECADES and is known for her skill and grace as a dancer~ ^^ She's also a fantastic musician ^^
For a lot of different reasons. They are normally carrying things and are wearing heavy wigs and kimono. It's easy for them to slip off their shoes especially if they're distracted by people chasing them. It's never alright to chase after strangers. It's extremely disrespectful, rude, and dangerous.
it is more, a very rude and threatening thing to do. If you were trying to get to work and someone with a camera was running after you, wouldn't you be scared? I assume you know that it isn't a good idea.
If you go to Kyoto you can get that done, there are a lot of studios that dress their guests up as maiko giving them a photo shoot and some of the less expensive ones allowing their guests to stroll around Kyoto in their outfit for about an hour
