What made this book even more appealing to my creative spirit, was that it’s about an intriguing foreign culture, lifestyle, and art form. Most women enter the profession at the young age of 15 as compulsory education in Japan only goes up to middle school.

A local told me that Geisha and Maiko start work as early as 8 pm, although the consensus was that anywhere from 10 pm – 11 pm would give you a higher chance of an appearance. Do you consider the rewards that she has reaped as a famous geiko to be worth the sacrifices she made?A “geisha experience” is usually not meant to be one-time-only and there are so many other costs such as the fee of the meals and drinks; so, how much it costs to meet a geisha is a question that does not have one simple answer in Kyoto. According to Iwasaki, she agreed to speak with Golden on the condition that her involvement would be kept confidential, but Golden revealed her identity by mentioning her name in the book's acknowledgments [4] as well as several national interviews. However, those of us who live here see them with greater respect, for we know how hard the training is and how they embody the rich tradition of Kyoto arts and crafts.

By age 16, she had earned a reputation as Japan's most popular maiko and graduated to geisha status on her 21st birthday. Miyagawacho geisha district is right by Minamiza Kabuki Theater as in Japan it is custom for kabuki artists to hangout with the geisha. Listen and peer into the cracks of the doors down the small, off-the-path alleyways – you never know what might be on the other side.If they don’t quit, most geisha become an okiya owner or inherit the okiya they are affiliated with and run a geisha house.

Either way, you train for life unless you leave your Okiya – where you live, train and are indebted to under contract. For the next twenty-five years, she would live a life filled with extraordinary professional demands and rich rewards.Top Tips on How You Can See a Geisha in Kyoto What is the Best Time to Spot a Maiko or Geisha in Kyoto? After 2 to 3 years a maiko will then style her hair in the Ofuku (おふく) style, which is characterized by a triangular piece of cloth pinned into the back of their hair. This was originally adopted after World War II when the number of hairstylists was very low and they could not manage to style both the hair of the geisha and the maiko. Captivating and poignant, Mineko's book captures her earliest memories, beginning with her move to the geisha house at the tender age of four and her initiation into the profession that she would perfect.