Japan 2025: Kyoto: Gion District

As part of the conference, we signed up for a tour of Gion. Our guide was a tiny Japanese woman with limited English vocabulary. Our busload, many for whom English was a second language, were often confused, as was I. A lack of microphone did not assist, nor did the melting humidity. I did learn a few things. The Gion district is the historic home of geishas, loosely translated as "professional artist." However, in Kyoto, with its variant Japanese language and dialect, the geisha are called geiko. Apprentices are called maiko. Maikos are apprenticed at the age of 15 for five years to study traditional dance and music, and the art of making tea. Our Japanese guide emphasized how expensive this apprenticeship is. It appears the family has to foot the bill for the costumes, as the apprentice just gets room and board. I also learned the costumes can weigh up to 15 kg (33 lbs). The real deal geikos are rarely seen and are never to be photographed. (However, there are so many tourists wearing kimonos in Kyoto, you will always manage to snap a "traditional" shot of the city.) According to a video I stumbled across, Why No Color in Kyoto, the streets are not lit up in neon at night as you would see in Tokyo. The citizens of Kyoto decided to ban such garishness. So walking down traditional streets in Gion is a muted affair.

On the way to Gion we wound our way through several Shinto Shrines. Our Japanese guide did tell us about the lanterns next to a shrine. These are local businesses who donate to the shrine and are allowed to place their name (dare I say, advertise?) on the lantern.