While geishas are traditionally women of Japanese origin, a few non-Japanese women have completed geisha training. If you are in your later teens or even early 20s, it's possible that an okasan may accept you but it's not typical.
If you follow the customs, traditions and the rigorous training required to be a “professional geisha”, then you can become one regardless of your ethnicity.
As long as you have a strong will to get through difficult training and hardship, everyone can apply for Maiko even if you are not Japanese.
How do you apply to become a geisha? A candidate for a maiko has to be a Japanese girl who graduated from junior high school (the age of 15-16) and who has black hair. Some okiya require an introduction (personal reference), but some of them encourage girls to apply via e-mail or telephone.
In ancient times, there was no electricity in Japan, and most facilities were only lit by candlelight. Since candlelight was not bright enough, Geishas painted their faces white to enhance their skin tones and to contour their faces, making their faces more visible and recognizable.
Mineko Iwasaki (岩崎 峰子/岩崎 究香, Iwasaki Mineko, born Masako Tanaka (田中 政子), 2 November 1949) is a Japanese businesswoman, author and former geisha. Iwasaki was the most famous geisha in Japan until her sudden retirement at the age of 29.
This is often the norm in places like Kyoto, but there are now a lot of places in Japan like Tokyo that allow married, divorced, and/or women with children to become geisha. Likewise, maiko are not allowed to have boyfriends.
Geisha lore hints that they do fall in love with clients, but the operative word is "client" and the love is not free.
Get the geisha or samurai look in Tokyo's historic Asakusa district. To really get under the skin of Asakusa, Tokyo's remaining geisha district, you need to dress-up as a geisha! InsideJapan can arrange for you to get a full geisha makeover including the iconic white make-up, black wig and an elaborate kimono.
The history of the geisha and courtesans
In contrast, the highest-ranking of them, who were the true courtesans, were the Oiran (花魁) and the Tayū (太夫). Oiran, which means “First Flower,” were found throughout the country and were at the top of the hanamachi pecking order.
Just like actors in the performing arts industry, some geisha will earn much more than others. The salary is believed to be around $3,000 per month up to $10,000+ for the best and most popular Geisha. A Geisha will also receive gifts from clients. These might be expensive gems or silk kimonos.
There is no specific retirement age for geisha, so if they don't want to marry, they can continue being a geisha throughout their lives. Conversely, despite being unable to marry, it's still acceptable for geishas to have children – and it's relatively common.
At its worst, the geisha tradition involves force, fraud, and deception, and the horrifying practice of selling one's own children into slavery for purposes of sexual exploitation.
On average a trainee spends about six years studying the arts of music, dance, tea ceremony, language and being a first class hostess. During this time, and sometimes throughout her career as a geisha, she lives in the okiya, which is basically a boarding house for geisha and trainees.
Nowadays, there are just 1,000 geisha left in Japan, most of whom live and work predominantly in Tokyo and Kyoto. These modern geisha tend to remain within their district, where they're treated with the utmost respect by Japanese locals, and not approached for photos or conversation.
Kyoto is world famous for its Gion District and the Geisha that work there. If you would like to take pictures of Geisha or Maiko – there is a polite way to ask for a photo with them. These days there has been somewhat of a backlash against tourists taking photos of Maiko or Geisha without permission.
For this reason, a Geisha sleeps with her neck on a small wooden support or takamakura. This can cause crippling pain and sleep deprivation, and keeping the head balanced on the stand is a difficult skill to master.
Actually seeing a geisha in Japan is rare, but it's not impossible. And if you are going to see one, Kyoto is your best bet. Here's our advice for how and where to see geisha (or geiko, rather) and maiko in Kyoto.
In the past, some geisha were supported financially by patrons called “danna.” A danna would pay for almost all of a geisha's lifestyle, including her clothes, jewelry, and living expenses. As funding such an extravagant lifestyle is expensive, a danna would need to be an incredibly wealthy man.
Geisha still learn the art of seduction, which is quite different from the western conceptions: it is based on fascination and pleasure through conversation, arts and mysticism, and they still play the role of emotional confidante.
The main differences between maiko and geisha (geiko) are age, appearance, and skills. Maiko is usually younger than 20, wears a more colorful kimono with a red collar, and lacks conversation skills. Maiko means “dancing child” which refers to apprentice geisha who are still training.
No, it is not based on a true story. However, a real geisha, named Mineko Iwasaki, sued the author of the book because of defamation. Surprisingly, not the plot, but some characters in the book resembled some of the real characters in Mineko Iwasaki's life that she shared with the author in a private conversation.
In Japan, geisha are very highly respected because they spend years training to learn the traditional instruments and dances of Japan. Although some western media portray geisha as prostitutes, that's just a myth.
The Three Levels of Geisha
Before becoming a fully-realized geisha, the stages are shikomi (preparation or training), minarai (learning by observation), and maiko.