Last Saturday, I met a geisha online!! This would be my second time meeting a geisha (first being the Kimono competition in Kyoto) and my first time meeting a Hakone geisha. As a quick background, Geisha (or Geigi) can be found in the following prefectures [1]:

• Kyoto : Kamihichiken Geigi (上七軒芸妓)、Gion Koubu Geigi (祇園甲部芸妓)、Gion Higashi Geigi (祇園東芸妓)、Pontochou Geigi (先斗町芸妓)、Miyagawacho Geigi (宮川町芸妓)
• Tokyo : Shinbashi Geisha (新橋芸者)、Akasaka Geisha (赤坂芸者)、Kagurazaka Geisha (神楽坂芸者)、Yoshicho Geisha (芳町芸者)、Mukoujima Geisha (向島芸者)、Asakusa Geisha (浅草芸者)
• Yamagata : Yamagata Maiko (やまがた舞子)、Soma Hina[2] (酒田舞娘)
• Fukushima : Iizaka Maikaren (飯坂舞歌連)
• Niigata : Furumachi Geigi (古町芸妓)、Iwashitsu Geigi (岩室芸妓)
• Ishikawa : Kanazawa Geigi (金沢芸妓)
• Shizuoka: Atami Geigi (熱海芸妓)、Izunotabi Geigi (伊豆長岡芸妓)、Shizuoka/Shimizu Geigi (静岡・清水芸妓)
• Aichi : Nagoya Geigi (名古屋芸妓)、Anjo Geigi (安城芸妓)
• Fukuoka : Hakata Kenban (博多見番)、Yanagawa Geigi (柳川芸妓)
• Fukui：Obama Geigi (小浜芸妓)
• Akita：Akita Maigi (あきた舞妓)
• Kanagawa: Hakone Geisha (箱根芸者) [3]

The online drinking with Geisha event is organised by Meet Geisha. According to their website, the COVID-19 pandemic has wiped out the Geisha’s earnings, which is why they have pivoted to online meetings. All proceeds go to the Geisha. There are Japanese and English options, and the English option (either with a Geisha that speaks English or with an interpreter) costs 2000 yen for a half-hour session.

My Experience

My friends and I decided to go for a session together [4], so we signed up and made our payment. A few days before for event, we received an email with the zoom details for the day.

We met with Yumiko, a geisha who spoke excellent English. She played on two instruments – the shamisen and the kokyu [5] – and did a traditional Japanese dance. In between the dances, she explained a bit about the pieces and answered any questions that we had.

I learnt that in Hakone, at least, geishas tend to learn dancing first, and then later in their career, pick up an instrument or two. Yumiko actually started as a dance teacher in Kyoto and only became a Geisha after she moved to Hakone later! That was surprising because I always had the impression that you have to start training to be a geisha when you’re very young.

Since I had the chance, I asked Yumiko what she thought the origins of the Geisha were. She connected them to the Shirabyoushi, which is one of the three sub-categories of Yuujo discussed in the book 中世の遊女. I really liked being able to make connections between what I read and what I saw that day!

Overall, I had a great time. The half an hour flew past very quickly and my friends and I agreed that we enjoyed ourselves very much. If you’re interested in meeting Geisha, I’d highly recommend using Meet Geisha’s online drinking (nomikai) party.

Notes

[1] Information from Wikipedia (in Japanese)

[2] I’m a bit unclear on the pronunciation for this – can’t seem to find the yomikata!

[3] Oddly enough, Hakone Geisha are missing from this list so there’s a good chance it’s incomplete. Still, I think it provides a good sense of how widely spread Geisha are in Japan!

[4] You’ll be sharing the session with others unless you make a private booking

[5] The Kokyu is a string instrument played with a bow made of horse tail! For more information, you can check out this Wikipedia page. I thought it was really fascinating how you could play different songs on it; Yumiko played a medley of songs that included Amazing Grace!