Geisha girls...Splendid Artists expressing Japanese prides!!

Hi, guys!!

Today, I talk about very interesting issue about typical images of Japanese girls...Geisha!!

I think many of you might have seen on TV, read books or read private blogs about Geisha, and have recognised that Geisha girls are generally stated as hookers!!

Well...well...well...The wall of cultural difference is here again!!

But many of native Japanese are misunderstand too also...so doesn't matter ~(^^)~

I do not really care whether you are right or wrong (^^)/

However this wrong interpretation is too pity against their effort of work, please correct your biased beliefs right now by reading this "Fuwa Fuwa" article!!

Please note that the above picture, Yuka Kawamura is wearing a common type of Japanese dress(Kimono) but it is different from the formal Geisha Kimonos!!

Are you still interested in Geisha girls??

Let's shift to the next session!!





Here in this chapter, let's considerate the actual meaning of "Geisha".

Geisha is stand for two Japanese kanji Gei(芸) and Sha(者)!!

Gei(芸)...meaning "talent", "Performance", "Art", "Act"...Oh No...some of you have imagined the naughty word, trans gender... You completely miss taken the meaning!!

Sha(者)...means Person(People), So Geisha is "Talented Person" or converted to say in now days description, an "Artists"!!

So When Japanese people say Geisha...they clearly expressing, Music Artists, Music Performers and Dancers, not hookers!!

Of cause, the meaning of Geisha covers wide range of occupations related to the entertainment business developed from mid 1700 till 1930!!

However, poor Geisha girl fall down to a real hooker, You may say they are Geisha girls still, because they are exist to perform some sort of dances and songs in front of men in perverse way what they describe officially to the public!!

but as I have explained to you, they are not Geisha girls, people, especially foreigners incorrectly grasping inadequate word to them!!

【Geisha ranking】

・Geisha, Geigi, Geiko : 芸者, 芸妓, 芸子

Geisha, Geigi and Geiko are highly talented dancers, Singers and Musicians who employed as a full time worker by Ochaya (お茶屋=Artists agency)

They take as a main performer on the stage.

・Maiko, Hangyoku : 舞妓, 半玉

Maiko and Hangyoku are the learners also employed by Ochaya, who need more study for to show their performances alone!!

The difference between Geisya and Maiko is depend on the periods of years as being  as a Geisha actress!!

The details of differences are well explained at the below MV...So,Please watch it carefully!!








I assume that this particular word "Play" makes the cause to miss lead from the actual meaning!!

However, Common Japanese verb with the noun "Geisha" is "Play(Asobu)"...I still concerning about it but I use it for to explain more!!

Anyway, The system of playing with Geisha is very simple!!

Reserve a party at High class Ryoutei (料亭=Japanese restaurant) and ask them to call Geisha girls!!

But caution...If you just come to Japan and required to play with Geisha...that dream won't never ever come true!!

Why??

Do you remember what I have explained about Geisha girls??

They are "Highly talented artists"!!

Because they are high skilled artists, Ochaya agency block your approach and won't allow you to meet directly with them!!

Taking a picture, it is OK if they accepted, but no conversation is allowed to make!!

They softly refuse to talk to you!!

If you want to make conversation with them, You have to make a reservation only at prestige Japanese restaurants at limited area!!

Feeling funny??

If so, just change the name Geisha girls to the exact name to...Avril Lavigne...Ariana Grande...Taylor Swift...Carly Rae Jepsen...so on...

Well...Now you are clear to know that how difficult to talk with Geisha Girls!!






However, If you are rich enough to go to the prestige class Japanese restaurants, you are not clearing the conditions to play with Geisha still!!

You have to make the research on your favorite restaurant that they are accepting your designated Ochaya agency!!

It is because the real "Asobi=Play with Geisha girls" is restricted by the Entertainment and Amusement Trades Control laws and similar regulations from ancient Japan till today!!

So, only a few prestige Ryoutei restaurants have authorized to make people to play with Geisha girls!!

And one more sad thing is those High class Ryoutei has the membership regulations!!

If you go around Gion town in Kyoto, You probably have seen the plates "Ichigensama Okotowari(一見様、お断り)" at the door of prestige restaurants !!

It means "Customer without Invitation from a member is not accepted"!!

Therefore You are not allowed to enter the door, even if how popular and wealthy you are!!

To clear the conditions, You have to search your acquaintances whether they have a membership or not!!

If you are lucky enough to catch the member, ask him or she to take you to the restaurant!!

Once you have enter the door, You may get the membership probably...but if have trusted from the restaurant staffs(Okami=女将)!!

This trusting system is very uncertain regulation, if you could not get the reliance from the restaurant staffs, you have to go there for many times until you get the authorization to come alone!!

Once you get the permission to visit alone from Ryoutei restaurant, You may ask the staff...mainly Okami(女将) to call Geisha Girls!!

Ahaha...so many words of explanation??

A typical flow for to play with Geisha girls is like this!!

【The Working Flow that you require before to play with Geisha Girls】

1, Search the name of Ryoutei restaurants be able to call Geisha Girls

2, Find the name of the members

3, Ask members to take you

4, Get the permission to visit alone from the Ryoutei Okami

5, Set and make the reservation of the Enseki(宴席)

6, Play with Geisha girls!!

See, how difficult to play with Geisha Girls is!!






To get the permission from Ryoutei, You should clear your mind and nationality just obey their rules!!

Common rules are...

1, Polished shoes

If you wear dirty shoes, some of the Ryouteis refuse to enter

2, New socks

You have to take off your shoes at the entrance

3, Wear neat suite and dress

Sometimes Ladies are accepted in common wear, but not men

4, Act like a gentleman and a lady

Behavior and attitude are very important, If not they kick you out immediately

5, Do not drink too much

6, No swear words and gestures

Be aware, the most of Japanese people know the meanings, They just pretend not to know!!

7, Do not touch Geisha Girls and No sexual harassment behavior

These are the common rules of Ryoutei!!

These are orthodox manners in any countries...except taking shoes off...but many of foreigners can not obey these ordinary rules!!

How pity they are!!






Anyway...Ryoutei restaurant has one more unique rule!!

After you played with Geisha Girls, You probably take your wallet to pay the charges, But they won't accept to take it!!

The charges will be delivered as an invoice around a month later to your registered address.

This is because Ochaya agency calculate the exact amount and make the invoice after the Enseki(party) to the Ryoutei!!

I could not say the exact cost since it depends on the numbers of Geisha girls are called, How much you have drunk and eat, duration hours, the size of the rooms...so,on!!

But I am trying to explain the theme about Geisha Girls, I could not refuse not to write about the payments!!

So...I show you one example for your information!!

・Room Charge:  US$200~$1,000

  20,000 Yen to 100,000Yen for Two People

・1 Geisha Girl & 1 musician:  Also costs you US$200~$3,000

   20,000 Yen to 300,000 Yen or more (2 hours)

・Meals and drinks:   US$300~$1,000

   30,000Yen to around 100,000Yen
   It depends on meals, Sometimes more!!

・Tip to Geisha girls:　  US$100~$10,000

   10,000Yen to 1,000,000 Yen It depends

I saw some foreigners HP indicates "No Tips in Japanese Society"...

But If you speak only Geisha...You are required to give tip to Geisha girls!!

Some people said the minimum amount is from 500Yen at their site but...

Aryarya...How dare you...Komattamonda!!
＊Komattamonda: to describe one's feeling of receiving annoying situation.

You have to give more than 30,000 Yen(US$300 or more) if you have a membership!!

The average of tips are around 50,000Yen...but this is not exact data So...maybe wrong!!

Also mention you that Japanese believes 4 and 9　(Also 2) are abhor numbers!!

Because the tip is the another figure of expressing your approval to Geisha girls, You'd better to give the amount of happy numbers such as 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10!!






To feel the elegance with Geisha Girls are too expensive and difficult for the foreigners!!

But...There are two easy way to make a tour!!

1, Use your credit card service

If you have Diners Card, Amex platinum card, Visa black card, JCB black card, Masters platinum card...These prestige cards provide "One Day trial tour" found by making a single call to the concierge centre!!

Ask them for more details if you are interested in it!!

2, Reserve One day trial bus tour

Hatobus tour(around 10,000Yen each)
https://www.hatobus.com/int/en/

Highway bus tour(Also around 10,000Yen each)
http://highway-buses.jp/tour/

Hankyu Travel (Ask call centre it is also around 10,000Yen)
https://www.hankyu-travel.com/english/description/basic_info.html


If you ask credit card tour, You have be aware it would charge you the amount of more than 100,000Yen same as regular Geisha Asobi!!

So I prefer you to take Hato bus tour or Hankyu travel bus tour for to save your money!!

Add to that point, No tip is required if you take bus tour!!

That is good, isn't it!!






Here The most interesting issue, The actual play with Geisha Girls!!

I strongly mention you, Playing with Geisha Girls are Japanese style of having fun is similar to now days admiring pop stars!!

Hence, there is No sexually touching or playing!!

Many of foreigners, even Japanese citizens are miss understand this point!!

This particular point is described at BBC Documentary about Geisha below from 11:45!!




Please note...this BBC documentary is also making big mistakes about the descriptions of Geisha!!

But They are foreigners who do not fully understand the actual Japanese nature(Cultures)!!

I think they compiled such a complicated issue very well, So...

Ahaha...Well done BBC (^^)/~

Therefor please take the outline only from the above BBC document...I strongly prefer you to see the realities by your own sight!!

Back to the main story!!

Sorry guys...to the people of who really expected to see naughty images !(^^)!

This is the actual fact of playing with geisha girls!!

No Sexual service what so ever!!

This is an particular example of "Playing With Geisha Girls" called "Konpira Fune Fune"!!



Having gorgeous time with pretty girls with everyone's full smile!!

Very gentle and elegant, Isn't it??

This is the Japanese wealthy people's way of having fun with girls!!

Oops...I forgot to tell you a really important point!!

Be cause Geisha Girls are dancers, singers and musicians...They perform while you have tasting fabulous Japanese meals!!



After the meals, the above "Konpira Fune Fune" like little bit childish play begins...(laugh)






I do not have any evidence to prove the above issue, so I originally estimated a logic to unlock the fact!!

Being a Geisha girl is very difficult...it is an severe occupation which stands on public popularities!!

If She throw away learning more??

If She fed up with making smiles to her customers??

These things can be happens quite often to many people!!

If She get long term sickness??

Or...

Try very hard but She has no talent to become a Geisha!!

If these things happens, what they do next for living??

Top Geisha Girls can get a patron (Danna=旦那) after retirement!!

Don’t be upset!!

The retirement of Top Geisha Girls are around 30~40years of age!!

The Danna should swear to pay her whole life expense by the contracts with Ochaya Agency before her retirement!!

Danna people would never explain the amount...So no specific data around...Only the rumors I can show you is around 300,000,000 Yen to more than 1,000,000,000 Yen!!

Wow...I could not be able to make such a huge amount in my life (;_;)

There are wealthy people anywhere around...except us....

Anyway, Top Geisha girls can earn solid retirement life, how about the Geisha girls who did not get Danna before their after life??

These girls have to work in other occupations, like work at company, stores, government office...etc in now days!!

Sadly in the ancient Japan, the most of girls are not accept to work at the above occupations...so...They forced to work as a prostitute!!

Sorry，The word forced is wrong...actually they can work at anyplace but minmum recruitments also compared to the amount they get as a past Geisha life, They could not accept to take a small salary, so they desired to become a hooker!!

These dropped girls looked very pity from our eyes but they are richer than common people and they lived under the protection from the Government as proper occupation, so we can not accurately say whether they are poor and pity!!

Anyway back to the theme again...

These dropped girls are called "Daruma Geisha(だるま芸者)"

Daruma (Bodhidharma) is an Indian Buddhist Priest born as a third prince of ancient kingdom at Tamil Nadu in South India around 5~6th century.

Why Buddist priest's name on to describe a prostitute??

Well...Daruma doll has a ball shaped style and when you knock down, It get up right away!!

The below MV is not Daruma but it act the same so..F.Y.I!!



Also, I assume that the girls put their wish in the name of Daruma as "Recover the life"!!

Drop...Get up again...bla, bla, bla!!

And using a word "Geisha" they wanted to show their pride of being Geisha girls!!

What are admirable minds they have...superb Right?? (;_;)

After the WWII, Many american soldiers came to Japan had chance to meet with these Girls...However, Daruma Geisha is a long word and also they intend not to speak had a sex with a hooker...they just explained "Oh I had a night with Geisha Girl"...and it become to realise Geisha girl=Hooker...maybe??





The famous Geisha girls who married with Foreign celebrities are...

・Morgan Oyuki モルガンお雪(1881~1963): Yuki Kato　加藤ユキ

Married with George Morgan, a nephew of US conglomerates owner, John Pierpont Morgan!!


・Madam Butterfly: Estimated as Tsuru

Married with Thomas Blake Glover(Scottish,Military armaments trader,1831~1911) who established the basis of modern Japanese society, corporate owner of Kirin Beer and Takashima mines.



I think there are more Geisha girls happily married with wealthy people but it has no Data due to the privacy informations...I can show you the above only!!





【Numbers of resisted Geisha girls】

・1874: 754
・1895: 772
・1925: 1925
・1945: 688
・1985: 260
・2009: 197

I have only the DATA from 1874 since Japan did not have intent of getting accurate numbers of Geisha girls!!

It is sinking down to 197 girls in 2009!!

Playing with Geisha girls requires a high amount of expense...It does not fit to today's mass production century!!

It is surely declining market...but I strongly mention to you that Geisha girls are representing typical Japanese culture!!

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Thank you for reading my(our) long Fuwa Fuwa article about Geisha!!

If you have a chance to come to Japan...Don't hesitate to "Play" with Geisha girls!!

Oh...Don't forget to go along with your lovable families too!!

Feel Japanese tenderness of Omotenasi(おもてなし)!!

C-YA!!




Pyonko and Mu from Tokyoでしたぁ～!!