The Geisha That Hubby Brought Home

So far, nothing beats Japan on top of my list of favorite places in the world. I love how everything in this country has a history, art, order and rules to follow. Their historical characters/figures are also undeniably known worldwide: the Sumo wrestle, the Samurai (ILY Kenshin), the Ninja and the Geisha.

Geisha, geiko or geigi are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses and whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music, dance and games – from Wikipedia. 

Gion District, KYOTO JAPAN

We had the chance to watch a real Geisha in Gion, a well-known geisha districts in all of Japan, few years ago. It was in a tea ceremony where a maiko (apprentice geisha) prepared authentic matcha green tea for the guests. During the procedure, we were told to stay quiet while a narration is being given by one of the geisha. After that, the tea was served to us and we were thought on how to drink it properly, the right hand position and the proper way to sip the tea (which, I have already forgotten by the way. I wish I was already blogging back then).

I myself had a chance to become a geisha, or maiko (I prefer to be called the latter – hehe) for a few hours. Well, I didn’t exactly entertain people but I went through almost the same procedure, that a real geisha undergoes, in order to achieve that classic look. The preparation took two hours with everything in order, from the choosing of kimono, to the tying of the hair up, to the putting of that thing that makes your face super white, up to the wearing of the sandals. 

During the photo shoot, I was told to keep my mouth shut and only make a "half" smile, because a real geisha isn't suppose to show teeth, which is really hard for somebody who is used to strutting her gums in her pictures :)

It was a nice experience. For the first time in my life, I was more whiter than my husband :)

There are still mixed reaction towards the geisha of Japan, stirred by the controversial book (which was turned into a film) The Memoirs of Geisha. There was even a big issue about the authenticity of the story particularly of the part about prostitution which draws my curiosity more towards the history and art behind a Geisha.

Pwede na ba? Haha :)

Happy weekend!! :)