Precious gems of Kyoto.
Fueled by the success of books like Auther Golden's " Memoirs of a Geisha " and the movie it inspired, Kyoto has a thriving Geisha tourism industry. offering tours, an evening with a geiko and a chance to dress up in fabulous costumes of the maiko.
Gion is one of the most famous traditional areas in Japan where maikosan's can still be seen every day walking, tiptoeing delicately through streets unspoiled by the rush of modernization. Sometimes spotted wandering in the quiet old side streets in geisha districts, or " hanamachi " flower towns.
occasionally appearing in busy streets amidst crowds of shoppers and tourists.
From the first time I saw one coming out of a dimly lit doorway and gliding through a dark street in Kamishichiken, the oldest of Kyoto's five geisha districts, her beautiful attire floating past and contrasted by luminous colored lanterns scribed with kanji, I was enchanted.
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