12 — Field notes
Field Notes
Dated, signed and sourced. Notes marked 'preparation' were written before the visit and will be updated after it.
What to know before your first maiko experience
Which kind of 'experience' you are actually booking, what the price buys, what you can ask, and what you should not expect.
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How long does a maiko's makeup take?
What the official description says about oshiroi, what is commonly reported about the time it takes, and what we will measure.
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Preparation note: what the published numbers say about the weight of the costume
An obi of about five metres, a trailing hem, roughly twelve centimetres of wood under each heel. Before wearing anything, what a dancer expects those numbers to mean, written down so it can be checked.
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Why you cannot tell a maiko from a makeover by looking, and why it matters
Appearance proves nothing, and nobody in maiko dress is there to be inspected. What to check instead is the product you book.
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Preparation note: what to look for when a maiko dances
Before the visit, the editor writes down what she intends to watch: the knees, the fan, the eyes, the pause, and where kyomai differs from nihon buyo.
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Walking the five kagai without getting in the way
A route through all five districts in a day, the public streets you may use, the private lanes you may not, and the hours when the streets belong to the people who work there.
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The craftspeople behind the attire: kimono, kanzashi, obi, okobo
A maiko wears the work of a dozen trades. Who they are, what we know from public sources, and whom we hope to meet.
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