Questions people actually ask

No. A maiko is an apprentice; a geiko is the fully qualified professional (geiko is Kyoto's word for geisha). The maiko stage lasts about five to six years and usually ends around age 20 with erikae.

No. Geiko and maiko sell art (gei): dance, song, music, conversation and hospitality. Kyoto City describes them as bearers of traditional performing arts and hospitality. Historically, licensed courtesans (yujo, oiran) were a separate profession with separate rules; today's kagai are performing-arts communities.

Applicants are girls who have finished junior high school, roughly 15-18 (Kamishichiken's official page: 'about 15 to 18'), with parental consent, who pass an interview and then about a year of shikomi. The Foundation accepts inquiries year-round and introduces candidates to okiya. Some guides mention height limits or other preferences but these are not on official pages.

Yes, through public performances (the spring and autumn odori, Gion Corner), through hotel or experience operators that book a maiko for a dinner or tea, or through an ochaya if a regular patron introduces you. The Kyoto City guide lists these routes.

Not on her way to work. Kyoto asks visitors not to stop, chase, touch or block maiko and geiko and not to photograph them without permission; on the private lanes of Gion-machi Minamigawa, signs since October 2019 warn of a 10,000 yen charge for unpermitted photography, and since 2024 tourists are asked not to enter those lanes at all. Asking for permission means stopping someone who is commuting on a tight schedule, so the respectful answer is not to try. Photographs are welcome where they are part of the arrangement: after Gion Corner's winter shows, at booked experiences with a set photo time, and at public performances where the house allows it.

The usual explanation is that the white face stood out in rooms lit by candles and lanterns, and that it belongs to the stage aesthetic of Japanese dance. The official site describes only how it is applied; the reason is commonly reported, not official.

No. Maiko have their own hair dressed in traditional styles (wareshinobu, ofuku, etc.). Geiko wear wigs; the official erikae page says a geiko receives a new wig at erikae. Costumed tourists at makeover studios usually wear wigs, which is one way to tell them apart.

The long swinging sleeves (furisode) and the trailing darari obi with shoulder and sleeve tucks are the dress of a young unmarried girl, and the kagai keeps them as a visual sign of the apprentice's youth and 'cuteness'. The official site says the maiko aesthetic is 'kawairashisa, karensa'. When she becomes a geiko the sleeves shorten and the obi becomes a normal length.

A teahouse in name only: it rents tatami rooms for a party, orders the food from caterers and calls geiko and maiko from the okiya, then settles everything on a monthly account. It does not serve tea as a cafe and performers do not live there.

The house where a maiko lives during her apprenticeship. Its proprietress (okaasan) covers her living costs, lessons, kimono and hair, and arranges her engagements. In return the maiko does not receive a salary during training.

Because the ochaya extends credit: nothing is paid on the night and the bill is settled later, and the okaasan chooses performers and food to fit a guest she knows. An introducer vouches for a new guest and is responsible if the bill goes unpaid. It is a trust system rather than snobbery, and Kyoto City itself describes teahouse visits as historically by invitation of trusted clients.

Official recruitment pages state age and parental-consent conditions but do not state a nationality requirement. Fluency in Japanese and Kyoto dialect is expected during shikomi. Individual non-Japanese women have reportedly trained in Kyoto's kagai, but this research found no official confirmation, so treat as unverified.

Commonly reported: maiko do not receive a wage; the okiya pays for housing, food, lessons, kimono and hairdressing and gives a small monthly allowance. Geiko earn from hanadai as independent professionals. Kyoto City notes financial worries about becoming independent are a reason some geiko quit. The allowance figures quoted online (about 10,000-20,000 yen a month) are not from official sources.

You cannot tell by looking, and you should not try to. Kyoto's kagai keep no dress code that separates a working maiko from a visitor in costume, and real maiko, geiko and makeover customers all move through the same streets. Time of day is only a weak hint: lessons fill the late morning and ozashiki begin around 18:00, but public ceremonies, photo sessions and errands happen at other hours. What is certain is this: a person in maiko dress is either at work or enjoying a paid experience, and in both cases she is not a sight to inspect. If it matters to you whether a maiko is present, the reliable route is the product you book: performances, Gion Corner and experiences where the organiser states that an active (geneki) maiko or geiko appears.

No. There are five: Gion Kobu, Gion Higashi, Miyagawa-cho, Pontocho and Kamishichiken, each with its own dance school and stage performance. As of April 2024 the Foundation counted 155 geiko and 56 maiko across the five (commonly reported figure).