What you’ll see & do
Book this tour alone or include it in a custom trip
This private tour can be booked as a standalone day or included within a custom Japan itinerary, with hotels, transport, guides, cultural experiences, and local support arranged around your dates.
The geiko (芸子) is Kyoto’s term for geisha – a woman who has completed the full course of traditional arts training, from dance and music to the ritual of the tea ceremony. The maiko (舞妓) is her apprentice, recognisable by her elaborate kimono, long obi and the flowers in her hair. In Kyoto’s five remaining hanamachi districts – Gion Kobu, Gion Higashi, Pontocho, Kamishichiken and Miyagawa-cho – both are still active today. There are fewer than two hundred maiko left in Japan.
An ozashiki – a banquet room engagement – is how geiko and maiko have entertained guests for centuries. These evenings take place in exclusive venues not open to the general public, arranged through established connections. Access without an introduction is effectively impossible.
Your group dines on a seasonal kaiseki multi-course meal. Your maiko joins the table – performing a traditional dance, playing the shamisen or demonstrating the games historically played at ozashiki. Conversation is encouraged. Photography is welcomed. The evening lasts approximately two hours and leaves a mark.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
LANGUAGE
English · Japanese
AVAILABILITY
Year-round
All private, bookable directly
MEETING POINT
Your hotel lobby
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