JAPAN: Kyoto's Temples and Geikos

Kyoto is one of Japan’s ten largest cities with a population of about 1.5 million

Kyoto used to be Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868.

A Cocktail Party Trivia Fact - during WWII Kyoto had been on the list of potential cities to drop the atomic bomb on, but, it was taken off the list due to its historic value.

Because of this, countless temples, shrines and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto. It takes its name from the waterfall which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means "pure water”.

The temple was founded in 778 AD and contains buildings from the 17^th century. 

The main hall has a large veranda, supported by tall pillars and gives a panoramic view of the city through a dense covering of maple trees. 

Another Cocktail Party Trivia fact - there is not a single nail used in the entire structure! 

Beneath the main hall is the Otowa waterfall, where three channels of water fall into a pond. You can take a long-handled ladle and drink from one of the channels, which is believed to have wish-granting powers. 

 

Also in Kyoto is Kinkakuji. It is a Zen temple and the top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf.

The temple was originally the retirement villa of a shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. In his will, he left it to become a Zen temple after he died in 1408. 

Kyoto is the centre of Japan’s geisha world. 

Geisha are NOT prostitutes. Rather, they are ladies who have trained for years in traditional instruments, dance, parlour games, conversation, flower arranging, and more. They attend dinners and gatherings at ryōtei (exclusive traditional restaurants) and ochaya (teahouses), and entertain guests with their skills.

Another piece of Cocktail Party Trivia - in Kyoto fully-fledged geisha are called “geiko” (pronounced “gay-ko”). In Tokyo they are called “geishas”.

Young ladies, usually between the ages of 15 and 20, train for five years to become a geiko. The young girls in training are called “maiko” (pronounced “my-ko”).

“Knowledgeable insiders” estimate that there are about 100 geiko and 100 maiko in Kyoto.

Maiko usually live at their “okiya” (geisha house) during their training period, under the care of a “kami-san” (mother of the house). During this time, they are not supposed to enter into romantic relationships or marry.

Our guide showed us some of the homes with maiko’s living in them. You can tell by the wooden strips at the front door. When a new maiko arrives she gets a new wooden strip. The new maiko’s have a lighter coloured wood strip, and with time the wood gets weathered and becomes darker.

After becoming a geiko, they are free to live on their own and some open bars or their own okiya. Some also leave the profession, marry or both.

When we walked in the areas where they live our guide was very quiet and respectful. Apparently, there are people (READ: “ disrespectful tourists”) who are obsessed with seeing geishas (geikos) and the ladies are harassed.

Some shops specialize in dressing up tourists to look like geikos. 

Some tourists walk around town for several hours dressed up as geikos. 

I did not dress up like a Geiko.

I schlepped around in the rain looking like a tourist disguised as a tourist.