Kyoto Geisha Experience and Guided Walking Tour

Enjoy a guided tour of Gion

Watch a maiko perform a traditional Japanese dance

Enjoy fine Japanese cuisine

Talk to the maiko and ask her questions about her life

Enjoy a guided tour of Gion, followed by Japanese dinner and the chance to meet a real maiko (young geisha). You can watch her perform a dance and then ask her questions about her life.

A maiko or geisha is a party companion, highly skilled in Japanese performing arts such as Japanese dancing, singing, and playing musical instruments, in addition to conducting tea ceremonies and/or flower arrangements. Along with the beautiful kimono and graceful movements, maikos and geikos are regarded as living art.

Typically a private viewing of a maiko or geisha is very expensive, plus you would have to dine at a Japanese haute-cuisine restaurant with a stage on which a maiko dances. Furthermore, even if you can afford to hire them, you may not always be welcome. You often have to be introduced by a regular guest.

However, this tour is able to arrange a brief meeting with a maiko for about one hour, over dinner (tempura, sushi and some small dishes).

The tour starts with a 1.5 hours walking tour of the Gion or Kamishichiken area - two of 5 flower towns in Kyoto associated with maikos/geikos. The tour guide can explain to you about the history of Maiko/Geiko as well as the traditional wooden structures in the area.

After learning about maiko and geiko culture, the tour will visit a Japanese restaurant where a maiko is waiting for you. Over a light dinner you can watch her graceful dance. Then you can ask the Maiko questions about what she wears, or her daily life. You can even take some photos with her. After an hour the maiko will leave but you can stay and enjoy the rest of your meal at the restaurant.