The geisha world is shrouded in myth and mystery—and also misconception. This fuels the fantasy of tourists from around the world who sometimes unfortunately breach respectful codes of behaviour in their interactions with the traditional entertainers.

Mayuhina, a retired geisha who now describes herself as a “storyteller of a mysterious, closed-off world”, opens up about a few problematic encounters she had with tourists in a 15-minute-long video on her YouTube channel @Geikohina.

During her days as a geiko, she recalled being loudly cat-called by two male tourists at a subway station, whom she described as “a lot bigger” and intimidating: “Maybe it was meant as a compliment, but I felt uncomfortable”. This incident happened minutes before she felt harassed by a foreign woman, who pointed her camera a few centimetres away from her face and “shoved” her into the subway gates. 

“I was just fed up, I didn’t understand what I did to deserve that,” she recalls in her video. “I’m already carrying so much weight on my body [because the attire is heavy], I have [a] 2kg [wig] on my head. And I can’t dirty or scratch or rip [my Kimono], I have to be very careful going through these narrow spaces because I can’t damage anything I’m wearing.”

In another part of the video, she also describes a moment of sisterhood, where she felt forced to leave the tea house to rescue a “fellow sister” off for work. The latter had been stopped by tourists who were “physically so big” she had to “look up to them”, and who wanted to take photos with the geisha.

“Another reason why you cannot disrupt [a geiko or a maiko] is because every minute counts,” she explains in her video. “If someone disrupts her in the streets, not only is she being harassed, not only she is feeling uncomfortable, but the ochaya [establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha] she needs to go to is being affected, and the customer is also being affected.” 

She also mentions that all the efforts that trainees and oka-san [mother] put into preparing the geisha can also be impacted (in case the geisha’s outfit or makeup gets damaged). In other words, on top of affecting geisha’s physical security and mental health, rude tourists impact the whole ecosystem surrounding the traditional entertainers.

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In the former capital of Japan, etiquette is important, especially when you come across geisha and maiko, who are epitomes of the region’s living cultural heritage.

Give the geisha space on the road

To ensure that the traditional entertainers feel comfortable walking in the streets, the first step is to give them some space. “When it comes to showing respect to geiko-san and maiko-san, it’s more than just not taking pictures, not chasing them or not following them,” says Mayuhina in her video. “It’s also about giving them space and appreciating them from a distance.”

Giving them space would also allow them to not have to zigzag through the streets of Kyoto in their wooden shoes, which can be as tall as 15 centimetres. Keep in mind that they also carry dozens of kilogrammes of clothes and a heavy wig—walking is already an exercise.

On top of this, tourists should refrain from screaming, shouting or pointing at them as this might disturb the geisha’s walk and make them uncomfortable. Stares might make them feel uncomfortable as well. Some locals purposefully look down to not stare at geisha, as a way of signaling their respect. In other words, treat the geisha the way you would treat any other human.

Book a geisha show

The best and safest way to discover the geisha culture is to book a dinner or a show with them. This will allow tourists to enjoy Japanese traditional arts, interact with the entertainers in a safe space and take close-up pictures with their consent. It is also a way to give back to the geisha community by financially supporting their lifestyle, paying for their services—and allowing their heritage to to be preserved. 

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