buildings in the center of
town reopened their doors as a
chic café’ or design studios. I took
my time admiring the traditional
buildings and narrow streets while
tried getting informative cultural
lessons along the way.
Gion district is divided
into three major business organi-
sations: catering, the geisha house
and the teahouse. Catering busi-
nesses prepare cuisine they direct-
ly sell and deliver to the teahouses.
Meanwhile, geisha and apprentice
maiko belong to a geisha house,
being dispatched when evening
entertainment is needed. Lastly,
the chaya, or teahouses, offer a lo-
cation which provides the cuisine,
drink, and human interaction.
Teahouses do not offer their own
cuisine directly. You can think of
the teahouses as a rental space
where everything comes together
and clients are hosted to a grand
evening.
11
The culture behind Gion
contains a deep and glamorous
history. It is the world of the mai-
ko and the geisha. Although there
are entertainment districts outside
Japan throughout the world, Kyoto
is exceptional in comparison. Mai-
ko and geisha have occasionally in
the past been confused for com-
panions or worse, prostitutes, but
this couldn’t be further from the
truth. These elegant women em-
body Japanese culture, executing
flawless feats of artistry through
dance and song all in the name of
hospitality. Generally, customers
are renting the teahouse, get the
food delivered by a catering ser-
vice, and two or three geisha and/
or maiko will be entertaining for
two hours through their artistry as
well as graceful conversation.