Page 34 - Miss No Label

‚She paints her face to hide her face. Her eyes are deep water. It is not for

Geisha to want. It is not for geisha to feel. Geisha is an artist of the

floating world. She dances, she sings. She entertains you, whatever you

want. The rest is shadows, the rest is secret.‛

~ Arthur Golden

I cannot help but think of the above few lines whenever someone mentions

Gion. Kyoto's most famous ‘Hanamachi’( Geisha district) Gion is located

around Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine in the east and the Kamo River

in the west. It still retains a bit of its old world charm and mystery. Part of the

district has been declared a national historical preservation district. Under a

hundred geisha still remain in the city, living and working in the traditional

teahouses as they always have done. For many people, even those living in

Kyoto, the closest they have come is perhaps glimpsing a geisha alighting from

her taxi and disappearing behind a nameless sliding door.