Beautiful Kyoto: Being a Maiko (featuring Fukunae-san)

Though a lot of what goes on in Kyoto’s geisha districts takes place in private teahouses and behind gilded screens, it’s no secret that maiko (geisha apprentices) lead strict and challenging lifestyles in the pursuit of their art. Last year the Kyoto Fan (Discover Kyoto) team had the privilege of interviewing one of Miyagawa-chō’s hard working maiko, Fukunae-san, to see what kind of training and preparation she goes through in order to one day become a top class geisha (or geiko, as they are called in Kyoto). Follow along as Fukunae-san takes us through an average day in her life, including music study, hair and make-up, dressing, and entertaining in the evenings. We hope you too will one day have a chance to experience this amazing Kyoto tradition. To see more of what Kyoto has to offer, check out our website: