When you walk on the streets of the Gion district, you notice a little plaque that says "ochaya" by the front sliding door of many of these traditional houses.  Ochaya literally means a tea house, but in the Gion term it means a members-only establishment for dining and entertainment.

To be a member, I heard that one needs a proper introduction to a mistress of ochaya by an existing member of the same house.  Otherwise, the likelihood of being welcomed into one of these houses is almost zero, which means no chance of meeting a geisha (in Kyoto we call her a geiko or a maiko depending on her hierarchical rank).

So what to do if you have no interest in the high-society game or money to be a patron but still want to see a geisha?  The only way is to go to Gion and pray for luck.  Maybe you will catch her walking on her way to work (very rare) or being driven to her ochaya in a black sedan.

   I was lucky yesterday!

See another painting Gion, Kyoto I.


Gion, Kyoto, Japan II

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 in.
Purchase: Sold


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