On January 13th, all the Maiko and Geiko of the Gion Kobu Hanamachi (flower town or geisha district) visit the house of their teacher, Yachiyo Inoue, the master of Gion Kobu’s dance school, the Inoue School of Dance, to thank her for her service and present their best wishes for the New Year. Needless to say, this event is a special one in Gion Kobu as the Maiko and Geiko wear their most beautiful kimono for the occasion. And of course, this attracts a very large number of photographers, the usual local crowd and recently a number of foreigners who got the proper information.
The event takes place at mid-day, and this is where the magic of Kyoto comes alive for our enjoyment – walking down the street, next to the normal folks and the tourists, the lines of beautifully dressed and made up Geiko, followed by the colorful senior Maiko, followed by even more colorful junior Maiko, and then the new Shikomi.
Click on the images above for a full-screen display.
