Geisha FAQ: Every Question, Answered

A geisha is a professional Japanese performing artist trained in traditional dance, shamisen music, and the art of hosting. The word literally means “person of the arts” (gei = art, sha = person). Contrary to common misconception, geisha are not sex workers — they are skilled entertainers whose role is to create a refined, graceful atmosphere for their guests.

Miyakodori has carried on this tradition in Asakusa since 1950. The okami, Chikage, spent 27 years as a geisha before becoming the proprietress — and has now run Miyakodori as okami for thirty years.

→ Meet the okami of Miyakodori

“Geisha” is written with two kanji: gei (芸), meaning art or skill, and sha (者), meaning person. The word simply means “person of the arts” — a professional trained in traditional Japanese performing arts. This is the literal definition, unchanged from its Edo-period origins.

In Kyoto the same profession is called geiko; in Tokyo, including Asakusa, the original term geisha has been preserved.

→ How the word lives in Asakusa today

A geisha is a professional performing artist who entertains through traditional arts — classical dance, shamisen music, and the refined art of hosting. An oiran was a high-ranking courtesan who provided sexual companionship — a separate profession that existed during the Edo period. The two were never the same role. Today, oiran exist only as ceremonial costume parades; geisha remain a living, actively practiced tradition.

Asakusa is one of the few places in Tokyo where both traditions are historically rooted — and where the distinction matters most. Our guide explores the contrast in full detail.

→ Read the full geisha vs oiran guide

These three terms describe young and fully fledged geisha in different regions of Japan. Maiko is the Kyoto term for a young geisha; hangyoku is the Tokyo equivalent — both are already geisha, performing at ozashiki while they refine their art. Geiko is Kyoto’s term for a fully fledged geisha; Tokyo uses geisha for every stage. Despite different names, the paths are similar: a young geisha debuts first, then becomes fully fledged a few years later.

In Tokyo’s Asakusa, the young geisha is called hangyoku — she wears a long-sleeved kimono with floral kanzashi, and trains under senior geisha for three to four years before becoming ippon, a fully fledged geisha.

→ Why Tokyo calls them hangyoku

A hangyoku is a young geisha in Tokyo — the equivalent of Kyoto’s maiko, and already a geisha in her own right. She wears a long-sleeved, vibrant kimono, with raised hem seams (katage and sodage) and floral hair ornaments that mark her stage of training. After six months to one year as a minarai (observer), a hangyoku spends three to four years mastering the performing arts — beginning with classical dance and shamisen, then deepening into the full craft of the ozashiki.

She learns by watching and absorbing the manner of senior geisha — not simply copying steps, but developing the instinct for grace that defines her future career.

→ See the room where hangyoku perform

A taikomochi (also called hokan) is a male performing artist who entertains at ozashiki banquets alongside geisha. Unlike geisha, a taikomochi does not wear white face makeup. He specializes in storytelling, wit, and orchestrating the energy of the room — historically acting as the intermediary between guests and geisha. Asakusa is one of the few places in Japan where taikomochi remain active today.

Their role is to lighten the atmosphere, guide conversation, and ensure every guest feels at ease — a skill that takes years of dedicated training to master.

→ The hokan tradition in Asakusa

The white makeup worn by geisha is believed to originate from the era before electric lighting, when candlelight lit ozashiki rooms. In the dim glow of candles, white powder made a geisha’s face and expression clearly visible — allowing her dance and manner to be seen and appreciated by every guest. This is the okami’s own interpretation, shared from over five decades in the tradition.

Today, a skilled geisha can complete her full white-powder application — using eri-oshiroi or pancake white powder — in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

→ The okami’s makeup philosophy

Asakusa geisha fall into two roles. The tachikata (立方) is the dancer — she wears the full white makeup and the traditional Japanese hairstyle (nihongami) you see in photographs. The jikata (地方) is the musician — she plays the shamisen and sings, with her own natural face and her hair styled in her own modern updo (yōgami) rather than the Japanese hairstyle.

Historically, jikata also wore Japanese hair, but in modern Asakusa the look has shifted to yōgami. A geisha may train as either from the start, or transition from tachikata to jikata over time.

— Komaaki, an Asakusa geisha appearing at Miyakodori: “I started as a tachikata for two or three years, then gradually moved into the jikata role.”

→ See the dancers and musicians at our ozashiki

Becoming a fully fledged geisha takes roughly four to five years of formal training. The path begins with six months to one year as a minarai (observer — not yet a geisha), followed by a debut as a hangyoku — already a working geisha — and finally the ippon-hirome ceremony, when she becomes fully fledged. The okami of Miyakodori herself spent three and a half years as a hangyoku before her ippon-hirome at age eighteen-and-a-half.

The training is not only technical — dance, music, tea ceremony, and more — but social: learning to read a room and put every guest at ease.

→ The okami’s path: age five to eighteen

Tokyo and Kyoto geisha traditions differ in name, costume, music, and spirit. Tokyo uses the term hangyoku for young geisha (Kyoto says maiko); for the fully fledged, Tokyo simply says geisha (Kyoto says geiko). In costume, Tokyo geisha favor edo-komon — a fine-patterned silk — while Kyoto geisha tend toward tsuke-sage, robes with hem patterns. In spirit, as the okami personally describes it: Tokyo carries iki (Edo elegance), Kyoto carries hin (aristocratic refinement).

Dance schools also differ: Asakusa is centered on Hanayagi-ryu — the school in which our okami holds a shihandai (master instructor) license — while Kyoto’s Gion is rooted in the distinct Inoue-ryu tradition. These distinctions are the okami’s personal view.

→ Asakusa’s place in Tokyo geisha history

Tokyo has six active geisha districts, known collectively as the Rokkagai (six flower districts): Shinbashi, Akasaka, Kagurazaka, Mukojima, Yoshicho, and Asakusa. Among these, Asakusa holds a distinctive place as the cultural root of Edo geisha — the district where the tradition first flourished under the influence of the old shitamachi spirit.

Miyakodori is one of the remaining geisha tea houses in Asakusa’s flower district — a working heir to this centuries-old tradition, open to international visitors today.

→ Visit Asakusa, the heart of Edo geisha

A machiai chaya (待合茶屋) is a traditional Japanese geisha tea house — the institution that hosts the ozashiki and invites the geisha. Unlike a ryotei (a high-end Japanese restaurant), a machiai chaya does not prepare its own food. Instead, it commissions dishes from established Japanese restaurants and brings them to the tatami room, which gives the okami unusual flexibility — halal, vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, and other dietary requirements can all be accommodated.

Miyakodori is the only remaining machiai chaya in Asakusa, founded in 1950, and one of the very few in Tokyo where international guests can request an evening directly. The okami invites independent geisha of the Asakusa hanamachi — registered with the local kenban — rather than employing them. The okami herself runs the house personally; she has been here for thirty years.

→ About the only machiai chaya in Asakusa

Miyakodori is a machiai chaya (traditional geisha tea house) in the Asakusa hanamachi, founded in 1950 and run by Okami Chikage for thirty years. We invite independent geisha registered with the Asakusa kenban for private ozashiki evenings — the only Tokyo hanamachi where international guests can request a private geisha evening directly online, without an introduction.

The house holds the historical structure of an Asakusa machiai chaya — the room, the invitations, the kaiseki commissioned from established Japanese restaurants — while opening its doors to first-time visitors from abroad. An English interpreter is included on every private plan.

→ The full story of Miyakodori

An ozashiki is a private tatami-room gathering where geisha entertain guests through traditional dance, shamisen music, conversation, and interactive parlor games (ozashiki asobi). The evening begins with the geisha’s formal entrance and a dance performance, followed by time for games, drinks, and unhurried conversation. Every element is designed to create a feeling of warmth and shared presence — not a show to watch, but an evening to live alongside the geisha.

At Miyakodori, every private plan includes an English interpreter, so nothing is lost and every guest can engage fully from the first moment.

→ See the full ozashiki experience

At Miyakodori in Asakusa, prices vary by plan and group size. The 1-hour Private Evening (Geisha Highlights) starts from ¥40,000 per person (for four or more guests, daytime), with two geisha as standard (+¥65,000 per additional geisha). The 2-hour Signature (Geisha Elegance) starts from ¥53,000 per person, with selected free-flow drinks (beer, sake, soft drinks) included — two geisha as standard, and the okami recommends adding a third for the fullest version (+¥60,000 per geisha). The 3-hour Full Course (Twilight Gathering, evening only) starts from ¥110,000 per person and includes a seasonal kaiseki dinner with three geisha as standard — five recommended by the okami (+¥85,000 per additional geisha). An English interpreter is included on every private plan.

The 75-minute Tea House visit, at ¥17,600 per person, is the briefest introductory option — shared seating with other guests, three geisha, and one parlor game. The private evenings cost more, but they offer what the brief tea house cannot — your own room, your own pace, geisha as your companions, and time to linger after the games are done. The okami still recommends one of the private evenings for a first geisha experience worth keeping.

→ View all pricing plans

Yes — at Miyakodori. All Tokyo hanamachi, Asakusa included, were traditionally ichigen-san okotowari (“by introduction only”), and most of Asakusa’s other tea houses still maintain that rule. Miyakodori is the house that opened that door — direct booking, English support, transparent pricing. We were the first in Asakusa to do this, and the other houses haven’t followed yet.

Reservations are made through our TableCheck reservation page. An English interpreter is included on every private plan — no Japanese language ability is required.

→ Request a Reservation

Yes, completely. Every private session at Miyakodori includes a dedicated English interpreter who is present from beginning to end. The okami herself communicates with international guests through gesture, expression, and the universal language of hospitality — and has noted that non-Japanese-speaking guests often express their delight more openly and directly than Japanese guests do.

The ozashiki parlor games are designed to be participatory and intuitive — language is not a barrier. Some of the most memorable evenings here unfold precisely because words are not the primary medium.

→ The okami on welcoming international guests

Yes. Miyakodori welcomes solo travelers, couples, friend groups, families, and corporate guests. Women booking as a group are equally welcome. The okami has noted a growing number of multi-generational family visits — including grandparents, parents, and children as young as primary school age — all participating together in ozashiki parlor games.

For most family or couple visits, the okami recommends one of the private evenings — your own room, your own pace, geisha as your companions, and time to linger after the games are done. For a brief first taste of geisha culture, the 75-minute Tea House visit is an introductory alternative.

→ The private evening for families & couples

The okami herself recommends a minimum of two hours to experience the full spirit of an ozashiki. In her words: “One hour is short — I’ve come to feel that lately. To truly understand what a geisha tea house is, two hours is the minimum.” In two hours, guests can enjoy a dance performance, multiple parlor games, conversation, and time to handle instruments such as the fan, drum, and shamisen.

The 2-hour Signature (Geisha Elegance) is the most popular at Miyakodori, and includes selected free-flow drinks (beer, sake, soft drinks). Evening sessions offer a particularly immersive atmosphere.

→ The 2-hour ozashiki, in the okami’s words

On every private plan (1-hour and longer), photos and videos are entirely up to you — capture anything, anytime, including the dance and the parlor games. Only live-streaming is asked to be avoided. Your interpreter will be happy to take group photos with the geisha.

The 75-minute Tea House visit (shared seating) groups photo time toward the end of the session.

→ The private plans with full photo freedom

At a Miyakodori ozashiki, guests witness traditional Japanese dance (nihon buyo) performed to live shamisen music — the three-stringed instrument central to geisha culture. Depending on the plan and session, guests may also hear kiyomoto (a form of narrative singing) and see tsuzumi (hand drum) performance, as well as join in ozashiki asobi parlor games using fans and lacquerware.

The okami of Miyakodori holds a shihandai (master instructor) license in the Hanayagi school of Japanese traditional dance — the school that has been central to Asakusa’s flower district for generations.

→ Dance, shamisen, and drum at our ozashiki

Ozashiki asobi are traditional parlor games played between geisha and guests during a banquet. These games — originally developed to break the formality of the tatami room — include tokkuri-taoshi (sake bottle balancing), konpira-fune-fune (a hand-and-cup rhythm game played to the song), and other seasonal variations. They are participatory by design: guests are not observers but players, guided gently by the geisha. Reciprocal pouring — the geisha pours for you, then you pour for her — is one of the warmest threads of the evening and is welcomed at every table.

The games are intuitive enough for first-time visitors and children alike. No Japanese language ability is needed — the rules are conveyed through demonstration and playful repetition.

→ Try ozashiki asobi at the private evening

Yes. Miyakodori welcomes children, including very young guests. The okami has seen families with infants through primary school-aged children enjoy the atmosphere together, with older children often joining the ozashiki games alongside parents and grandparents. Watching three generations share the same sense of delight in the tatami room is, in the okami’s words, “universal.” For most family visits, the okami recommends one of the private evenings — your own room, your own pace, and time for the children to settle in.

The 75-minute daytime Tea House visit is an alternative for a brief first introduction.

→ A private evening with the family

Yes — this is one of the reasons a machiai chaya is uniquely flexible. Because Miyakodori does not prepare food in-house, the okami commissions dishes from established Japanese restaurants in Asakusa, and can often accommodate dietary requirements such as halal, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and allergy considerations — depending on availability and advance notice. A no-meal option is also available for guests who prefer to focus on the music, dance, and games.

Please share your dietary requirements at the time of reservation. The okami will respond personally with options for your evening.

→ Request a Reservation (with dietary notes)

Miyakodori is located in the heart of Asakusa’s flower district — 3-23-10 Asakusa, Taitō-ku, Tokyo 111-0032. The house sits a few minutes’ walk from Sensō-ji temple, just past the temple grounds in the quieter streets where the old hanamachi still lives.

Nearest stations: Asakusa Station (Tobu Skytree Line / Tokyo Metro Ginza Line / Toei Asakusa Line) — about 8 to 10 minutes on foot. From Sensō-ji’s Hozomon gate, around 5 minutes. We’ll send full directions in English by email once your reservation is confirmed.

→ About the house and its location

A private evening at Miyakodori is a shared evening, not a show. You are not watching a ticketed group performance with a fixed program. You are inside a private tatami room with two or more independent geisha registered with the Asakusa kenban, where dance, shamisen, parlor games, and conversation unfold around you — shaped by the guests in the room, not by a set list.

Public geisha “performances” sold through travel agencies tend to gather strangers in a shared space, run a short program, and end on a schedule. The Miyakodori private evening is the opposite: your own room, your own pace, geisha as your companions, and time to linger after the games are done. The 75-minute Tea House visit is the brief introductory taste; the private evenings are where the experience truly opens.

→ See what a private evening looks like

Absolutely. Many guests do not drink — for health, religious, or personal reasons — and the evening is built around music, dance, games, and conversation, not around drinking. Soft drinks (tea, juice, soda, water) are always available, and the 2-hour Signature plan’s selected free-flow drinks include non-alcoholic options.

The geisha are accustomed to non-drinking guests and will pour soft drinks just as warmly. There is no expectation, social or otherwise, to drink alcohol at Miyakodori.

→ The evening, with or without alcohol

Yes. Miyakodori regularly welcomes solo travelers of all backgrounds, including women alone. The setting is a private tatami room with the okami, two or more geisha, and your English interpreter — an intimate, hosted environment rather than an open public venue. Many solo guests have described the evening as warmly attentive without being intrusive.

For solo guests, the 1-hour or 2-hour Private Evening is the most natural starting point. The okami and the geisha shape the pace of the room to your comfort; participation in games or conversation is invited, never required.

→ A solo evening at the private ozashiki

For private plans at Miyakodori, cancellations made seven days or more before the reservation are free of charge. Cancellations within six days incur a partial fee, and same-day cancellations are charged in full. Date changes are accommodated when possible — please reach out as early as you can if your plans shift.

The 75-minute Tea House visit (OTA-bookable) follows the standard TableCheck cancellation terms shown at the time of booking.

→ Full cancellation terms on the Pricing page

For private plans, use our online reservation form — this is the only way international guests can directly request a private geisha evening in a Tokyo hanamachi. Submit your preferred date, plan, party size, and any dietary or special requests, and the okami will respond personally in English with available options.

The 75-minute Tea House visit can be booked instantly through TableCheck (OTA-style). No introduction or personal referral is needed at Miyakodori.

→ Request a Reservation

There is no strict dress code at Miyakodori, but smart casual or above is appropriate. Guests in formal attire — including traditional Japanese kimono — are equally welcome. If you choose to arrive in kimono, the geisha and the okami will be delighted — the tatami room is built for it, and some guests rent kimono earlier in the day and come straight from there. It is one of our favorite arrivals.

Shoes are removed at the entrance to the tatami room. Please wear clean socks or hosiery. Avoid heavily perfumed fragrances out of consideration for the geisha’s kimono and the intimate setting.

→ Dress code & the tatami room

Tipping is not expected at Miyakodori and is not required. Japan does not have a tipping culture in the Western sense. A traditional custom called goshugi — a small gift of money presented in a formal envelope — exists in some geisha contexts, but at Miyakodori this is entirely optional and guests should not feel any obligation to offer it.

The warmth you bring to the room — genuine curiosity, participation in the games, and a relaxed spirit — is the most valued gift a guest can offer.

→ How goshugi works, and why it isn’t required

Kamiza (上座) is the seat of honor in a tatami room — the position closest to the tokonoma, the decorative alcove with a hanging scroll and flowers. Shimoza (下座) is the seat nearest the exit, reserved for the most junior person present. In Japanese culture, seniority determines seating order. As our guest, you will be guided to your seat — no knowledge of this protocol is required in advance.

Even among geisha themselves, this hierarchy is observed with formal phrases: “taka-agari shitsurei shimasu” — “forgive me for taking the higher seat” — is spoken before moving to the kamiza. You won’t need to say it. We’ll take care of the choreography.

→ The seating layout of our tatami room

The most important rule in a tatami room is also the simplest: never turn your back to a guest, and never hand anything to someone while standing. These are the geisha’s own standards — ones they observe with every movement — and they reflect the deeper principle that in the tatami room, no one should feel looked down upon.

A few practical notes: shoes are removed at the entrance, and at Miyakodori low chairs are the default at the tatami table — no need to sit on the floor. Some guests still prefer agura (cross-legged) on a cushion; either is welcome. Your interpreter will guide you through everything in real time.

→ Read the okami’s hospitality philosophy

A gentle bow is the most natural greeting — and the geisha will bow in return. Handshakes are not typical in traditional Japanese settings, though the geisha are accustomed to international guests and will respond warmly to whichever greeting feels natural to you. There is no wrong way to say hello when genuine warmth is behind it.

Your interpreter will introduce you to the geisha at the start of the session, and any questions about how to address or interact with them can be asked freely at that moment.

→ Your first meeting in the tatami room

Don’t worry — you don’t have to remember any of this. The okami calls the spirit of a good evening kirei na asobi — “beautiful play.” In her own words, it is not about money, and not about knowing every rule. It is about sharing the time with an open, easy spirit. Sensing what feels easy for each guest — reading the room, adjusting tempo, knowing when to pour and when to step back — is what the geisha is trained to do.

If something feels uncertain, simply ask. The geisha will guide you, the interpreter will translate, and the okami will smooth the rest. Nothing in a real evening here is made into a scene.

→ The okami on kirei na asobi

You are warmly welcome as you are. The geisha are professionally trained to read the room and adjust the pace — if a guest prefers to watch, listen, and ease in slowly, the evening shapes itself around that. There is no obligation to be the center of attention, perform, or speak loudly. The games are participatory but never forced; conversation can stay light or go quiet, depending on the room.

Many of our guests describe themselves as introverts and have said the private evening felt unexpectedly comfortable — the attentiveness of the geisha and the okami creates a sense of being held, not watched.

→ The okami’s philosophy of hospitality

Yes. Photos taken during a private evening at Miyakodori may be shared on social media — many guests do, and we are glad when they choose to. If you tag Miyakodori or the geisha, please use the names provided by your interpreter at the start of the session. Only live-streaming during the evening is asked to be avoided.

For commercial or media use (publication, advertising, professional content), please contact us in advance so we can coordinate with the geisha appearing that evening.

→ Contact us for media inquiries