How Many Geisha Should You Book for an Ozashiki?

We recommend three geisha for an ozashiki: one jikata, who plays the shamisen and sings, and two tachikata, who dance. The 1-hour and 2-hour plans start with two geisha for smaller groups, so that usually means adding a third; the 3-hour plan, the 1-hour plan from 7 guests and the 2-hour plan from 6 guests already include three or more.

We are Miyakodori, a machiai-chaya in Asakusa: a teahouse that provides the room and arranges the meal and the geisha for every ozashiki (a private gathering with geisha) held here. Two geisha, one musician and one dancer, make a complete ozashiki, and many guests book exactly that. But when guests ask us how many geisha to book, our answer is three: with a third geisha, two of them dance at once.

What changes with a third geisha

Two dancers instead of one

With two geisha, one plays and sings while the other dances. With three, two geisha dance in front of you at the same time, and that changes how the dance comes across. In some pieces, the roles within the dance change as well.

Ozashiki games with three geisha

The games change too. In tora tora, two players stand on either side of a folding screen and, in time with the song, strike one of three poses: the warrior Watōnai, the tiger, or Watōnai’s old mother. Watōnai beats the tiger, the tiger beats the mother, and the mother beats her son. You can play against another guest or against a geisha. When two guests play each other with three geisha in the room, a geisha stands beside each of them and dances along.

Konpira fune fune looks different as well. A small piece called a hakama sits on a kyōsoku, an armrest, and the two players take turns placing a hand on the armrest in time with the song. While the hakama is there, you rest an open hand on it; once the other player has picked it up, you put your fist on the empty armrest. With three geisha, one of them is between the two players, cheering the game on.

A long-standing arrangement

Our third-generation proprietor describes one jikata and two tachikata as a long-standing form of the ozashiki. Larger arrangements are built the same way: five geisha are two jikata and three tachikata, and seven are two jikata and five tachikata. Three is where we suggest starting, and for a larger ensemble we recommend five.

How many geisha to book for your group size

If you are wondering how many geisha to hire for a geisha dinner with a larger group, the plan already scales for you. The table shows the geisha included before you add anyone.

From there, one more geisha joins for every two more guests. Guests are counted as adults and children aged 4 and over; infants up to 3 are not counted. Our recommendation to add a third geisha applies when your booking includes two: a 1-hour plan for up to six guests, or a 2-hour plan for up to five.

What a third geisha costs

Added geisha are charged to the booking total, not per guest, and the first geisha you add costs ¥10,000 less. Additional geisha are requested when you reserve, subject to availability.

Prices include tax. The 3-hour plan already includes three geisha, so its row applies when you add to those. When your booking has five geisha in total, including those in the plan, a further ¥20,000 comes off; with seven, a further ¥30,000. The 3-hour plan also includes a seven-course kaiseki dinner and free-flow drinks. All plans and rates are on our pricing page.

Adding a Hōkan (Taikomochi)

A hōkan performs alongside the geisha. Where the geisha bring dance and shamisen music, the hōkan brings comedy, mimicry and games, and lifts the mood of the whole room. For a long time, hōkan were known as Japan’s male geisha. Six hōkan are registered with the Asakusa kenban, the district’s geisha office, and Asakusa is now the only place in Japan with registered hōkan. One of the six is a woman, which is new for the profession.

You can add a hōkan to any plan, up to four: ¥60,000 each for the 1-hour and 2-hour plans, and ¥75,000 for the 3-hour plan. To learn more, read our guide to the hōkan.

Related guides

• How to Book a Geisha Experience in Tokyo
• Ozashiki Experience: Geisha Banquet Cost & How to Book
• Ozashiki Games: Complete Catalog & Rules
• Konpira Fune Fune

Last updated October 2026