Special dinner with Geisha in Kyoto

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Mayu Inayama

I am a first-year college student who visits Kyoto about 200 days a year. I'm familiar with Kyoto's cuisine and sightseeing, and have experience as a guide. I'm interested in languages and business administration, and hold a level pre 1 English proficiency test and a level 3 bookkeeping certificate. On this website, I will provide information on Kyoto's attractions based on my own experience!

Latest posts by Mayu Inayama (see all)

• UTAGE KAIGAI ~The best dinner with Geisha in Kyoto~ - 2023/12/17
• The 5 steps in the Makeup Process of Geisha - 2023/11/29
• Special dinner with Geisha in Kyoto - 2023/11/14

Geishas are one of the best parts of culture in Kyoto. Did you know that you can have dinner with geisha?

In this article, we would like to introduce three recommended courses that will help you when considering dinner with geisha in Kyoto. Dining with geisha and watching them perform will be a wonderful and valuable opportunity for you!

If you are looking for a special experience when you visit Kyoto in Japan, this article will be very helpful.

About Geisha

Geisha is a woman who entertains guests by dancing and playing musical instruments. They have a distinctive hairstyle and make-up, and wear beautiful kimonos. Most people start their career as geisha at the age of 15, and they are found all over Japan.

They wear distinctive makeup, painting their faces white. Many of you have probably wondered why they wear this kind of makeup. If we go back in history to the Edo period, we can find the answer to this question. In the old days, there were no light bulbs or electric lights, so the faces of geisha could not be seen clearly by the audience when they performed dances and songs at night. This led to the traditional culture of painting the faces white so that the geisha’s faces could be seen beautifully and clearly in the dark environment. At that time, makeup was also used as a sign of status, so the culture of white makeup spread to geisha as well, along with the trends of the times.

Furthermore, They are masters of hospitality and artists who preserve and pass on traditional Japanese culture. With an increasing number of guests coming from abroad these days, they have a major role to play in passing on Japanese culture to the world and to future generations.

In Kyoto prefecture, they have existed for about 300 years. Surprisingly, There are currently around 250 geishas in Kyoto and the number of them is the most in Japan!

Movie which introduce about Geisha↓

Manners of having dinner with geisha

In Japan people say “Itadakimasu” before eating and ”Gochisosama ” after eating. Also, they use chopsticks and have to handle dishes with care. It is best not to leave as much of the meal as possible. You don’t need to wear formal clothing, but revealing clothing is not appropriate for dining with geisha.

Detailed Japanese food manners include not stacking plates on top of each other after eating, using hand towels only to wipe hands, and putting the lid back on after finishing a soup dish.

In addition, Japanese food is often served in a Japanese-style room with tatami mats, so it is a good idea to learn the manners in a Japanese-style room. First of all, do not step on the edges or thresholds of tatami mats. Also, do not enter a Japanese-style room with bare feet.

If you are not used to Japanese food, there may be many manners and rules that you do not understand, but please try to practice the proper way to eat Japanese food and how to spend time in a Japanese-style room when you eat.

If you would like to learn more about Japanese dining etiquette, you can also watch the following video of YouTube!

Movie of Japanese table manner↓

What do you do at dinner with a geisha?

Eat Kyoto cuisine and kaiseki dishes

Meals with geisha are often served with Kyoto ryori or kaiseki cuisine. Kyo-ryori is prepared using traditional techniques based on dashi, which is a synthesis of the five elements of Japanese cuisine that have formed part of Kyoto’s history. Another feature of kaiseki-ryori is that it is prepared, served and presented in an elegant setting. Kaiseki-ryori is a simple dish served at tea ceremonies before tea is served. Kaiseki cuisine expresses the wabi and sabi, the spirit of the tea ceremony, and is based on the three main principles of using seasonal ingredients, utilizing the natural flavor of the ingredients, and treating guests with care. Kaiseki cuisine is based on ‘ichiju sansai’ (one soup and three vegetables), with rice and soup served at the beginning of the meal. As these dishes are intended to quell hunger before tea is served, they tend to be moderate in quantity and avoid strong flavors, fried foods and showy decorations.

Watching dance and performance

The guests enjoy a meal and watch the geisha dance and perform.

For geisha, the tatami room is also a place where they show their guests how much they have developed by performing the dances and playing the instruments they have usually practiced.

The geisha wear beautiful kimonos and dance brilliantly to the sounds of the shamisen and drums.

Movie of dance performance of geisha↓

ozashiki-asobi(playing with geisha in the tatami room)

Games created using methods and things that can be played with only what is available in the tatami room are called ozashiki-asobi. For example, there are many variations of games using rock-paper-scissors. Other games include those using the shamisen and skits.

This time, we will introduce you to the classic “Omawari-san”, a popular form of Japanese tatami room play.
In “Omawari-san,” the players play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser goes around once, while the winner beats the taiko drum three times; if he loses three times, he drinks. Since they go around while drinking, it is easy to get drunk. Of course, minors play ozaiko with tea or other drinks that do not contain alcohol.

Like this, Customers and geisha play a variety of games on the tatami while having a pleasant conversation with each other.

When interacted with a geisha, There is no need to use honorifics with geisha, even when meeting them for the first time. In addition to after-party parties after the playing at tatami room, geishas also go out for meals or on trips on their days off if invited by their customers. However, geisha consider such outings as part of their work, called “excursions”.

Movie of dinner with geisha↓

Comparison of 3 recommended courses of Dinner with Geisha in Kyoto

Here are three recommended courses.

See the table below for a comparison of content of the 3 different courses!

①Private Kyoto Dinner with a Geisha

This course includes a private meal with a geisha and a tour of Gion.
Reservations can be made via the VIATOR website and cost approximately 37000 yen per person.

Adress:

 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Kyoto/Private-Dinner-with-a-Geisha/d332-39825P8?SSAID=740404&aid=sas0_132440_740404&mcid=43009&rel=sponsored&SSAIDDATA=SSCID%5Fa1k7%5Fqrx98

②Mesmerizing Dinner with Maiko & Geisha

This course offers the opportunity to enjoy a meal with a Geisha at a lower price, as it is not private.
Reservations can be made via the VIATOR website and are priced at approximately 22000 yen per person.

Adress:

 

http://Mesmerizing Dinner with Maiko & Geisha

③Private Geisha dinner in Kyoto

This course allows you to tailor your plan to your budget and wishes.
Reservations can be made via the Miyako from Japan website and price depends on the course ordered.

Adress:

 

https://www.miyakojapan.com/exclusive-geisha-experience

Comparison list of 3 recommended courses of dinner with Geisha in Kyoto

UTAGE KAIGAI(Most recommended course of dinner with Geisha)

About UTAGE KAIGAI

So far, we have introduced three recommended courses – have you found one you would like to experience?

If the pricing on each site is complicated and confusing, or if you are wondering which course to choose in the end, please have a look at the following site, UTAGE KAIGAI !

UTAGE KAIGAI is a course which provide dinner experience with geisha for foreign visitors to Japan. Prices are determined per number of people and everything you need is included in the price, making it easy to book. In addition, the time is fixed at 1 hour and 45 minutes, making it easy to schedule a trip.
Many people find it very confusing to reserve dinner with maiko because the time and price are often not exactly fixed. However, UTAGE KAIGAI solves such problems and provides easy-to-understand plans.

UTAGE KAIGAI

Adress:

 

https://www.travel-kyoto-maiko.net/utagekaigai

The table below shows a comparison of courses offered by other companies and UTAGE KAIGAI.

Comparison list of 3 courses and UTAGE KAIGAI

This table shows that UTAGE KAIGAI has a number of advantages over other courses.

UTAGE KAIGAI Photo Gallery

These are the services provided at UTAGE KAIGAI.

↑Dinner with Geisha

Customers can enjoy an evening meal while chatting with the maiko. They also watch dances and performances performed by the maiko.

↑Enraku, the name of restaurant which UTAGE KAIGAI is held

UTAGE KAIGAI meals will be served at a traditional Kyoto-style restaurant located near Kiyomizu-dera Temple. You can enjoy a relaxing moment in an elegant place, feeling the Japanese atmosphere.

↑Dinner Menu

At Enraku, you can enjoy traditional Kyoto cuisine. Delicate in both appearance and taste, we encourage you to have dinner by using both your sense of sight and taste.

↑Dance performance of geisha

For maiko, the dinner is a place to show the guests the results of their dance practice. Maiko charm their guests with a variety of dance styles to please them.

Trivia about Geisha

Kimono

Geisha wear beautiful kimonos. The colors of the kimono and the way the obi is tied change depending on whether it is worn by a geisha or a maiko (apprentice geisha). Maiko kimonos are often brightly colored red, orange, pink, or yellow, while geisha wear black or blue. In addition, maiko wear a long obi (sash), approximately 7 meters long, while geisha tie a short obi, just like ordinary kimonos. Furthermore, since it is difficult to regulate the temperature of the kimono, the material itself is changed according to the season. In summer, a thin fabric is used, and in winter, a thicker, warmer one filled with cotton or other material is used.
In this way, various innovations are made in the kimonos worn by geishas.

image of Kimono of geisha

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfkJ2I4PF7E/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

 

Kanzasi 

Next, let’s talk about “kanzashi” (hairpin).

Maiko are expected to be childlike and cute, so they wear colorful and gorgeous ornaments, while geiko are expected to be mature and feminine, so they wear simple ornamental hairpins.

Furthermore, the type of kanzashi changes with the seasons: in January, they are associated with the New Year; in February, with plum blossoms; in March, with rape blossoms; and in April, with cherry blossoms as spring arrives.
Maiko and geiko wear their hair tied in a wide horizontal bun, so they use a longer kanzashi than the standard one.

Image of Kanzashi

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0QkZNir28u/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

 

The The place where geisha lives

Geisha and apprentice maiko live in different places.
A maiko is registered and lives in a place called an Okiya, which is like an office. Since apprentice maiko are in training, they are not paid, but they are provided with food, a place to sleep, and other necessities at the okiya.
On the other hand, many geisha become independent from the Okiya and have their own homes. It is like freelancing.

Image of Okiya

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkB8ZpZS6vu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=ODhhZWM5NmIwOQ==

 

Conclusion

In this article, we have recommended 4 courses for dinner with a geisha. Have you found a course you would like to experience?

Geisha have their roots in Kyoto, where they have a history of around 300 years.

If you want to feel the Kyoto-like atmosphere, we recommend experiencing a dinner with a geisha in an atmospheric setting! It will be a unique, special and precious experience for you.

Thank you for reading the article to the end！