Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Westerners have been intrigued by the geisha for years..
Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World
What you need to know before your trail
Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, they have been intrigued by Japanese womanhood and, above all, the geisha.
The real, hidden history of the geisha — and the contemporary reality of this intensely private and disappearing world — is here fully and brilliantly explored by an award-winning writer.
Lesley Downer describes the history of the practise, one which is endangered in the modern era.
By speaking to geishas and those who spend time with them, the author gives a well-rounded portrait, which is at times unsettling and at others enthralling.
Travel Guide
BookTrail Travel to Japan
I had come to the ancient city of Kyoto in search of geisha. The capital of Japan for more than a thousand years, it was still the country’s cultural heart, home of temples, palaces, gardens and theatres and the place where classical heritage was most fiercely preserved.
The picturesque streets of the geisha districts, the old pleasure quarters, looked more than anywhere else like the Japan portrayed in nineteenth- century woodblock prints. Kyoto was also the only place where the strict geisha training continued and the geisha traditions were handed down.
Kyoto -the Geisha areas
Gion – the most famous and classy
Gion Highshi – East Gion
Miyagawa cho
There are shops here with all the ‘paraphernalia’ of the geisha world such as hairpins, tortoisesehell combs and kimono fabric.
This book takes in the sights of Kyoto, Tokyo and many more to showcase the real world of the Geisha, hidden from Western eyes.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World
Destination: Japan Author/guide: Lesley Downer Departure Time: 2000s looking back in time
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
