Geisha (whom I will hereafter refer to as geiko) and maiko (apprentice geiko) are a symbol of Japan that appeal to and trigger curiosity from most foreigners. Myself being one of these foreigners, I had to make it to Kyoto this month to see the famed Miyako Odori, Dances of the Old Capital, an annual phenomenon that takes place each year during the month of April in Gion Corner, an area of Kyoto known for its population of geiko. Kyoto is an ancient town full of tradition, and in fact it was one of the ancient capitals of Japan, hence the name of this dance that the geiko perform. The dance is composed of eight scenes that illustrate the passing of the seasons in Japan. Kyoto in particular has distinct spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons, with cherry blossoms in spring, summer greenery, fiery autumn maple leaves, and winter snow, wind, and chill.

It was a little difficult to tell who were geiko and who were maiko as I watched the hour-long dance performance. All the girls had white paint on their faces, necks, hands, and forearms (probably up to their elbows). But I learned later that the maiko all wore the same blue kimono with red and pink flowers on it, but the geiko wore various kimono of different colors and patterns. All the women's hair was up in artful hairdos, with flowers and showy combs inserted for extra attraction. The nape of the neck is said to be a very beautiful place, so all the maiko and geiko had the top of their kimono lowered a few inches below the nape of the neck so as to expose it. That area of each person's skin was also colored white, but I believe the maiko had three upside-down triangle shaped patches of skin that were not painted so as to differentiate them from geiko. The maiko have very long sleeves on their kimono called furisoude, and their obi, or kimono belts, are very long and hang down the backside of the kimono. Geiko, on the other hand, have short kimono sleeves, and their obi are tied so that the belts do not hang down the backside of the kimono but appear short and only cover the mid and lower back.

The dances themselves were very elegant. Movements are subtle, including a lot of tilting and turning of the head and delicate hand movements. About fifteen maiko danced, and another fifteen or so played traditional musical instruments such as the shamisen, a special Japanese flute, and various drums. All the geiko danced, and a few sang some narrations during one of the dance scenes.