Geishas in Gion, Kyoto

One of the most amazing things you can photograph in Kyoto are the Geishas. They are beautiful, interesting, and very elusive. Trying to find a Geisha is not definitely not easy. They are fast and could be competitive speed walkers!! When you do stumble upon a Geisha it is really important to be respectful and keep your distance. No one, besides the Kardashians, wants a big camera with a flash taking photos of them in continuous mode. Sadly, you will often see literally dozens of tourist running after them in packs to take a photo as if they just saw Justin Bieber.

What does it mean to be a Geisha?

Geisha (芸者) (/ˈɡeɪʃə/; Japanese: [ɡeːɕa]),[ geiko (芸子),  are Japanese women who entertain through performing the ancient traditions of art, dance and singing, and are distinctively characterized by their wearing of kimono and oshiroi makeup. The word geisha consists of two kanji, 芸 (Gei) meaning "art" and 者 (Sha) meaning "person" or "doer". So the translation of geisha would be "artist", "performing artist", or "artisan". Another name for geisha is Geiko,, which translates specifically as "Woman of Art".

Contrary to popular belief, geisha’s are not prostitutes;

Apprentice geisha, who typically begin at 16, are called Maiko, meaning "Woman of Dance." They wear white face make-up and elaborate kimonos and they are distinguished by red lipstick that is placed on their lower lip.. Usually it takes years of training before maiko becomes a geisha.

Geisha’s still study traditional instruments: the shamisen, shakuhachi, and drums, as well as learn games,traditional songs, calligraphy, Japanese traditional dances (in the nihonbuyō style), tea ceremony, literature, and poetry.

Geisha are now a rare sight outside. In Kyoto, there are only about 200 Geishas left.

Where Can You Find them?

Typically you can find Geishas in the Gion Area of Kyoto, Japan (see the map below). An area full of traditional wooden machiya merchant houses. Gion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district, located around Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine in the east and the Kamo River in the west. It is filled with shops, restaurants and ochaya (teahouses),

Photo Tips

Do not bother the Geishas. They are often followed by tourists like Paparazzi. Be respectful these women do not need to be harassed on their way to work. The most popular area of Gion is Hanami-koji Street from Shijo Avenue to Kenninji Temple. Another scenic part of Gion where you might see them is the Shirakawa Area which runs along the Shirakawa Canal parallel to Shijo Avenue. The canal is lined by willow trees, high restaurants.

Camera Settings

I shoot with a Canon so these are the settings I used. Using a Canon 70-200 mm f2.8 lens (or equivalent) worked perfectly for photographing Geishas since it allowed me to photograph from a distance.. I shot in Aperture Priority and set my ISO to Auto. There is a setting on Canons (and I am sure other cameras) that allows the camera not to shoot below a set speed and ISO Setting. I set mine to shoot no slower than 1/250th of a second within an ISO range of 100 to 6,400 at f2.8. The advantage of these setting is that you do not have to worry about shooting too slow and getting blurry images.