If you hear the word Kyoto, many of you probably think of temples and shrines, but some of you probably also think of geisha, or to be more exact maiko and geiko here in Kyoto. If you come to Kyoto, you would probably also like to see a maiko wearing a pretty kimono. In Gion or Ponto-cho you stand a chance to see a maiko heading for practice or teahouse, but many of us would like to see maiko up close. So, without further ado, here you have 5 events where you can see maiko up close! How about joining these events and seeing maiko up close?
First, we have the Baikasai Plum Blossom Festival and Nodate Ocha no Yu tea ceremony event at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine held on February 25 every year. This event is held in honor of the big tea party the Japanese historic figure Toyotomi Hideyoshi held at Kitano Tenmangu, and because of this many maiko from Kamishichiken come every year to take part in the ceremony.
In this event, you can enjoy tea served by maiko.
The way maiko stir the matcha and conduct themselves; all of their movements are gorgeous but refined.
Even if you don’t know how to behave during a tea ceremony, you can learn by watching others. Since this event is very easy to join many people from overseas also take part in it. The time of this event is also the best time to see the plum blossoms at Kitano Tenmangu, so you can enjoy both plum blossoms and maiko.
Event place: February 25.
Event place: Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.
| Address | Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto |
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| Event time | 10am - 3pm |
Next I’m going to talk about the famous maiko dance “odori.” One of these odori events, Kitano Odori, is held from March to April every year at Kamishichiken’s Kaburenjo Theater, and it’s a seasonal Kyoto spring event. The dance and stage play of the beautiful maiko in their gorgeous kimono is captivating.
If you reserve a ticket that includes tea service, the maiko will serve you tea before the play. Maiko seen up close are incredibly beautiful.
In the finale of the show flower petals fall to the stage and you can hear shouts of joy from around you. If you want to make your spring in Kyoto a special one, how about going to see the Kitano Odori?
Event dates: From March 25 April 7.
Event place: Kamishichiken Kaburenjo theater.
| Address | 742, Shinseicho, Kamigyo-ku Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 602-8381 |
|---|---|
| Event time | 1:30pm / 4:00pm (2 stages a day) |
Thirdly I have a beer garden event! At first you may think that maiko and beer gardens have nothing in common, but every summer there is a beer garden event at Kamishichiken’s Kaburenjo Theater where the maiko serve food and drinks.
Kamishichiken’s beer garden is an event where by the tasteful tables right by the garden you can talk with maiko while you drink beer. This is a recommended event for summer.
Event dates: From July 1 to September 5.
Event place: Kamishichiken Kaburenjo Theater
| Address | 742, Shinseicho, Kamigyo-ku Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 602-8381 |
|---|---|
| Event time | 5:30pm - 10pm (L.O.9:30pm) |
Next I’m going to introduce to you the Setsubun Festival that is held at Yasaka Shrine every February 2 and 3. There are Setsubun festivals at most of Kyoto’s shrines and temples in February.
At Yasaka Shrine’s Setsubun Festival you can see maiko dedicate a beautiful dance on stage and after this you can see the maiko throw beans to celebrate Setsubun.
During these two days maiko from four of Kyoto’s hanamachi geisha districts perform dances. The dances and patterns of kimonos differ from hanamachi to hanamachi so watching the dances is interesting. If you want to enjoy Setsubun like you can only in Gion, I recommend Yasaka Shrine!
Event dates: February 2 and 3.
Event place: Yasaka Shrine
| Address | 625, Giommachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 605-0073, Japan |
|---|---|
| Event time | On both days the festival starts at 10AM. ＜February 2＞ At 1PM Maiko and geiko from the Ponto-cho Kabukai geisha house perform a dance and throw beans At 2PM Maiko and geiko from the Yasaka Gagakukai geisha house perform a dance and throw beans At 3PM Maiko and geiko from the Miyagawa-cho Kabukai geisha house perform a dance and throw beans At 3PM Shijo Han’eikai Shopping Street Promotion Association bean throwing ＜February 3＞ At 11AM Heian period Imayo song offering and bean throwing At 1PM Maiko and Geiko from Gion Kobu Kabukai perform a dance and throw beans At 3PM Maiko and geiko from Gion Higashi Kabukai perform a dance an throw beans At 4PM Shijo Han’eikai Shopping Street Promotion Association bean throwing |
Lastly I have the event called Takasegawa Boat Festival that takes place every autumn. In this event there is a tea ceremony performed by the maiko of Ponto-cho.
After the tea ceremony, you can have your picture taken with the maiko on a boat on the Takasegawa River. The Takasegawa Boat Festival is a casual local festival that can be enjoyed by the whole family, and many people come with a camera in hand to see the maiko perform the tea ceremony and get pictures of them. The smiles of the maiko are cute!
Event time: End of September
Event place: Near the Takasegawa River.
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Erika[ Sharing Kyoto Staff ] |
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