Gion

The Gion area that Yoshi-ima isolated is one of Kyoto's Geisha quarters. The numbers of Geisha in Kyoto are diminishing you can see them on the street at night near the inn as they go from their quarters to upper-class tea houses to entertain guests. Incidentally Geisha in Kyoto are called Geiko and apprentice geisha Maiko. Their style of clothing and hair ornaments are different but the easiest way to tell them apart is that only Maiko wear the wooden platform shoes. One of the reasons that their numbers are dwindling is because it is hard work becoming a Geiko as it involves learning traditional dance, partly games and how to play traditional musical instruments. They also need to learn the etiquette and language used your Geiko - Kyoto has its own dialect of Japanese and Geiko speak are old polite version of this.