Travel Japan: Geisha Show!
Posted:
Restaurant Hamacho
While I've been fortunate enough to see a Geisha or an apprentice walking around my dad's hometown of Kyoto, I've never seen a a geisha's performance before. At most, the only exposure I've had to seeing real geisha happen when I'm in Kyoto visiting friends and we reach the Gion district. It wasn't until dinner at the "Hamacho" restaurant in the Kochi prefecture of Shikoku that I got to see my first live geisha performance.
The Show
Our Geisha's name was "Kin-Gyo", or Golden Fish, and she was quite the entertainer. Before her performance, she actually spent time with us at the table, teaching us the drinking games of Kochi prefecture, and generally keeping everyone in a happy mood. The food was good, but everyone in our group paid more attention to Kin-Gyo and how to play the various games (spoiler: a lot of us were drunk by the end of it). The night was topped off with a fantastic performance that left many of us speechless. In some cases, we were invited to go on stage and dance! I somehow was coerced into dancing, which ended up being more fun than I thought. All in all, if you have the chance to see a geisha perform, I'd highly recommend!
Don't miss your chance!
Be sure to add a night in Kyoto to see a geisha perform, or visit the "Hamacho" restaurant in the Kochi Prefecture next time you're in Shikoku!