Last of the maiko meetings in 2025 – and one to remember!
A few months ago I got booked by a group of Polish guests who wanted to experience an authentic meeting with Gion’s maiko. Dainui ochaya was very supportive and kindly sent Mamekiyo to welcome my customers.
The small group of tourists turned out to be the most respectful and amazing people. Quiet but engaged, interested but not noisy. It was a huge pleasure to host them in Gion and teach them about the local culture. Afterwards, they were asking me very clever questions for an hour and it’s always so much fun to be able to talk about Gion’s and Japanese culture in general. I hope this meeting sparked more interest and appreciation for these unique traditions.
I don’t even know how it’s possible, but Mamekiyo looks cuter and cuter each time I see her. She’s becoming a very refined young lady, with insane dance skills (even an untrained eye can notice how smooth her movements are) and lovely personality. She’s always smiley and sweet towards every single person.
It’s been three months since I last saw her and now she finally stopped wearing shidare kanzashi and the green tsunagi dango maezashi. I think it boosts her confidence a lot. Seeing her progress is pure joy!
Since her favorite color is pink, she prepared pink senjafuda (name card) for this season (see pictures below). As she pulled out the name card case from her obi, she looked at me with smiley eyes and showed it to everyone proudly: “Look, I’m using the one you gave me for my birthday!”. It’s pastel pink and has a handmade rabbit embroidery in the front. I chose it from a famous senjafuda case store in Kamishichiken.
Her yakata okasan prefers blue kimono on her, but today Kiyo was able to wear a subtle pink one, a very refreshing look. We discussed the otokoshi‘s (kimono dresser) role, so now it was time for further questions. “How long does it take you to take this costume off?” – the guests asked. “Oh, 10 seconds! I just want to free myself from all these garments at the end of the day” – Mamekiyo laughed. “Afterwards you probably have to fold everything neatly…”. She nodded: “yes, it’s such a chore. But everything I’m wearing at the moment is of a cost of a nice car, so I need to take extra care”.
A lot of questions appeared after the dance performance. I chose Rokudan Kuzushi and Kimi ni Ogi, since both are utilizing spectacular dance props – a very good photo opportunity. Tenugui placed on the head draws some connotations to Christian iconography. Two gold folding fans swirl during the technically difficult poses. Usually, a lot of guests inquire about the meaning of each dance move, but this time the visitors took the Inoue dance style at its face value. They immediately said Mamekiyo’s emotions were clearly visible in her eyes and hand gestures. It just clicked. Great non-verbal communication!
“So, do you study politics or economics to be able to hold deep conversations with your guests?” – one person asked. “Not really, it’s more like I learn from my guests and become more aware of the social and political problems” – she answered. That’s actually more than you can learn about the world at some schools.
“What’s your dream?” – a woman in her 30s asked. “Well, my biggest dream already came true when I became a maiko. So now, my next big dream is to become a geiko. But before that, I have one small dream. I’m 18 now and in Japan there’s a special Coming of Age ceremony when you turn 20. I want to go back to my hometown in Mie, wearing the full maiko attire to show everyone! I want to meet my school friends, but most importantly, I want to show myself as a maiko to my grandma who cannot travel to Kyoto to see me here” – said Mamekiyo. Her answer triggered a wave of emotion in our hearts. “Are you the only child?” – Mamekiyo answered affirmatively. A faint voice came from the audience: “That must be so hard… to let a beloved child chase her dreams away from home…”. I realized how huge impact this job has on her family. And how much they trust their daughter.
“Do you have any hobbies?”. Mamekiyo smiled and nodded: “I love drawing! Oh, and I like reading manga”. It’s hard not to fall under the charm of Mamekiyo’s down-to-Earth personality.
She persuaded the guests (Polish people are in general very reserved) to play a few rounds of sober Konpira Fune Fune game. In Poland, Mamekiyo would be allowed to legally drink, but not in Japan. Accompanied by laughs, my guests admitted that this simple game is extremely fun. They will play it at home parties in Poland from now on!
Mamekiyo had to run for another engagement of the day, two parties at a renowned teahouse. She didn’t show any signs of exhaustion during our meeting, even though she arrived directly from the Kanikakuni festival where she served matcha to the spectators. I completely forgot about that event… Recently swarmed by local paparazzi and tourists. It must had been an overwhelming job.
After Mamekiyo said goodbye to us, I was bombarded with questions about historical context, modern Gion, my personal story, and cultural intricacies of Kyoto. I stayed way longer than I planned, able to talk passionately about the things I love and studied up close for so many years. I’m grateful for such a wonderful opportunity to talk and share all the details. The audience was sublime.
We’re waiting for you in Gion!