KYOTO, Japan — On the quiet streets of Kyoto you will get a glimpse of them. Dressed in Kimono. The familiar white makeup. Walking quickly. That is the extent of what most people see of a geisha.

Like so many Asian restaurants, Geisha House sets its tables with disposable wooden chopsticks, the kind you break apart before using. The things are everywhere, so it’s hardly a confusing concept.

Her voice sounded melodic, soft and soothing. She glided across the tatami mats, dancing traditional steps that she had performed thousands of times. Her apprentice, fresh with youth and wearing a ...

This week Dave takes a trip to Japan, or something like it, with a few visits to Geisha House, where sushi, oyster shooters and, yes, real chopsticks come together under one roof. As he writes, some ...

A geiko (Kyoto geisha) named Mamechika dances in Gion, Kyoto, on on August 30, 2007. (Joi Ito photo/Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/joi/1284204434/in/photostream ...

It’s always busy at Oki Doki, an izakaya, or Japanese pub-style restaurant, in a strip mall in Costa Mesa. Most nights, there are groups of students from nearby UC Irvine slouched outside the door, ...

The Palme d'Or winning auteur interviewed real-life working geisha in Kyoto as part of his preparation for the series: "I realized I didn't have any idea how Geiko and Maiko actually live their lives ...

Misconceptions about geisha that stem from highly sensationalized stories from Western perspectives flatten the complex cultural artistry of the profession. Detail of a Katsura, a geisha wig. Before ...

The girl from a fishing village must learn to be a lady. A special sort of lady: a geisha, one of the “wives of nightfall” who for centuries have entertained Japanese gentlemen with delicacy, wit and ...