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Kansai | Kyoto | Kyoto City

Kyoto Cuisine with Maiko

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Kyoto Cuisine with Maiko

In Kyoto there are restaurants that offer opportunity to dine with and be entertained by Geisha (artisan) and Maiko (apprentice Geisha). One of the most popular and common place to see Geisha is in the Gion District, which is next to the Yasaka Shrine. The meal served will be kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine) that will reflect the flavors of the season. The geisha and maiko have been trained in literature, tea ceremony, poetry, dancing, and Japanese traditional instruments. Being privately entertained by Geisha can be experience, but luckily there are cheaper options that will not cost you $900 or more. By joining groups people can experience the chance to be hosted by maiko. During the meal you can engage in conversations with the maiko.

A great part of the evening with the hosts is the games that are played with the involvement of the guests. If you win against the girls then you get a small prize for them otherwise you will have to drink a shot of beer instead. There are two games that are usually played called Konpira Fune Fune and Tora Tora Tora. The first game, Konpira Fune Fune, tests your rhythm, memory, and reflexes to the music played on a shamisen. There is a bowl in the center of the table that both players can take back and forth. If on your turn the bowl is not there then you have to show rock (a fist) and if it is there then you show paper (flat hand). Tora Tora Tora is a form of rock, paper, scissors, but instead it is old woman, samurai, and tiger. Old women beats samurai, tiger beats old woman, and samurai beats tiger.