KYOTO--Geisha and their apprentices, called "maiko," pledged to practice and work hard this year to improve their performances at their New Year's business opening ceremonies here on Jan. 7.
The ceremonies were held in four quarters out of five major "kagai" (entertainment streets) in the city: Gion Kobu, Miyagawacho, Pontocho and Gion Higashi.
Geisha performers and apprentices held a kyomai traditional dance rehearsal Friday for the annual Onshukai event put on by the Inoue school in Kyoto.
Inoue Yachiyo, a master at the school, helped the kimono-clad performers fine-tune their performances during the final rehearsal ahead of the weeklong event starting Sunday in the Shunjuza hall at the Kyoto Art Theater in the western Japan city.
The world's fastest man Usain Bolt delighted local children and "maiko" in Kyoto on Tuesday, with his trademark "lightning bolt" pose as he attended a promotional event for Swiss watchmaker Hublot.
The Jamaican sprint legend is on his first trip to Japan since retiring in August following the world athletics championships and the event in the former Japanese capital drew a huge crowd.
The Yomiuri ShimbunMaiko (apprentice geiko), dressed in formal black kimono, walk in Kyoto's entertainment district to pay courtesy calls on teahouses and their teachers of traditional arts on Tuesday. Known as hassaku, which originally referred to Aug. 1 on the lunar calendar, this has become a traditional summer practice in which geiko and maiko express thanks to people who have given them assistance.
KYOTO- - Miyako Odori, one of Japan's head geisha occasions, is being held in another setting this year.
Performances commenced April 1 at the Shunjuza lobby of Kyoto Art Theater situated on the grounds of Kyoto University of Art and Design in the city's Sakyo Ward.
SAPPORO- - More than 300 geisha once worked here in the Susukino district, which was known as the northernmost "kagai" (traditional delight region) in Japan. By and by there remains a measly 10.
But a far reaching number of associations and individuals have acted the legend in view of a request from the geisha gathering to help "keep the geisha culture in Hokkaido from kicking the basin out."
“To err is human. To loaf is Parisian,” said the French writer Victor Hugo. Although seasoned in erring and loafing, I cannot attest that he nailed Paris. But loafing is tres a la mode in Kagurazaka, a shopping and dining area in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward that is famed for its touch of French culture. 
The tourist association of Kamakura is running a campaign to attract more visitors during the winter season.
In modern times joining the fascinating yet cloistered world of a geisha — even for young Japanese girls — is rare indeed.
Four of the five traditional hanamachi entertainment districts in Kyoto held ceremonies to start business for the New Year on Saturday. Geiko (Kyoto’s version of geisha) and maiko apprentices pledged to develop dancing and other entertainment skills further for the year. 
Stocks made a robust start to 2017 thanks to across-the-board buying on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday, adding to the festive mood created by a ceremony to mark the start of the year’s trading. 
Joanna’s travelogues are always insightful and joyous thanks to her charming personality, genuine enthusiasm and ability to gain off-the-beaten-track access. 
Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, is striving to preserve and revitalize the time-honored tradition of geisha entertainers for which the city was once famous.
Akita’s fading geisha culture has made a welcome comeback with the recent opening of a center that promotes the development of “maiko” (apprentice geisha).