The town of "Kagai" is a town where the culture of heartfelt hospitality has been handed down from generation to generation through many traditional arts and crafts, including the dance of geiko and maiko, and where the traditional culture of Kyoto has been carefully preserved. Experience the culture of hospitality in action. Let's enjoy talking about the charm of Hanamachi, the culture of entertaining guests with the spirit of Kyoto's traditional culture that has been nurtured through its long history.

If you read the QR code of the "Maiko-san Trading Card" card on your smartphone, you can enjoy the charm of Maiko by displaying videos, slideshow videos, and photos of the Maiko.

When you collect cards, you usually can't watch videos without them. If you are a member, you can watch the video because you can see the member-only "Video Playback" menu in the app.

Maiko-san, a precious traditional flower culture in Japan. To become a Maiko, after graduating from junior high school, she leaves her parents and moves to Kyoto alone. Shikomi-san live in Yakata(Okiya is called this way in Kyoto) and start training in the art of becoming a maiko. I will finally become a Maiko a year later. From there, he refined his art for more than five years and became a full-fledged Geiko on a sunny day. How was it when you were in the second year of junior high school? In order to become a Maiko, when I was in the second year of junior high school, I decided to make a major shift in my life to become a Maiko. In order to become a Maiko, I saw her working hard even after becoming a Maiko, and I thought, "I want many people to see the charm of Maiko!" Compare these two photos and see the growth over 5 years!

We asked the Maiko ‘Koume’ (due to graduate and become a Geiko in November, 2017) in September, 2012 about her training as a Maiko. - Birthplace Daizafu city, Fukuoka prefecture - When did you decide to become a Maiko? The summer when I was a 2nd year Middle school student - When did you start training? April 2011 (after graduating Middle school) - When did you debut as a Maiko? 8 March, 2012 - When will you graduate to a Geiko (erigae)? 9 November, 2017 About study and practice: - What do you study? Mai dance, musical instruments (drums, stringed instruments (koto, shamisen, kokyu), flute), traditional singing, narrative stage performance (kiyomoto), tea ceremony - How long do you practice? Around 5 days a month for each subject, many more hours independently - What made you want to become a Maiko? I became interested in Maiko after hearing my tea ceremony teacher talk about Kyoto and Maiko. I also liked Japanese traditional dance and wanted to do a job where I could dance - What do you enjoy about being a Maiko? Being able to study lots of different things, meeting and having conversations with lots of different people - What do you like to do on your days off? Going out to eat together with everyone from my kataya (Maiko and Geiko house) - What is your next goal/dream? To become a accomplished Geiko performer