11/19 Show and Tell

After viewing the documentary on Geishas in Japanese society, I became extremely interested in the subject and decided to research more on the topic. Before this class, I was unaware of the status, roles and responsibilities of a Geisha in Japanese culture. After researching, it is clear that Geisha girls are performers, entertainers and servers for high- class citizens hired in extremely formal situations and environments. Geishas will perform at “ryotei” or high-class traditional Japanese restaurants. Additionally, there are specific Geisha districts in which these kinds of parties occur called "ochaya", or banquet houses where Geishas can entertain various customers.

            I was unaware of the particular roles and responsibilities of a Geisha previous to this research. The terms “entertain” and “serve” may give outsiders the wrong impression as to what a Geisha’s true responsibility is in carrying out her job. The movie “Memories of a Geisha” did not necessarily portray an accurate depiction of the current traditional rituals and roles of these women. A Geisha may often be thought of as one who is sold by her family into a life of something similar to glamourized sex slavery. Such accounts even include young girls being sold for their virginity to a high bidder. Although in some instances this has been the case in the past, these kinds of practices in the Geisha world have been abolished. I think it is important to understand the current tradition and position of the Geisha girls in Japanese society to better understand not only the life of a Geisha, but also to understand Japanese culture, ritual and tradition as a whole.

            After reading about the Geisha girls and after watching the documentary in class, it seems that the Geishas are highly respected and well taken care of. They seem to have strict daily schedules and many members of their community to watch out for their well-being. Not only do they have trainers and leaders, which create rules and regulate their time, but they also have big sisters as guardians and role models. It seems as though this kind of environment is anything but unhealthy and far from any stereotype that history and the media has created for these women and their jobs.