In the 21st century it’s hard to believe that an ancient interpretation of womanhood, bound by strict codes of conduct and anachronistic ideals of perfection, continues to survive in the same nation that recently topped the most technologically advanced in the world.
But painted geisha (or ‘geiko’ as they are called in Kyoto) swaddled in richly coloured silk kimonos, shuffling perilously on platform ‘okobo’ (wooden clogs) beneath elegant parasols, their rosebud ruby lips, white faces and intricate hairdos the result of hours of preparation, are still hanging in there as the enigmatic jewel of Japanese culture … just!
Certainly the number of geisha still working is waning fast, but as the global popularity of a peppy new Netflix TV drama,, has proved, fascination
