It was very much Kevin! She is the embodied living history of Japan passed from generation to generation and such a wonderful person to meet. I feel very sorry for them all at the moment as apparently the virus has hit their industry very hard and restrictions have all but closed them down. Sad times for all.
Thanks so much Abhay I'm glad you like our work! Tell all your family and friends to subscribe and join us 👍. I hope you have a wonderful trip, it's still very cold in March so make sure you rug up! Thanks for your support 💖. If there's anything you need more info on just let me know.
@@AbhayJSingh on the Japan trip I was using a Panasonic GH5. I've since changed to Sony and use an A7s-III. For production software I've always used Adobe Creative Cloud apps (Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop and Audition)
Hi Ka Chi, thanks for taking the time to stop by. Our evening was in January 2020 so yes it was just before the pandemic. I understand things will slowly restart now that Japan has opened its borders again so fingers crossed the Maiko dinner is started again. It truly was a memorable experience
@@MichaelBTraveller Sadly quite the opposite. You see my mother in law is a former Geisha and my spouse's sister is a Geisha while many of the Maiko and Geiko from Kyoto are our friends or acquaintances. This pandemic has been disastrous on the Karyukai (the Geisha world), at least 9 Okiya (geisha houses) have filed for bankruptcy and shut down and many Maiko who have been asked to do some despicable things by their "matrons" Okasan have started speaking up against the abuse they went through. My mother in law was one of the most progressive Geisha of her generation, and left Kyotot where she was born and raised to work for the Akasaka Kagai (Geisha town) in Tokyo, the most progressive of all, so that her younger sister in the business and daughter in real life could get a proper university degree and support herself without depending solely on customer. She also started reforms to allow Geisha to marry (it is still illegal) and she also refuses to use traditional Shamisen (music instruments) made the traditional way, meaning using cat and dog skin, and only uses synthetic skins on hers. The Kyoto Kagai will hardly recover from the pandemic and the allegations of former Maiko and Geiko, and also thei are torn between reopening their doors to tourists, which is what caused the pandemic to begin with or allowing only regular patrons to visit them and book them. Kytoto city hall is forcing them to welcome tourists again but 1 geiko and 1 maiko have died of covid and one Okaasan "matron". Most Japanese are terrified that Japan is reopening its borders because we feel (i live in Japan) that this is going to start another wave and again stop the businesses. If the Kyoto Kagai (geisha towns) are again on lockdown for weeks or like last years forced to shut down for months because the Japanese government asked all places serving alcohol to close at 7pm for 6 months , which destroyed the Geisha businesses as they usually start to work at 6pm and until 1 am in those alcohol serving places (and this is where the real money comes from) then the Kagai will not survive. Tourists are important to the business but only for the city of Kyoto, not for the Geisha at all. They are forced by the city of Kyoto to entertain tourists. We must keep in mind that an evening like the one you booked cost you somewhere between 15 000 and 50 000 yen so between 120 and 440 US dollars . But an actual dinner with a Geiko and a Maiko from a private patron at a private party costs 50 000 yen per Guest plus at least a 20 000 yen tip per guest to each geisha, and if the guest invites the same Maiko or Geiko more than three times he must offer her a Kimono (a brand new Maiko's kimono costs 2500 dollars). This is where the money really comes from and because Kyoto city hall forces Maiko and Geiko (actually forces Okiya) to entertain tourist, it has killed the exclusivity that the private patrons had with Maiko and Geiko (and they are the ones who kept the tradition alive for 400 years) so now the patrons are deserting the Kyoto Kagai because there is no more exclusivity. So if the tourists come back this might actually kill the geisha world. That's why Geisha towns like Akasaka and Shinbashi in Tokyo refuse to entertain tourists so they can still cater to their very influent politicians and mogul clients. But Kyoto can't anymore because the Maiko and Geiko world of Kyoto has gone public and started accepting public financing to support themselves and in exchange they gave up their private ownership and their exclusivity. 90% of Japan do not even know that and 99% of foreigners definitely don't, so i am giving you an insider note about how this has changed since you visited. But i did enjoy the video.
Oh wow that is so interesting, thank you for sharing. Yes sadly I can tell you from the Australian experience that opening the borders will indeed cause another wave through the winter months. We have thankfully emerged from that now and numbers are dropping to very low levels. Specific targeted vaccines are now making a real impact. I truly think and hope this is the beginning of the end of it all. Just last week our state government has removed all restrictions and declared and end to the emergency (but there is also an election coming! 😊) I feel very sad if as you say the Maiko and Geiko are coerced to entertain non-patron tourists in Kyoto. But I am also torn, as it felt so privileged and special to meet with Maiko Fukuya as part of such a small and intimate group. She was so nice, friendly, conversational, entertaining and fun. I would be truly saddened if her Okaasan was forcing her at the bidding of the local government. I hope progressives such as your mother-in-law can hopefully help make reform and preserve this fascinating part of Japanese culture for another 400 years and more. Thank you so much for your insight, it's been enlightening. どうもありがとう I am glad you enjoyed the video
![YoungBoy Never Broke Again - Missing Everything [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dTYeMZGzOzw/mqdefault.jpg)
She is like a porcelain doll. Thanks for sharing Mic.
Such a beautiful lady to meet. Thanks for watching mate, your support is appreciated!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing😊🇯🇵🌸
このビデオを見てくれてありがとう! わたしの チャンネルを こうどく してください
I have not been to such a culturally enriching dinner before, this is really interesting, seems that you both had a very fun time with Maiko Michael 👍
It was very much Kevin! She is the embodied living history of Japan passed from generation to generation and such a wonderful person to meet. I feel very sorry for them all at the moment as apparently the virus has hit their industry very hard and restrictions have all but closed them down. Sad times for all.
Fantastic
Trouble sleeping? 😆
Planning our trip for this March - and your videos are the best out there!
Thanks so much Abhay I'm glad you like our work! Tell all your family and friends to subscribe and join us 👍. I hope you have a wonderful trip, it's still very cold in March so make sure you rug up! Thanks for your support 💖. If there's anything you need more info on just let me know.
PS what camera did you use for videos? And software for edits ?
@@AbhayJSingh on the Japan trip I was using a Panasonic GH5. I've since changed to Sony and use an A7s-III.
For production software I've always used Adobe Creative Cloud apps (Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop and Audition)
Thankyou. I'm also assuming you did not visit Matsumoto or Kanazawa and hence did not deal with the buses. (Train straight from Nagoya & back? )
@@AbhayJSingh No we didn't go to Matsumoto or Kanazawa. This trip it was Tokyo-Kyoto-Nagoya-Takayama-Nagoya-Osaka. All trains
That was pre pandemic, clearly, this is quite different now.
Hi Ka Chi, thanks for taking the time to stop by. Our evening was in January 2020 so yes it was just before the pandemic. I understand things will slowly restart now that Japan has opened its borders again so fingers crossed the Maiko dinner is started again. It truly was a memorable experience
@@MichaelBTraveller Sadly quite the opposite. You see my mother in law is a former Geisha and my spouse's sister is a Geisha while many of the Maiko and Geiko from Kyoto are our friends or acquaintances.
This pandemic has been disastrous on the Karyukai (the Geisha world), at least 9 Okiya (geisha houses) have filed for bankruptcy and shut down and many Maiko who have been asked to do some despicable things by their "matrons" Okasan have started speaking up against the abuse they went through.
My mother in law was one of the most progressive Geisha of her generation, and left Kyotot where she was born and raised to work for the Akasaka Kagai (Geisha town) in Tokyo, the most progressive of all, so that her younger sister in the business and daughter in real life could get a proper university degree and support herself without depending solely on customer. She also started reforms to allow Geisha to marry (it is still illegal) and she also refuses to use traditional Shamisen (music instruments) made the traditional way, meaning using cat and dog skin, and only uses synthetic skins on hers.
The Kyoto Kagai will hardly recover from the pandemic and the allegations of former Maiko and Geiko, and also thei are torn between reopening their doors to tourists, which is what caused the pandemic to begin with or allowing only regular patrons to visit them and book them. Kytoto city hall is forcing them to welcome tourists again but 1 geiko and 1 maiko have died of covid and one Okaasan "matron".
Most Japanese are terrified that Japan is reopening its borders because we feel (i live in Japan) that this is going to start another wave and again stop the businesses.
If the Kyoto Kagai (geisha towns) are again on lockdown for weeks or like last years forced to shut down for months because the Japanese government asked all places serving alcohol to close at 7pm for 6 months , which destroyed the Geisha businesses as they usually start to work at 6pm and until 1 am in those alcohol serving places (and this is where the real money comes from) then the Kagai will not survive.
Tourists are important to the business but only for the city of Kyoto, not for the Geisha at all. They are forced by the city of Kyoto to entertain tourists.
We must keep in mind that an evening like the one you booked cost you somewhere between 15 000 and 50 000 yen so between 120 and 440 US dollars . But an actual dinner with a Geiko and a Maiko from a private patron at a private party costs 50 000 yen per Guest plus at least a 20 000 yen tip per guest to each geisha, and if the guest invites the same Maiko or Geiko more than three times he must offer her a Kimono (a brand new Maiko's kimono costs 2500 dollars). This is where the money really comes from and because Kyoto city hall forces Maiko and Geiko (actually forces Okiya) to entertain tourist, it has killed the exclusivity that the private patrons had with Maiko and Geiko (and they are the ones who kept the tradition alive for 400 years) so now the patrons are deserting the Kyoto Kagai because there is no more exclusivity.
So if the tourists come back this might actually kill the geisha world.
That's why Geisha towns like Akasaka and Shinbashi in Tokyo refuse to entertain tourists so they can still cater to their very influent politicians and mogul clients.
But Kyoto can't anymore because the Maiko and Geiko world of Kyoto has gone public and started accepting public financing to support themselves and in exchange they gave up their private ownership and their exclusivity.
90% of Japan do not even know that and 99% of foreigners definitely don't, so i am giving you an insider note about how this has changed since you visited.
But i did enjoy the video.
Oh wow that is so interesting, thank you for sharing. Yes sadly I can tell you from the Australian experience that opening the borders will indeed cause another wave through the winter months. We have thankfully emerged from that now and numbers are dropping to very low levels. Specific targeted vaccines are now making a real impact. I truly think and hope this is the beginning of the end of it all. Just last week our state government has removed all restrictions and declared and end to the emergency (but there is also an election coming! 😊)
I feel very sad if as you say the Maiko and Geiko are coerced to entertain non-patron tourists in Kyoto. But I am also torn, as it felt so privileged and special to meet with Maiko Fukuya as part of such a small and intimate group. She was so nice, friendly, conversational, entertaining and fun. I would be truly saddened if her Okaasan was forcing her at the bidding of the local government.
I hope progressives such as your mother-in-law can hopefully help make reform and preserve this fascinating part of Japanese culture for another 400 years and more. Thank you so much for your insight, it's been enlightening. どうもありがとう I am glad you enjoyed the video
@@kachi2782 So it is interesting did the situation change after a year or two after your comment?