The Lesser Spotted Geisha Bird

The ultimate hostess with the mostest, the geisha is a Japanese icon. The two most famous hanamichi (geisha quarters) can be found in the current and former capital cities, Tokyo and Kyoto. So as part of the itinerary for my parents' recent visit, a trip to the latter for some geisha-spotting was a must.

Arthur Golden's 1998 novel Memoirs of a Geisha - set in the Gion district of Kyoto - revived interest in an aspect of Japan that is as romantic as it is ambiguous. The film it spawned was a little too Mills and Boon for my liking, and wasn't so well received in Japan, mainly because it rather insensitively cast two Chinese actresses in the the lead roles. A bit like casting Brigitte Bardot as Mary Poppins. Well, maybe not.

The word geisha literally translates to "arts person" or "one trained in arts" (gei = art, sha = person). They are a dab-hand at dancing, music, poetry, flower arrangement, calligraphy, serving tea (quite an extravaganza in Japan) and not looking bored in the company of men.

An estimated 10,000 geisha (geiko in Kyoto dialect) still ply their trade in Japan, although you are much more likely to see maiko (apprentice geisha) or even elaborately made-up tourist faux-geisha (for about £150 you too can be geisha'd up). To become a true geisha takes approximately six years training, costs an estimated £150,000, and will set you back £300 a month in dry-cleaning alone. So it's perhaps no wonder that the true geisha leave the shuffling around the streets of Kyoto in their high-heeled wooden geta to the rookies.

I've no idea whether the girls we saw on the steps of the Kiyomizu-dera temple were maiko, gaiko or just plain fako, but they looked pretty impressive. Next time we'll ask them to play us a tune. Or show us their laundry receipts.