Kyoto uses the word geiko rather than geisha for its fully qualified performing artists, with maiko as the term for apprentices — both are skilled professionals working within one of Japan's oldest performing arts traditions, not a photo opportunity, and treating them as one is where most visitor etiquette problems start.

Geiko vs. maiko: the actual difference

A maiko is an apprentice, typically in training from her mid-to-late teens through her early twenties, identifiable by a more elaborate, colourful kimono, a longer trailing obi, and her own hair styled and ornamented rather than a wig. A geiko has completed that training and performs in a more understated kimono with a simpler hairstyle or wig. Both train for years in traditional dance, music and conversation, and both work primarily through ozashiki — private engagements at teahouses, booked through existing relationships, not walk-up encounters.

Where you might see them

Gion and Pontochō are Kyoto's best-known geiko districts, and early evening — when geiko and maiko move on foot between appointments — is when you're most likely to see one in the street. This is also, unfortunately, when tourist crowding has become a real problem.

The etiquette problem, honestly

Years of tourists blocking narrow lanes, grabbing at kimono, and taking close-up photos without consent led Gion's local district to restrict access to some private streets, with fines for photographing geiko and maiko without permission in those areas. Signage marks the restricted lanes; take it seriously — this isn't a suggestion, it's a response to real harassment of working women going about their job.

The simple version: if you see a geiko or maiko in the street, give them space, don't block their path for a photo, and don't photograph them close-up without asking. Photographing from a respectful distance on a public street is generally fine outside the restricted lanes; following, blocking or touching is not, anywhere.

A note on kimono rental lookalikes

Kimono and maiko-style makeover rental is a popular, entirely separate tourist activity in Kyoto — if you see an elaborately dressed woman posing for photos with a friend rather than walking briskly between appointments, she is very likely a visitor in a rental outfit, not a working maiko. It's a fun thing to do and not what this etiquette note is about; the concern is specifically about interactions with geiko and maiko who are working.

Seeing a performance properly

If you want a genuine, consensual view of geiko and maiko performing, ticketed public dance shows and some restaurant dinners with arranged entertainment are the respectful route — we'll be adding a dedicated guide to booking these as this department grows.