CULTURE DEPARTMENT
Culture & etiquette
Geisha and maiko, tea ceremony, kimono, and how to be a respectful guest.
11 guides in this department
All culture & etiquette guides
Geisha & Maiko in Kyoto: Etiquette for Visitors
The real difference between geiko and maiko, where you might see them in Gion, and how to behave if you do.
Japanese Tea Ceremony in Kyoto: What to Expect
What chanōyū actually involves, what a visitor experience looks like in practice, and the basic etiquette to know going in.
Kimono Rental in Kyoto: A Practical Guide
A practical Kyoto kimono-rental guide covering seasonal dress, booking, footwear, respectful photography and how rental customers differ from working geiko and maiko.
Kyoto's Festival Calendar: A Month-by-Month Guide
The major festivals and seasonal events that shape Kyoto's year, and roughly when each one falls.
Onsen & Sentō Etiquette: A First-Timer's Guide
What to actually do at a Japanese hot spring or public bathhouse, and the etiquette rules that trip up most first-timers.
Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging Basics
What sets ikebana apart from Western floral arranging, and why Kyoto is home to its oldest and largest school.
Kyoto's Traditional Crafts: What to Look For
Kiyomizu-yaki pottery, Nishijin textiles, and the other traditional crafts that make Kyoto shopping genuinely different.
Everyday Public Etiquette in Kyoto
The small, mostly unwritten public etiquette rules that make daily life in Kyoto run the way it does.
Watching Geiko & Maiko Perform: Kyoto Booking Guide
A respectful, current guide to public geiko and maiko performances in Kyoto, including seasonal odori, autumn 2026 shows and Gion Corner as an easier year-round option.
Kyo-kotoba: Kyoto's Local Dialect
Why Kyoto has its own distinct way of speaking Japanese, and a few phrases worth recognising as a visitor.
teamLab Biovortex Kyoto: What to Expect
Inside Japan's largest teamLab digital art museum, which opened near Kyoto Station in October 2025.
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