{"id":28835,"date":"2020-07-16T21:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T18:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/socially-distant-geisha-struggle-to-survive-in-coronavirus-shadow\/"},"modified":"2020-07-16T21:25:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T18:25:00","slug":"socially-distant-geisha-struggle-to-survive-in-coronavirus-shadow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/socially-distant-geisha-struggle-to-survive-in-coronavirus-shadow\/","title":{"rendered":"#Socially distant geisha struggle to survive in coronavirus shadow"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Social<\/a>ly distant geisha struggle to survive in coronavirus shadow<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n TOKYO \u2013 Ikuko, the \u201cbig sister\u201d of Tokyo\u2019s Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before.<\/p>\n

Though the number of geisha \u2013 famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts \u2013 has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan\u2019s state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were more than 400 geisha in Akasaka when I came, so many I couldn\u2019t remember their names. But times changed,\u201d Ikuko, now 80, said.<\/p>\n

These days, only roughly 20 remain, and there aren\u2019t enough engagements to take on new app<\/a>rentices \u2013 especially now.<\/p>\n

Coronavirus-induced austerity has slashed expense accounts, and many people remain wary of spending hours in the elegant but closed traditional rooms where geisha entertain.<\/p>\n

\"Koiku,<\/img>
Koiku, who is a\u00a0geisha, wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where she will entertain with other\u00a0geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan.<\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Engagements are down 95 percent, and come with new rules: no pouring drinks for customers or touching them even to shake hands and sitting 2 meters apart. Masks are hard to wear with their elaborate wigs, so they mostly don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you sit close, you can talk with feeling, your passion comes through,\u201d Ikuko said, wearing a black silk kimono patterned with irises. \u201cWhen you\u2019re two meters apart, conversation breaks down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Geisha aren\u2019t the only Japanese artists in danger. Performers of \u201cjiutamai,\u201d an ancient women\u2019s dance, as well as makeup artists, wig stylists and kimono dressers, confessed to worry the coronavirus could further imperil their niche professions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single one of my events has been canceled,\u201d said Mitsunaga Kanda, who has spent decades doing elaborate makeup for geisha and dancers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe touch their skin and their face, all over, and while we don\u2019t talk we\u2019re very close \u2013 something we\u2019re very aware of now,\u201d added Kanda, donning a mask and face shield to work on dancer Tokijyo Hanasaki.<\/p>\n

A fading profession<\/strong>
<\/br><\/p>\n

\"Ikuko,<\/img>
Ikuko, who is a geisha, combs her wig in her living room.<\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though the ancient capital of Kyoto is best known for geisha, Tokyo has six geisha districts of its own. But discouraged by the rigor of geisha life with its hours of artistic practice, fewer now join.<\/p>\n

Akasaka had 120 geisha 30 years ago. Now all of Tokyo has only some 230.<\/p>\n

Lessons and kimono are expensive, with pay dependent on popularity. And some skills, such as the witty conversation that make older geisha like Ikuko especially popular, can only be gained through time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur income has been down to zero,\u201d Ikuko said. \u201cI have a bit of wherewithal, but it\u2019s been very hard for the younger ones. The geisha association has helped with rent.\u201d<\/p>\n

All geisha, as freelancers, can also apply for 1 million yen in government subsidies, which she believes most did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just full of anxiety,\u201d said fellow geisha Mayu, 47. \u201cI went through my photos, sorted my kimonos..<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thought of a second wave is terrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, every effort is being made.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe arrange things in the largest room possible,\u201d said Shota Asada, owner of the luxurious restaurant where the geisha entertain. \u201cAnything to keep this culture alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Change for survival<\/strong>
<\/br><\/p>\n

\"Koiku,<\/img>
Koiku, Maki and Ikuko get into a taxi as they make their way to work at a party.<\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Michiyo Yukawa, an ex-geisha who owns an Akasaka bar and hosts occasional geisha events, thinks geisha may need to adapt so that more ordinary people can appreciate their charm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a special beauty,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ve gone through training other people haven\u2019t, they spend a lot of money on this \u2013 and it\u2019s made them special. Having this disappear would be sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ikuko fears an extended pandemic could prompt some geisha to quit.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is the worst of the worst,\u201d she said. \u201cHow are we going to get through? It\u2019ll take all of our body and soul.\u201d\n <\/p><\/div>\n

\n

If you want to read more Living News<\/a> articles, you can visit our General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“#Socially distant geisha struggle to survive in coronavirus shadow” TOKYO \u2013 Ikuko, the \u201cbig sister\u201d of Tokyo\u2019s Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before. Though the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[39935],"class_list":["post-28835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-socially-distant-geisha-struggle-to-survive-in-coronavirus-shadow"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}