The Gion District of Kyoto is the chance for visitors to experience what life must have been like one thousands years ago and get a rare glimpse at a Geisha and that’s exactly what Trevor did.

Built in the middle ages, the District was designed to be a source of accommodation and entertainment for travellers visiting the Yasaka Shrine which sits over looking Gion. Today it is the most exclusive and well preserved Geisha district in Japan and home to amazing art and antique dealers as well as great food.

The Yakasa shrine is a Shinto shrine. The Shinto belief is sometimes mistaken to be a part of the Buddhist faith but it is in fact an ancient faith that has been practiced for a couple of thousand years, whilst Buddhism is relatively new in Japan arriving in the 5th century.

Shintoism is a form of polytheism worship where people worship many gods. These gods called Kami can be god like beings like the sun goddess Amaterasu who has direct lineage to the Japanese imperial family, or a place or thing like Mt Fuji, the massive monolith worshipped by all Japanese. The faith is still widely practiced today and it still permeates the sub-consciousness of modern Japanese society today.

While in the 1920s there were over 80,000 Geisha in Japan, today there are under 100 and the Gion district is the best place to go if you are curious about these mysterious entertainers. The Geishas in Gion are known as Geiko which translates to “a woman of art.” The Geisha will typically only entertain a few invited guests. Only very important guests experience the Miyako Odori dance- a dance that celebrates the cherry blossom season. But be prepared to fork out some cash- one hour of a Geisha’s time is said to start at $2,500. The good news is that for only $50 at Gion corner, you can see the Geisha performing a dance and also experience a Japanese tea ceremony before hand.

Go back in time as you wander down the streets of the Gion District which is full of old houses with unique architecture and traditional tea houses. These are the tea houses that the Geisha once entertained Samurai. Today it is wealthy businessmen that enjoy the unique pleasure of being entertained by Geisha.

The Gion District is not all old, with many clubs, pubs and trendy restaurants lining the streets. You can’t leave Japan without belting out a song at one of the karaoke studios and there are many to be found in Gion. East literally meets West here!