Finally

After so many evenings spent hanging aroud Gion with my homestay father, I finally saw a geisha. 16 of them.

I haven't turned into some kind of traditional artist stalker, I've just seen the 175th Kamogawa Odori geisha dance performance at the Ponto-cho Kaburenjo. I definitely recommend it - I've seen Japanese traditional dance before and was just confused, but the way the geisha move is fascinating. There are moves that seem aborted, or like a faint or stagger, and the occaisional stamp, all carried out with grace and intent. Every face is different, and the white makeup transforms them. The sets are amazing, and the singers and musicians made me appreciate traditional Japanese music too where I hadn't before.