Faced with flagging demand from their usual customer base of wealthy male patrons, a number of establishments employing traditional geisha entertainers are enthusiastically courting interest in their services from women.
Last summer, Hamacho, a "ryotei" (traditional high-class restaurant) in Kochi, began offering a women-only group dinner plan accompanied by "ozashiki asobi," or private games with geisha. The two-hour plan is available at the bargain price of ¥5,000 per customer.
In a sense, the plan is an attempt to cash in on the emerging trend of "joshikai," or women's drinking parties, by breaking out of the traditional mold of ryotei.