FUKUI — Thirty years ago, the hot-spring resort city of Awara in Fukui Prefecture, along the Sea of Japan coast, prided itself on having about 250 geisha entertainers.
Now there are only 15. So the 130-year-old spa city is offering vacationers the chance at a hands-on geisha experience, to help keep alive the world of the traditional entertainers.
In Kyoto's popular Gion entertainment district, as well, geisha hold mock tea ceremonies for ¥500 per person, while those in other parts of the country have organized events to attract visitors hoping to receive a firsthand look at the geisha system, which some say dates back to the second half of the 1600s.