Gosh, I am sorry this took so long, time runs differently here
in Japan; the days go so quickly. I have been sitting on this piece for a while
now, but I keep forgetting to press ‘post’. And I am sorry that it is a long post, I promise to post more regularly!
I
have spent quite a bit of time in Kyoto since coming to Japan, and especially
around the five kagai. If there is one thing I have noticed, it is the
increasing number of tourists, especially around Gion area. My first time in February
this year, walking around Gion was very exciting, there were many tourists
at night but not so many during the day. It was a peaceful and quiet scenery,
reminiscent of older times. Skip forward to the midseason of momiji and there
is an increasing number of tourists from all over the world flocking to Kyoto;
it is mayhem. I am both excited but scared of sakura season, but I am sure the
locals would be used to it by now.
A quite day for Gion’s Hanamikoji dori
Tour groups are one of my pet peeves. If there is something I
would categorise as dai-kirai (hate), it is them. On the already crowded
streets of Kyoto, a tour group brings both more people and problems to Gion. To
the people in the groups they may be a little informative, but to other people,
and Kyoto locals they are mecha mendokusai (extremely annoying). I am talking
about the large groups of people followed by one person holding a flag pole
whilst proceeding to inform people of their ‘supposed knowledge’ of the
karyukai. I am pretty sure that majority of them are illegal anyway.
During the day there is policing to allow traffic to move through
the narrow streets. In the early evening businesses begin getting ready for the
night’s work, and a few geimaiko make their way to early appointments. But come
nightfall, Gion becomes a jungle; full of hungry-camera-bearing-tourists. They
stand around Hanamikoji-dori waiting for the maiko and geiko to appear. In
fact, Odamoto okiya have a ‘no entering’ sign out the front.
Rules of Gion: No touching the Maiko, No loitering, no smoking,
no eating, no leaving rubbish, and NO selfie sticks!
Front of Odamoto. Around night time this area becomes crowded with camera-men-and-women
I too am a regular tourist like others in Kyoto. I also get
excited about catching a glimpse of a geimaiko. But having met a few, I am
learning more about the humanity of these girls and women. Without the whole
look, a geimaiko can enjoy walking through their neighbourhood undisturbed, however, when wearing hikizuri kimono, and oshiroi (the white
makeup) it turns heads. You would be amazed at when one person spots a maiko
walking, they all run like a herd of sheep. I when I say run, I mean it! On a
number of occasions, I have witnessed people running to get in front of the
maiko, blocking her path, and sticking a camera in her personal space. It is
quite a sad look to be honest. I am not ashamed to say that I have yelled at
people for their bad behaviour.
I can’t stress enough, how important it is that other foreigners,
call out the bad behaviour of people. Everyone can understand some degree of
English, and saying the word ‘stop!’ ‘don’t!’ is about as universal as it gets.
It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, how old you are. In Japan
there is a sense of classifying people as ‘Japanese’ and ‘Foreigners.’ It isn’t
quite that bad because in reality Japan needs foreigners, and the Japanese are
generally friendly, however the Japanese are no stranger to banning foreigners from
certain things because of their behaviour. The Tsukiji fish-market’s tuna
auction is one example. So, when one foreigner acts in an appalling manner, it
reflects badly on all of us, we all get umbrellaed as the same.
Rules of Gion: No touching the Maiko, No loitering, no smoking, no eating, no leaving rubbish, and NO selfie sticks!
I once witnessed an Italian couple chase after a maiko, use
flash photography, and when she (maiko) was waiting for the lights, they stood centimetres
away in order to get a photo ‘with’ the maiko… I happily ruined this photo by
waving crazily in the background. When I approached them and called them out on
their bad behaviour, and reminded them that maiko are people not dolls, they claimed
they “didn’t know” and laughed as if it was nothing.
Another sad experience I witnessed was when I was waiting for a
maiko-meeting event later that night. Sakkou-wearing-maiko Mameryu came out
from a side street. She was on her way to the luxurious Ichiriki ochaya, and from
the very moment she walked onto Hanamikoji, camera-men-and-women chased her,
getting uncomfortably close to her. She was murmuring ‘yamete, yamete’ (stop,
stop). I felt sick of what I just witnessed, and am ashamed that for some
reason I didn’t do anything.
Kyoto is the cultural-epicentre of Japan, and the city is
thriving from a tourism boom. There are many well behaved foreigners in Kyoto
who are respectful of the rules of Gion. Most people abide by the signs put in
place to ensure the safety of everyone and keep Gion looking beautiful.
In hindsight, I am not all that much different from most tourists in Gion, I do
sometimes stand around (in a safe area), I do enjoy seeing geimaiko on the
streets. But I do not chase. I have learned to judge the situation. If the geimaiko
feels uncomfortable I do not take a photo, and I would only ever take a photo
from a distance. Cameras have zoom for a reason. This way, everyone can enjoy
their time in Gion and Kyoto.
I hope that everyone’s time
in Kyoto can be a happy experience, for tourists and locals alike. Please
be safe for yourself and others around you.
