Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre

Geisha and their apprentices, known as maiko, are an enduring symbol of Kyoto. Yet encounters with these graceful performers are hard to come by – unless you are invited to a private banquet or have connections to ochaya, traditional teahouses that serve food and drink alongside performances. However, once a year in April, the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre stages the Miyako Odori, a dance performance featuring around 50 geiko (the Kyoto term for geisha) and maiko from Gion Kobu, Kyoto’s largest geisha district. Best of all, it is open to the public. Miyako Odori made its debut in 1872 as a special attraction of the First Kyoto Exposition. Since then, it has remained a largely unbroken annual spring tradition, save for six years surrounding World War II, as well as during the Covid-19 pandemic. The performance features shamisen music, singing and percussion, all performed live in perfect unison with the geisha and maiko dancers. The hour-long show opens with a grand ensemble dance known as the so-odori, in which all the dancers appear together in matching light-blue kimono. This is followed by eight individual dances (nakabasami) depicting Kan’ei-era culture – a period of political stability in early Edo-period Japan between 1624 and 1644 – alongside seasonal Kyoto landscapes. Pay close attention to the transitions between acts, as one of the distinctive feats of Miyako Odori is its seamless scene changes, carried out without ever lowering the curtain. With its long history,...