1-day 'geisha university' invites tourists to Ito hot-spring area

Tuesday 10th March, 07:04 AM JST

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9 Comments

Yelnats at 11:16 AM JST - 10th March

Communicate with gestures? Wow, that should attract a lot of tourist.
Ranger_Miffy at 12:49 PM JST - 10th March

This sounds like fun! I'd like to do it. Could be a good idea for tourism, too.
jessssicaaa at 05:15 PM JST - 10th March

YAY!
LoveUSA at 10:45 PM JST - 10th March

I have done it - you need a lot of time and effort to scrub off the paint from the face after the session finishes. I learnt I have no inspiration to be geisha.
Betting at 12:36 AM JST - 11th March

"Foreigners who speak little Japanese are also welcome as the skilled academy staff can communicate with gestures".

If they are communciting with gestures, I doubt they will have a long list of "foreigners" lining up.
Himajin at 07:48 AM JST - 13th March

Better than those hotels who want no foreign guests, though, aren't they? Here you have a group that is willing to have foreigners come even though they can't speak English, who say they are welcome,and you'll even knock that.
Betting at 05:39 PM JST - 14th March

Himajin, there is no need to wave the patriotic flag blindly, it's just a waste of time, a complete knee-jerk reaction from you ("Oh, someone said something I about Japan and I'll take it the worst possible way, and say something nasty in return). Furthermore we are not talking about hotels that don't want to take foreign guests.

To learn to be a Geisha is very consuming, I think that is a generally recognized fact. It's not something that anyone can pick up quickly. This "university" is not there to create professional geishas but but to pass along some of the "secrets" of the Geisha to future generations so they won't be lost completely.

But to pass these secrets and spirit, will take more than a gesture if it is to be meaningful. Just relying on gestures will end with the perpetuation of silly stereotypes and misunderstandings. It is no way to build a quality business. It's completely different to walking into a foreign country and having some fun ordering food at one of the local restaurants with the waiter. If that business is truly serious they would invest some time and money into getting their stuff to learn English (or Chinese, French or Hindu or whatever) and provide a meaningful service to their clientele. If they can't communicate how can they learn the, "... secret of the beauty...". From the article it sounds (to me)like they'll wrap customers up in a kimono, put some makeup on their face provide them with a photo session, take their money and show them to the door.
Thenewfront at 05:46 PM JST - 14th March

Betting: I sense a Japanophile, o dear.
Himajin at 09:15 AM JST - 15th March

Betting, I said nothing nasty at all. Are all opinions that don't agree with yours 'nasty'? Don't you think of the overall picture? Or do you just not think about any but the thread you're posting on at the moment?

This board overall is nothing but b*tching pissing and moaning about how bad gaijin are treated and what a rotten country this is...then on this thread 'we don't care if they can speak Japanese or not, everyone is welcome' and still pissing and moaning. It makes me laugh. It struck me as truly ironic after thread after thread of 'they don't treat us as human beings, just for once I want people to forget I'm a gaijin!I don't want to be discriminated against because of language'It points out that there is no satisfying the majority of you, that your purpose in coming here is complaining, not discussing things. I mentioned the hotel issue, as it's still brought up here regularly.

This is a two-day course! It is not an apprenticeship to become a real geisha, so is it really all that serious? The majority of their clientele is Japanese so most people will 'get it' for your average tourist it's a lark, as it should be. What's the use of importing great geisha 'secrets' to people from France or the US who are going home in a week?

Saying that you all complain too much is hardly waving a patriotic flag...overreact much?