With their exquisite beauty and grace, it's no surprise that geishas have enchanted the West and inspired Hollywood movies. Shrouded in a veil of mystique with their chalk white make-up and elaborate kimonos, geishas are often mistakenly presumed to be nothing more than just high-class courtesans. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Geishas are actually skilled entertainers who have gone through many years of intense training in various classical Japanese arts such as dance, flower arranging, playing musical instruments and administering the tea ceremony. In fact, the "gei" in geisha actually stands for "art" while the "sha" means "person."
Though the numbers of geishas have decreased from 80,000 in the 1920s to less than 2,000 today, geishas continue to mesmerize guests from around the world. In order to unravel some of the geisha's mysteries and to open the door to their secret world, Katsura photo studio offers a special photo opportunity for guests to be made up into geishas.
The entire process, which includes the painstaking application of detailed make-up and dressing in several layers of kimono, takes about an hour to complete; but rest assured Katsura's professional and highly skilled staff will beautify and pamper you for this once in a lifetime experience.
The process begins with placing your hair into a net. Then, your forehead is taped in a way that your eyebrows stand up. After this, a clear, sticky base is applied to your skin to keep it moisturized and elastic so the makeup doesn't crack. Next, the chalk white makeup that a geisha is renowned for is applied to your face, neck, chest and back using a luxuriously soft brush. The neck paint is of particular significance since the lower the little patch of unpainted skin goes, the more seductive you are considered.
Once your face has been painted white it becomes a blank slate for the artist to create the famous Geisha angles, shadows and eyebrows. The crimson red lipstick and black liquid eyeliner create a sharp and seductive contrast to the white make-up. Now that your face has been transformed into a geisha like appearance, next comes the kimono dressing. The traditional Japanese kimono has no zippers or buttons and actually consists of several layers of cloths that are held into place using a sash known as an obi. The outer layer of the kimono is made of luxurious embroidered silk.
After your miraculous transformation, the studio will take a commemorative photo to document your geisha experience. Located in the heart of Harajuku, the studio also has a garden for taking pictures, which depending on the season is filled with traditional Japanese flowers such as Sakura (cherry blossoms), Jinchouge (sweet daphne), and Satuki (azalea).
Katsura also offers similar makeup and photography sessions to become a maiko, a young apprentice who is in training to become a geisha and an oiran, a courtesan that preceded the emergence of the geisha. The studio additionally offers the opportunity to dress up as famous people in Japanese history such as Senhime, who escaped the siege of Osaka castle and lived in Himeji castle. Men should not feel left out as they offer a service for males to dress up as different types of samurai warriors.
Prices range from 18,000 yen to 25,000 yen depending on who you choose to dress up as. Katsura Studio is graciously offering a 3,000 yen discount for make up/ photograph packages that are 18,000 yen and over to any guest if you mention that you read about their services on Tokyo Work Life web site.
Whether you decide to become a geisha, maiko or samurai, the experience is sure to create colorful memories of Japan that will last a lifetime.
Studio Katsura Mon
4-28-4
Jingumae, Shibuya-ku
150-0001
Hours 10:00-6:00pm
Tel: 03-3470-0027
http://www.henshin-maiko.com/en_index.html
*Please note that reservations are required in advance. To make a reservation please fill out the form found in the following link. http://www.henshin-maiko.com/en_contact.html
Written and Photographed by Erika Wiseberg
