Maiko Performance with Kaiseki Dinner in Kyoto

In the evening, make your way to Gion Hatanaka, located in the city’s renowned district of the geisha (called geiko in Kyoto). Upon arrival, you’re greeted in the open banquet room before the 2-hour dinner show begins. Settle in at your table and admire the elegance before you as apprentice geiko, known as maiko, perform traditional music and dance — a unique experience that is still a rarity for foreigners in Japan.

Listen as your host explains the cultural significance of each dance during this interactive and intimate dining experience. Your traditional, kaiseki-style dinner is prepared by a highly trained chef, who uses special skills and cooking methods to create select food artfully arranged to balance taste and texture. Fresh, seasonal ingredients are used in ways that enhance the flavor of dishes, which typically include an appetizer and sashimi in addition to a simmered, a grilled and a steamed course with Japanese seasonings such as soy sauce, fish stock and mirin, or sweet sake.

Take the opportunity to converse with the maiko while they entertain you with traditional Japanese arts. You’re even invited to play a few fun drinking games during the informal evening, which includes unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages with your multicourse meal.

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