艶遊会

Higashichaya- a teahouse district in Kanazawa

Recently I got to partake in an experience unusual for the general public in Japan and even more unusual for a foreigner- I went to a geisha dinner party!

Kanazawa, the capitol of my prefecture, is one of the cities in Japan that is famous for its preservation of old Japanese culture. There is an area called Higashi-chaya where the old teahouses are now located, many of which are around 180 years old. Higashi means East, while chaya means teahouse, so the name means "East teahouse district."

There are only three teahouse districts that are designated as Cultural Assets of Japan, with two (this one and another) located in Kanazawa and one located in Kyoto!

Geisha are female entertainers. They spend years studying cultural arts such as tea ceremony, playing traditional instruments like the shamisen and taiko, singing, and traditional dances. Geisha are an easily recognizable figure of Japanese culture since their costume is characterized by layers of fine kimono, heavy white make up, and large, elaborate hairdos. They generally spend years practicing the arts before they can become a professional and begin entertaining at dinner parties and special events. 

But, in Kanazawa, geisha are called "geiko." There are 43 geiko in Kanazawa, the youngest is 25 and the oldest is 82. They say she is an incredible player of the shamisen and that she is constantly busy with bookings to entertain!

Another ALT and I heard about one teahouse in Kanazawa that opens its doors to the public for a special chance to experience a dinner party, but only four times a year! Furthermore, there are only seats for up to 30 guests. We were both very interested in this once in a lifetime opportunity and we made sure to get on the list a couple months in advance! In general, like most tea houses, only members are able to book a party. 

On the evening of our dinner party we arrived at the tea house in Higashi chaya, where we paid our fee and then were welcomed into a long waiting room where we sat among the other guests drinking the hot tea that was served to us. 

Soon we were led up to the second floor to a large tatami mat room that was prepared with individual tray tables and cushions for each guest to sit at. Several attendants of the tea house, the Okami (the woman who owns and operates the house) and the three geiko she ordered for the party served beer to everyone for an opening kanpai. 

The okami san, Hanako Baba, opened the dinner with welcome words and a short introduction to her teahouse. She explained that it has been in operation since 1820. Also, there are no geiko permanently at her house. Rather, she requests geiko from other teahouses (there are 5 I believe) in Kanazawa. Hanako also explained that the regular custom for paying the teahouse is not to pay for a party on the day of, but instead a bill is tallied for the customers account. Then, twice a year in August and in December, she takes a bill to the customer's place of work and collects payment. 

She also explained how you can only become a member if you are introduced by someone who is already a member. Furthermore, if you introduce someone you become that person's guarantor. So if the new member cannot pay his bill, the initial introducer must pay for it. Evidentally it is quite a commitment to give someone an introduction to a teahouse.! It is amazing to me that these customs are still carried on in the way they were hundreds of years ago. It really was like stepping into another world. 

Sliding doors on the perimeter of the room, featuring hand painted images of geiko. This series of panels represents each of the four seasons

An alcove on one wall displayed these handmade thread balls which are one of the handicrafts of Kanazawa

This small tea room is special because it features gold tatami mats. Yes, the tatami are made with gold thread wrapped around the bamboo

One of the geiko came to chat with us during the beginning of the night. She was very kind and even gave us her "business card." It is a long thin rectangular sticker with just her name and some decorative flowers on it. She and a nearby guest laughed as they explained that it is said if we fasten a geiko's name card to our wallets it would bring us money. 

Soon the geiko began to perform. One girl played the shamisen while the other two danced in sync with each other using fans and cherry blossom boughs as props. Next, they played taiko. Then the okami came to us and invited us up first to play drums with the geiko. Of course all the Japanese people in the room were impressed and warmly applauded us after we finished. "Coincidentally," a newspaper reporter arrived to snap a picture just as we played the drums, the okami laughed and said we would likely be in the newspaper the next morning.

After inviting all the guests up to play, the geiko began playing a game where you clap and tap a wooden bowl, which either player can take away at any time. Both players must follow the sequence correctly as the music gets faster and faster. The geiko invited several guests up for the challenge.

We picked a lucky night to attend this dinner because it was coincidentally the same night as a small yearly festival in which a parade of people dressed up go down the streets of Higashichaya and dance to the music of the shamisen played by several people. After our dinner was finished, it was perfect timing for the parade so the attendants of the tea house opened up the windows and let all the guests enjoy the parade from the second floor of the teahouse.

On our way out of the teahouse, the okami was waiting with gift bags for each of us. When we had arrived earlier that evening she had asked if it was ok that we were served a different meal from the planned guest fare. There apparently had been a mix up in reservations or something and they did not have enough for everyone. She apologized for the change in our meal and presented us with an atonement gift of kinpaku (gold flake) face creams from her line of beauty products. I can only imagine how expensive the creams are, made with seaweed and rice bran extracts with beautiful flecks of gold leaf mixed in. Actually, it was almost a lucky mistake that they couldn't feed us the right meal, because I would probably never have bought the cream myself (its expensive!). So this way I get to use face cream fit for a princess!

Our party with the Okami, the lady who owns and operates the teahouse

After leaving the tea house we ambled down the street and waited for the parade to return. Once they came back to a small plaza area they danced in the center of the waiting crowd. For the last ten minutes of the event they dropped the cords the audience was standing behind and invited the crowds to dance with them together. Of course, loving traditional dances, I was all about it and jumped right in line to learn the dance!