(CNN) – Geishas and maiko (youths training to become geishas) are women who practice traditional Japanese arts such as singing, dancing and playing instruments to entertain customers while eating and drinking.
Many of them work and live in Gion, an elegant and historic district in Kyoto, one of Japan's most popular tourist cities. When these women commute between work and home, they must walk the streets and create a beautiful spectacle with their traditional kimonos and makeup.
However, traveling with geishas has also become a tourist attraction, with hordes of visitors trying to photograph them as they stroll the picturesque streets. As a result, these tourists have received an unfortunate nickname: “Geisha Paparazzi.”
Foreign tourists sometimes have difficulty understanding Japanese customs and customs. In 2015, Kyoto released brochures and paper pamphlets that used pictograms to illustrate travelers' “nuisance activities,” such as littering, using selfie sticks, smoking in prohibited areas, and photographing geishas and maikos.
But it was the photos, particularly the “geisha paparazzi,” that caused the biggest problem, peaking in 2019 when there were reports of naughty visitors dressing in women's kimonos, following them with cameras and smartphones, and taking away their decorations They wore them in their hair (the kanzashi) and even threw their cigarette butts at them. This year, Gion began posting signs and notices prohibiting photography and warning that violators would face a fine.
Isokazu Ota, deputy secretary of the Gion City Southern District Council, told CNN that despite the measures, paparazzi have become more brazen since mass tourism returned to Japan after the pandemic.
Lots of rules, little application
Tea houses and restaurants in the famous Pontocho Alley in Gion. (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
Today, signs in three languages also explain that photographing geishas without permission is not permitted and that violations can result in a fine of up to 10,000 yen (about $67).
However, according to Ota, this fine cannot be imposed.
The Gion municipal council is taking measures to completely close the small side streets to tourists by April 2024. However, Gion's main thoroughfare, Hanamikoji, cannot be subject to the photo ban as it is a public road. Most maiko and geisha use this path, making it an ideal meeting point for paparazzi.
“People taking photos of the main street of Gion and tourists taking photos of the maiko from a distance are probably unaware of the ban policy,” says Ota. “But I think that foreign tourists who wait in the alleys of forbidden areas for a maiko to come out know the rules well and simply ignore them. Even if we wanted to warn, it would be difficult to communicate with them in time.”
Because of this, Ota said, some locals have taken it upon themselves to discipline misbehaving tourists.
Still, Ota and other Gion residents are looking for ways to curb the problems caused by “geisha paparazzi.” He has suggested that all tourists visiting the area must have a Japanese guide who can educate them on proper behavior.
He also believes that more education will help people find ways to meet and interact with maiko and geisha without harassing them on the street.
For example, the local Gion Theater on Hanamikoji Street regularly hosts maiko performances where the audience can take photos with the women.
Maikos attend a bean festival in Kyoto. (The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images)
How are similar problems handled in other communities?
Although geishas are unique to Japan, problems with forms when photographing have increased tremendously in the age of social media.
Hanoi's popular “Train Street,” where houses have stood inches from a train track since colonial times, has become a huge hit on Instagram in recent years.
However, with the tracks still in operation and accidents and injuries becoming a major safety risk, the Hanoi local government ordered all cafes along “Train Street” to close in 2022 and revoked their business licenses.
In addition, large barricades were erected to keep people away from the tracks.
On the other side of the world, a trend was emerging where visitors were taking photos that looked like they were “picking their noses” at Easter Island's famous Moai sculptures.
Now the combination of overtourism and poor photography has led to a series of checks on the island. Tourist visas have been shortened from 90 to 30 days and visitors can only walk on designated paths instead of approaching the moai.