Century-old Tokyo geisha festival revives dying art The geishas glide with measured steps across a wooden stage, offering a glimpse of a long-misunderstood tradition that is becoming a rare sight in ...

Shinbashi geishas rehearsing at the Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre before the 100th Azuma Odori festival in Tokyo. (AFP pic ... without the striking white make-up and sculpted hairstyles they are ...

as well as those from Tokyo's Shinbashi district who usually perform. Around 180 geishas will take part overall, taking to the stage in small groups for two shows each day. Koiku, a Shinbashi geisha, ...

Dancing with paper fans and dressed in kimonos, the entertainers were rehearsing without the striking white make-up and sculpted hairstyles ... a writer specialised in geisha culture, told AFP.