Becoming a Geisha Reaction

The movie “Becoming a Geisha” was a very interesting and brought up many things that I wasn’t expecting and surprised me. I think it’s a hard concept to grasp since there really isn’t such an equivalent within the United States, and would most likely be misinterpreted similarly to how her mother misinterpreted the idea of a geisha.

                One of the first things I wanted to bring up is how Yukina received a new name for when she was to become a Maiko. Not only did this surprise and interest me, but how much went into the choosing of the name surprised me as well. They took into account how many strokes it took to write the name, along with the meaning of the name, plus what fortune she would have with the name. So much went into one name. This baffles me because here there isn’t much emphasis on names. Children are named because the parents simply like the name, or naming after someone else. Though sometimes parents look into the meaning of a name, the amount of letters or strokes don’t have significance. It shows how deeply rooted tradition and rituals are within Japanese culture. But it was also interesting that she got a new name for becoming a Maiko. It does make sense though, showing her transition from her normal modern life to the traditional elegant lifestyle of a Maiko. Or it could show that her new name is her tatemae while her honne is her true name.

                Also what was surprising to me was that Yukina was drinking while attending to a customer. I wonder if there is an exception the drinking age for Maiko or if she wasn’t actually drinking alcohol. It just shows there devotion to their customers, similar to how her older sister had to drink wine even though she didn’t like it at the request of her customer. The Maiko’s dedication to their customers is surprising and something you don’t see in America. Not being able to eat or drink while with the customers seems difficult and must take extreme dedication.

                After watching this movie I was surprised how Maiko and becoming a Geisha all worked. It’s a system very foreign to the United States and was very interesting to learn about. Their dedication and ties to tradition are very evident, and hopefully a practice so rich in culture will survive in Japan as it modernizes.

How do you think geisha or maiko would be seen in America?

Would such a business work well or be frowned upon?