Read this in the local papers this morning. Those wanting to visit Kyoto could have a read.
I was at Hanamikoji looking for the geishas and maikos as well, lots of tourists armed with cameras, but didn't witness any harassment, fortunately.
Quote:
In Kyoto, a Call to Not Trample the Geisha
A tourist from Taiwan tried to get a close shot of the geishas Yukino, left, and Sayuri on Friday in Kyoto City
KYOTO, JAPAN �\ His blond ponytail waving and zoom-lensed camera at the ready, Pasi Ponkka eagerly waited outside a teahouse in the Gion district of Kyoto for just the right moment.
Ponkka, a 26-year-old student from Finland, was among a horde of mostly foreign tourists on Hanamikoji street, one of the most picturesque lanes in this historic part of the city, hoping for a glimpse of the object of their fascination: maiko, the apprentice geisha who are often seen entering or leaving the tea and banquet houses where they dance, sing and serve sake for guests.
�gThey have lived through the ages and remain to this day,�h said Ponkka. �gThey are unlike anything else you see in Japan. Most of Japanese culture today is just a mixture of things from overseas.�h
Historic Japanese cities like Kyoto, the former imperial capital, are famous for their temples and palaces. But in recent years, they have attracted growing throngs of tourists eager to observe the maiko and geisha, professional entertainers who, with their elaborate dress, white-painted faces and stylized gestures, exercise a special allure for Western imaginations as the seeming embodiment of Japanese tradition.
�gYou don�ft know who they are and what they do, and so much of them is hidden,�h said Anna Kalshoven, a visitor from Amsterdam. �gThey are like the exact opposite of what we are and what we know�h in the West.
The crush of tourists coincides with an ever-declining number of geisha. A record 927,000 foreigners stayed overnight in Kyoto in 2007, the last year for which complete data are available, up from 803,000 the year before (though tourism is believed to have dropped sharply since the financial crisis began last year). Meanwhile, there are an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 geisha in Japan, compared with more than 80,000 in the 1920s.
The aggressive pursuit of maiko has stirred resentment in Kyoto, where the actions of some tourists are seen as bordering on physical harassment.
The maiko and local residents complain that camera-wielding foreigners ambush and surround the young women for close-ups. Sometimes, they say, the tourists block their way, pull their sleeves, and at times have even caused them to trip over.
Responding to growing complaints, Kyoto�fs Tourism Bureau has posted an English-language warning on its Web site, exhorting: �gPlease respect the Maikos�f privacy and do not follow them in the streets or touch their kimonos.�h
Rikiya Yamamoto, the leader of a local community group that recently began organizing patrols to guard the maiko from unseemly foreign holiday-makers, said the tourists�f hounding of the young women had become a safety issue.
�gIt�fs dangerous to be chased around because the maiko walk on ohogo,�h high-soled wooden shoes, he said. However elegant this footwear might be on a small-statured maiko in a long kimono, it is not designed for escaping intrusive strangers.
Tourists have even broken into teahouses and their gardens to photograph maiko and geisha at work.
�gIt�fs a terribly rude thing to do,�h said Kyoko Sugiura, the proprietress of Ichiriki-tei, a well-known teahouse in the Gion district. �gYou don�ft just break in and start shooting photos.�h
�gThere is the issue of the customers�f privacy, too,�h Ms. Sugiura added.
�gI once had my hair pulled from behind,�h said Saeko, 16, a maiko on her way to a banquet. (Maiko and geisha are known by their professional first names.) �gI was totally taken by surprise.�h
Maiko and local residents say foreigners seem to view the entire Gion area, which preserves much of the traditional appearance of Kyoto, as a huge theme park and to believe that the maiko in the streets are on duty for the tourists.
�gThey are not performing for tourists,�h said Mr. Yamamoto. �gThey are simply traveling to and from the venues of the party where they are working.�h
�gWe are not like a Mickey Mouse in Disneyland,�h said Mameharu, another maiko, walking along Hanamikoji street.
In fact, most of the maiko seen on the street are already on duty. Clients who invite maiko and geisha to banquets pay an �gincense fee,�h a term derived from the amount of time it takes to burn a stick of incense. Maiko charge the client from the time they leave the geisha house where they belong until they return. Generally, this comes to $400 to $500 for two hours, including travel time.
�gThe longer it takes to get to the banquet and return, the shorter the time for customers,�h said Mr. Yamamoto, who in addition to running street patrols is the owner of Yuranosuke, a traditional restaurant on Hanamikoji street.
Geisha in the old quarters of Kyoto are not the only target of aggressive foreign tourists. The Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo has attracted so many foreign sightseers in recent years, with many walking into areas off-limits to visitors, that a temporary ban was imposed last year on tourists attending the daily fish auction.
Yuji Nakanishi, professor of tourism at Rikkyo University in Saitama near Tokyo, said that the friction over tourist behavior arises from a perception gap.
�gJapanese tend to associate tourism with historical landmarks, but foreigners are interested in people�fs lives and their lifestyles,�h he said. �gPlaces like the fish market were never really considered a tourist site until quite recently, so both sides are really confused.�h
^ So is that a picture of you taking pictures of Geishas, Genma?
shucks.. u found out!
I'll post the pics of the maikos I saw at Hanamikoji soon. You'll usually only see them for a few seconds while they run from the teahouse to the cab. Don't block their way while they make the dash. _________________
I'll post the pics of the maikos I saw at Hanamikoji soon. You'll usually only see them for a few seconds while they run from the teahouse to the cab. Don't block their way while they make the dash.
There's something to talk about for years to come: getting run over by a maiko.
That Mr. Mentos in Harajuku is hilarious. Keep the pics coming. Did you try a crepe on Takeshita dori? They aren't that bad but if you're French you would probably cry.
Right now I'm adding all the Spring Dramas to the database, but once I've done that, I'll upload some of my pictures and hopefully start sharing them! _________________
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Thanks again.
Where does she live? 
I would say 98% of the sakuras here have fallen. Spring has definitely arrived. 
, thats where they dip the eggs to make them black to become kurotama!
