Geisha Show Tickets 2020 MIYAKO ODORI - Minamiza Theater

※Miyako Odori 2020 is canceled this year. If you book this ticket, we can give you the ticket of "geisha show and walking tour at Maiko Chaya". ※

 

The Best Geisha Dance Show in Kyoto, Miyako Odori, will be held  between the 1st and 3rd weeks of April in 2021. For geisha shows and geisha experiences that are held EVERYDAY please check: Gion Geisha Show & Experience

 

This Geisha Show ticket price is ¥8800. The ticket fee includes the geisha show performance AND Guided Gion Walking Tour.

 

Miyako Odori includes

• The annual geisha dance show is a century-old tradition which was launched in 1872.
• Watching so many geisha (geiko) and maiko in various costumes on the stage makes this event a spectacular cultural experience. The geisha show is also a great opportunity to shoot memorable pictures.
• The geisha (geiko) performance used to be held at Gion Kobu Kaburenjo but recently moved to the historic Minamiza theater, famous for its kabuki shows.
• The ensemble consists of the dance performance of the Gion-district geisha. Gion district is considered to be the most prestigious geisha neighborhood.
• The geisha show is held at the Minamiza Theater  and lasts 1 hour.
• We recommend double checking your show time and coming to the venue 20 minutes early.
• There are several types of seats, this particular ticket you are buying is on the 3rd stage and the cheapest available ticket. If you'd like to buy tickets that are right in front of the stage and sell for about $120, please let us know via email.
• You will pick your tickets at the Gion Geisha Show & Experience Maikoya which is about 2-minute walk from the Minamiza Theater.
• The walking tour is held separately and it lasts for 45 minutes.
• The Gion walking tour is held at 2:30 and 4:30 everyday. The departure point for the walking tour is Gion Geisha Show & Experience Maikoya. You can join any walking tour on any day, by showing your digital voucher (the email you receive after reserving for this show).
• These tickets are hard to get and thus they are nonrefundable. Please make sure you can attend the show before you make the reservation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnuFu_VC53E

 

What is Geisha Dance?

To be able to watch this popular geisha show in Kyoto is a dream come true of a geisha fan or anyone who is interested in the culture and history of Japan. In this unique event, the geisha (geiko) and apprentice geisha (maiko) will perform various dances to depict the well-known Japanese novel "the tale of Genji." The locals in Kyoto consider this event to be the the beginning of the exciting Spring season. There are multiple geisha dance events in Kyoto, but, locals prefer attending this special performance because the Gion geisha district is considered to be special.

 

Gion Kobu

The largest and most prestigious of them all is Gion Kobu (祇園甲部). Located beside Yasaka Shrine, it was once a single hanamachi together with its neighbour, Gion Higashi (祇園東), but the split occurred in a fantastical fashion. In 1872 the capital had recently been moved to Tokyo from Kyoto, and Kyoto was experiencing a drop in tourism and its economy was on a downturn. To remedy this issue Kyoto would hold a World Expo that would bring people from around the world to see the wonders that Kyoto had to offer. In order to wow the spectators the governor and the mayor of Kyoto asked the head of a prestigious dance school, Yachiyo Inoue (井上八千代) of the the Inoue School of Dance (井上流), to choreograph and stage a set of dances so that average people could see real geisha dancing for the first time without an invitation to an ochaya. The expo lasted for just over a year, and at the end the dances proved to be the biggest success of all. To show their gratitude to Yachiyo Inoue the governor and the mayor would honour any single wish that she had. Her request was to divide eight neighbourhoods from the total area of Gion and make it into a new hanamachi where only her school of dance would be taught. The new area, Gion Kobu, means “First Class Gion,” and continues to be renowned around the world for its annual dances that take place each April called the Miyako Odori (都をどり), which is known as the “Dances of The Old Capital” in Japanese and the “Cherry Blossom Dances” to English audiences. The symbol of Gion Kobu is eight interlinked dumplings with the “甲”character in the middle.