my encounters with the geishas and ninjas

During this year's christmas party of my law firm, Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices, our team presented a Japanese musical production number. Basically, it involved the icons of Japan: the geishas, samurais, ninjas, anime and even Sadako of "The Ring" series.

While preparing for the production number, i reminisced my personal encounters with the real Geishas of Kyoto, Japan in July 2008.

We took the Shinkansen, or bullet train in local lingo, from Tokyo to a station near Kyoto. The Shinkansen is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan The Shinkansen network boasts not only high speed -up to 300 kilometers per hour-, but also high frequency. the Shinkansen network is the key to comfortable and speedy travel throughout Japan

Kyoto is one of the best places to visit in Japan. About 20% of Japan’s National Treasures and 14% of Important Cultural Properties exist in the city proper. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) includes 17 locations in Kyoto, Uji in Kyoto Prefecture and Ōtsu in Shiga Prefecture.

Luck was likewise on our side since we came in close contacts with the Geisha’s of Gion which is Kyoto’s most famous geisha district. We strolled along Hanami-koji, a street lined by beautiful old buildings, teahouses and restaurants.Geisha are dressed in a kimono, and their faces are made up very pale. Initially, they refused to have their photos taken with us. So we have to be discreet in geting our photos. We even went to the bridge where the the Chiyo met the Chairman, from the novel Memoirs of a Geisha.

Geisha or Geiko, on the other hand, are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. In the performance of a geisha in one of the theatres, it reminded of the film “Memoir of A Geisha” There remains some confusion, even within Japan, about the nature of the geisha profession. 

Geisha are frequently depicted as expensive prostitutes in Western popular culture. Geisha are entertainers, their purpose being to entertain their customer, be it by reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation. Geisha engagements may include flirting with men and playful innuendos; however, clients know that nothing more can be expected. In a social style that is uniquely Japanese, men are amused by the illusion of that which is never to be. Geisha do not engage in paid sex with clients.

On the other hand, in the Japanese history, a Ninja was someone specially trained in a variety of unorthodox arts of war. The methods used by ninja included assassination, espionage, and a variety of martial arts.Their exact origins are still unknown. Their roles may have included sabotage, espionage, scouting and assassination missions as a way to destabilize and cause social chaos in enemy territory or against an opposing ruler, perhaps in the service of their feudal rulers (daimyo, shogun), or an underground ninja organization waging guerilla warfare. 

Here is the musical video we made as part of our xmas presentation..