Despite their image in the West as little more than prostitutes, geisha are in fact highly skilled women who dance, play musical instruments and entertain their clients with games and conversation.

KYOTO -- Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" sold over 4 million copies and lingered on the New York Times best seller list for 58 weeks. The story of a country girl sold into virtual slavery who ...

KYOTO -- One of the five famous "hanamachi" entertainment districts in this western Japan city has distributed clear "uchiwa" fans to geisha and "maiko" apprentice geisha as a measure to prevent the ...