When I was noob, my first interests were in Star Trek and Zen, after shopping that is, and long before I began dancing and prancing. I’ve always been a Star Trek fan since Next Generation and Jean Luc Picard and Commander Riker, but when Voyager hit the scene, I became a huge fan of Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine. Anyway, that’s easy to explain, what’s harder to explain is my fascination with things Japanese.
When I was noob I purchased my first plot of land in the Zen Retreat in Rieul. It was just a tiny 512sqm plot and all I had was a rather pathetic little tea house and zen garden, but I got a great deal of joy wearing my kimonos and just sitting in my tea house. My freind Sheri and I are tied together by those same interests. If you are new to my blog you don’t know that I washed out of Starfleet (I did, hehe) but Sheri went on to become Lt. Commander and Vice Head of Security. And when Sheri and her partner were looking for a place to live, they bought the plots of land right next to me at the Zen Retreat. I know, I do digress.
My love of Japanese style and Zen and things Asian center on the simplicity, beauty and peace which seem to exist in the elements that comprise the style and philosophy. Ironically, I was never truly draw to the way of the geisha until I saw the movie, Memoirs of a Geisha. The movie was an epic search for love in a culture so different to the world in which I’ve known that the first time I saw it I wasn’t sure what I’d experienced. It took three viewings before the full impact of the film took effect.
Geishas are Not Prostitute
The world of the geisha is a secret world, and dispite Memoirs‘ sexual implications, geisha are NOT prostitutes. It is true that in some regions that is not true, but in Kyoto, a geisha is not a prostitute. A geisha is an a companion and entertainer and a living work of art. It is a world of women that revolves aournd the house they support, their okiya. The geisha live in special districts, the hanamachi. If you are interested, you can find a great deal of information about the geisha in Wikipedia including a summary of the book, Memoirs of a Geisha.
In the past several weeks, starting with my extended photo shoot at Hosoi Ichiba, I have been drawn back to that joy I find in Japanese style and Zen, and my interest in the world of geisha has blossomed again with much greater interest than ever before. I’m drawn to the opportunity to express myself in what I believe to be a unique expression of femininity. I’ve begun buying more kimonos and yukatas. And I’ve begun applying for information about geisha training in a nanamachi.
Anyway, these are my thoughts on this Friday evening. And as always, “Our beginnings never know their ends” (T.S. Eliot).
Being Yordie Sands 
Konishiha Lenno… I’m not sure I see it as obedience to a master… but then, it’s all a question of point of view, isn’t it…Domo
LikeLike
I have watched the film about geishas and understand that it’s very interesting but difficult at the same time. You have to be very obedient to master this profession.
LikeLike
Oh cool, Kim. Maybe we can do some exploring together. I never considered being a SL geisha, but the more I learn about geisha, the more it seems to be a lovely form of hospitality.
LikeLike
I will have to explore some of these places Yordie. I, too, have run across some amazingly beautiful Japanese sims that were so relaxing. I have also run across and been recruited for some club that offers the company of geishas to its members. I was very wary of the employees and their ultimate goal – thinking too of the geisha stereotype. Maybe now I’ll have to go back and see if it is still there and if they are more true to the real meaning of the word.
LikeLike