So fascinating...

Gion.

It really is.

Hanamikoji Street at night
has a special something.

I can feel it.
"'This' is Gion."

My name is Maya. I'm a maiko.
I came to Gion when I was 15.

I became a maiko right at
the start of the pandemic.

Just as I was starting out,
they declared a State of Emergency.

I couldn't work or take lessons.

It felt like that life was a dream.

Gion's magical aura of sophisticated entertainment dates back to the Edo period.

Over three centuries of culture came close to succumbing to the pandemic.

There's a sense of fear.
Simply dreadful.

Gion these days is
astonishingly quiet.

Most o-zashiki, the gatherings at which maiko and geiko entertain, were cancelled.

With little work to do, some left Gion for good.

Being unable to work,
many maiko and geiko lost hope.

It's a terrible shame.

"Many more COVID-19 cases today."

"The highest Monday figure yet."

Especially hard hit were young maiko whose careers had just begun.

Are you okay? Does it hurt?

Amid all the uncertainty of the pandemic,

they hold on to a dream of appearing in a special event.

An annual dance festival that has now been canceled twice.

The Miyako Odori dates back over 150 years.

It features a full cast of geiko and maiko, performing for a month each spring.

It is central to Gion's identity.

It is a milestone of sorts.
Or the very path we pursue.

One, two...

Lower! Yes, you.

All of you listen to me
when I'm talking.

How else can you
learn the Miyako Odori?

It's my 4th year here.
But only my 2nd time performing.

So I'm not confident that I can show
the younger maiko how it's done.

The dazzling women of Gion uphold customs and traditions that have been passed down for centuries.

- Straight to the bath!
- Yes!

As Gion struggles to recover from the pandemic,

we follow young maiko on their path to spring — and the Miyako Odori.

It's okay.

We record our temperatures every day.
Anyone who forgets is fined.

- Goodnight, Mother.
- Yes, goodnight.

Return of the Miyako Odori

Pearl of Gion

The Higashiyama district of Kyoto.

This area of the ancient capital is home to Japan's largest traditional entertainment quarter, Gion.

For over 300 years, Gion has entertained a select clientele with fine cuisine, music, and graceful dancing.

Among the tiled roofs nestle 50 or so o-chaya,

traditional teahouses where around 90 geiko and maiko dedicate themselves to their craft.

January 7th.

Dressed in black formal kimono,

all the geiko and maiko of Gion gather at a school for traditional arts.

Happy New Year! I ask for
your favor again this year.

Happy New Year! I humbly seek
your support again this year.

A ceremony where geiko and maiko gather to celebrate the start of a new year: Shigyoshiki.

In 2021, this was canceled because of the pandemic.

The event is going ahead for the first time in two years.

Ota Kimi, the proprietress of a long-established o-chaya, will address the gathering.

A leading figure in the community,

she is determined the Miyako Odori will go ahead this year.

Happy New Year!

The pandemic gave us two of
the most difficult years in memory.

But this will not defeat us.
It must not.

We will overcome the threat
posed by the coronavirus.

And it is my sincere hope that we
shall hold the Miyako Odori in April.

You are the key element. On your
young shoulders rest the future.

January 7, 2022. Ota Kimi.

An inspiring rallying call for the Gion community.

This new year, Hanamikoji Street is a shadow of its former lively self.

O-zashiki reservations are no more than 10 percent of a typical figure in a pre-pandemic year.

This is Tomiyo, the o-chaya run by Ota Kimi, who spoke at the new year ceremony.

No customer is admitted to Tomiyo without an introduction.

Founded over 200 years ago, it is woven deep in the fabric of Gion life.

Kimi is the 8th generation proprietress.

Today, they will host their first large o-zashiki in a long time,

and welcome back old customers who have been expressing concern about how Tomiyo is doing.

The minute the phone rings,
I think it's a cancellation.

When the reservation is changed
by just one, it's such a relief.

It's been like this every day.

Here for the o-zashiki is Maya, a maiko who is currently apprenticing in the art of Gion hospitality.

Oh no, my hairpin!

She's dropped an ornamental hairpin, adorned with a little tiger -

the traditional zodiac symbol for 2022.

- Excuse me, Mother.
- What's wrong? It fell out?

Ah, it's broken.

What to do? We'll use some glue.

Thank you very much, Mother.

Stand it here to dry.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Mother!

Please dry, little tiger...

Glue. Did you stick it back on?

Concerned, a senior geiko - Mao - takes a look.

She lends Maya a tiger hairpin of her own.

Maya looks up to Mao.

Geiko are women who have completed their training as maiko,

and are accomplished in their profession.

Let's leave it to dry.

Thank you, Sister.

Restrictions were eased in October.

We were happy to see
the year-end parties coming back.

But then Omicron hit,
and brought many cancellations.

Today, too, I was so worried.

We all managed to get a test.
I'm so thankful we tested negative.

Even so, I suspect that
cancellations will continue.

Maybe they will.

The o-zashiki begins.

After food and drinks are served, dances are performed.

For privacy, the cameras stay outside.

Mao is a popular geiko who has been working in Gion for 20 years.

Before the pandemic, she was inundated with requests,

working late into the night even on weekends.

But two years ago, all that changed.

I came to Gion when I was 15.

I'd never gone so long without
wearing a kimono, or taking lessons.

I started to question
what I was doing.

Many of us felt the same way.

Our occupation isn't
necessarily essential.

It even started to feel meaningless.
And that made me uneasy.

When the pandemic started, there were even whispers that this might be the end for Gion.

People began to pin their hopes on the Miyako Odori to breathe life back into Gion.

"Miyako Odori wa"

"Yoiyasa"

The Miyako Odori began in 1872 as a way to revitalize Kyoto

after it had lost its status as the nation's capital.

Other than a break during World War II,

the festival has been held in Gion every spring for over 150 years.

All the geiko and maiko gather to present a dazzling spectacle.

Ever since I was little,
it was an annual event.

Come spring, I'd think of
the Miyako Odori.

It's something we treasure.

I do so hope it will go ahead!

I keep wishing that the coronavirus
would just fly away!

November 2021.

Dance practice begins in preparation for the Miyako Odori.

All of you listen to me
when I'm talking.

How else can you
learn the Miyako Odori?

Yes!
And to the front.

All the dances in this part of Gion are in the Kyomai Inoue style.

The Miyako Odori choreography is taught by the head of the Kyomai Inoue school,

which has long upheld a Gion dance tradition.

Then like this, forearm up...

There is one challenging aspect of the Kyomai Inoue style that all the maiko struggle with.

Hiro, watch out for those hips!

There! Lower your hips!

A basic requirement of the Kyomai Inoue style is a low center of gravity.

For that, the hips must be kept down.

Without a strong core and lower body, it's very difficult to move elegantly.

Listen carefully, and you'll remember.
Are you paying attention?

You should aim for
a stable lower body.

Twist like this, or it's not a dance.
This is what we're practicing.

- Bend your knees.
- Now twist, keep going.

Some maiko are struggling to master the basics.

They're finding it difficult to move with their hips kept low.

Lower with the hips.
Yes, in then out.

Yuzuha is a 2nd-year maiko.

The pandemic hit just after she started.

She's never had the chance to perform in the Miyako Odori.

I told you, lower your backside.
You're leaning to the right.

Yes, now straighten up.
Do it again.

Until the maiko in Gion are ready to work on their own as geiko,

they live together in lodgings called okiya.

Tama is the okiya where Yuzuha lives.

- We're home, Mother!
- Welcome back.

- Morning, Mother.
- Good morning.

Here, they learn manners, language, and customs that are unique to Gion.

Very good.

- Would you like some tea, Mother?
- A hot tea, yes, lovely.

Oh, you're a real blessing.

It's full of life here.
You're surprised, I imagine.

It's always like this.

Did I get you?

It won't go in.

Yuzuha is from Osaka.

Hoping to become a maiko,

she convinced her parents to let her move to Gion after completing junior high school.

Although she's been in Gion for two years, she lacks proper experience.

Not once has she performed at the Miyako Odori.

And now, she has a junior maiko to instruct.

Thank you very much, Sister.

- The Yuzuha Salon is closed!
- Wasn't open for long.

We were open for...
15 minutes.

- Looks good.
- Thank you, Sister.

No problem.

Yuzuha has only seen the Miyako Odori once.

It was just when she had been accepted as a maiko and was starting to train.

When I saw the blue kimono for the
Miyako Odori, I just thought "Wow!"

I saw the older girls up on stage
and it was so powerful.

As the pandemic wore on, some of her companions lost hope.

A friend trained with me
from the start.

She told me she was quitting,
and I cried so much.

It was just when we were all saying
we'd do our best together.

I felt so sad.

And lonely.

Of the seven girls who started at the same time as Yuzuha, two left Gion.

Yuzuha did her best at the few o-zashiki she was able to attend.

"What's this, Yuzuha?"

A client brought these in
after a photoshoot.

- What kind of face is that?
- Sorry!

You always make that face
when you're about to cry.

And you do cry sometimes.

"She cries?"

- Yes.
- There's nothing we can do.

- "Wahhhh!" she goes.
- Almost like a war cry.

- You shouldn't do that!
- But, I... I'm sorry.

Right!

I'm sorry.

- That sash.
- It's touching the ground.

- It's dirty.
- I'm very sorry.

The thought of performing in the Miyako Odori helped Yuzuha to stay motivated throughout the pandemic.

I love the Miyako Odori.

I so want to perform in it.

I'll practice hard so that I'm
not a burden on the others.

Mid-January.

The pandemic is still in the headlines.

"4,548 new cases of COVID-19
were confirmed today."

"The highest Monday figure yet
for Osaka and Kyoto."

Emergency measures again.
Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa.

Soon it'll happen in Kyoto too.

Oh my, the numbers keep rising.

Strict countermeasures were again being introduced.

Just as we were ready to
bring back the Miyako Odori.

Such a shock.
Will this keep happening?

What will become of the Miyako Odori?

With the virus continuing to spread,

Kimi and the others are facing a difficult decision.

In mid-February, they make a formal announcement.

For the first time in three years, the Miyako Odori will go ahead.

Their thinking is that the number of cases will not be as high in the spring.

This will be the first
Miyako Odori in the new era.

Sayumi, Asuha...

An unprecedented 60 percent of the maiko will be performing for the first time.

This year's Miyako Odori will have
the most first-time performers ever.

Many of them have been unable to
gain experience these past 2 years.

Therefore, the key is to be
in the right state of mind.

They don't yet know the difference
between good and bad dancing.

Their spirit and attitude
will be vital.

I want them to practice hard, and
dance with pride and youthful energy.

The next day, the first-time maiko performers gather for special guidance.

They will be taught directly by the head of the Kyomai Inoue school.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering.

Filming is not permitted.

I was so nervous.
Much more than for a usual lesson.

I was shaking.
So tense.

She kept telling me
to relax my shoulders.

For Yuzuha, too, the biggest challenge has been to keep her hips low as she walks.

- How was it?
- I got scolded for my hips again.

You couldn't walk to the rhythm?
"Chin, chin, chon, chon."

No...

- Did you get scolded, too?
- We all did.

But we are getting better.

- You must practice it every day.
- Yes, Mother.

Do your best.

It may be simply walking, but this form can be very difficult to master.

The Miyako Odori starts with the entrance of the geiko and maiko.

This is a highlight of the performance, and there's no room for error.

My shoulders keep sagging.
And my backside sticks out.

My feet, how far apart are they?

I don't know. Is that right?

"Miyako Odori wa, yoiyasa"

Failure wouldn't be the end of
the world, but I am stubborn.

Once I've decided to do something,
I just must get it done.

Practice is key to being a maiko.

Without practice you'll never
be a maiko, just an ordinary girl.

A maiko takes the time to practice,
learn skills, and be beautiful.

Customers notice those things.
That's what makes a maiko special.

I wish I could be a maiko again!

You'd easily be the best one.

You look younger than us!

You smooth talker!
Thank you!

They don't stop yapping up there.

At around 2 AM I'll shout,
"Get to bed already!" Then, silence.

That's a typical day.

- Do you have practice tomorrow?
- Do you?

- No, we don't.
- No!

They don't, then.

For the youngest maiko who will be performing for the first time,

strict training will continue until March.

Aspiring maiko come to Gion at age 15, after graduating junior high school.

They then start to learn manners and customs that are centuries old.

A maiko will make a vow to a senior geiko, and then they'll be like sisters.

The "gei" of "geiko" refers to performing,

for which any Gion maiko and geiko must undergo strict training.

Another long-observed practice is that if one marries, one must retire.

There are many
restaurants now.

This used to be a street of o-chaya.

It is said that in the 1930s, nearly 1,000 geiko and maiko were working in Gion.

That number has steadily declined, and now stands at a little over 90.

Seeing young little girls here,
I think:

"Of all the places available to you,
thank you for choosing Gion."

Maya, here you are.

At Tomiyo, on the first day of each month, geiko and maiko come to pay their respects.

Could you carry this please?

Maya is the maiko who Kimi helped by repairing a broken hairpin.

Like Yuzuha, Maya is a second year maiko.

Greetings, Mother!
Thank you as always.

Each time they visit,

they pray at a Buddhist altar commemorating all of Tomiyo's past proprietresses.

Expressing gratitude is another important Gion custom.

- Here you are.
- Thank you so much.

Maya too has never experienced the Miyako Odori.

- My best wishes.
- Thank you.

She was 14 when she decided she wanted to be a maiko.

I was in junior high when
I came to Kyoto with my family.

I caught sight of a geiko in Gion,
and I was in awe.

I was mesmerized by her beauty.
That's the reason I came here.

It was like love at first sight.
I thought, "That is for me."

Mao, a full-fledged geiko, looks after Maya.

She's the one who lent Maya her tiger hairpin.

Greetings!
Thank you as always.

Thank you.

Have you lost weight?

Well, there's been no o-zashiki...
Mother!

Hello.

Mother's helpers and supporters.
We need them!

Helpers, supporters?
That's pretty good.

When Maya became a maiko, she exchanged an oath of sistership with Mao,

and received the first character of Mao's name as the first of her own.

Push it up and it'll stay.

In Gion, Mao is my sister.

She's my ideal geiko.
I study how she entertains people.

Her dancing is wonderful.
I look up to her so much.

I want to try and be
a geiko like her.

Even if it takes a hundred years.
That's how much I admire her.

During the pandemic, when there were no o-zashiki,

Maya would practice dancing in her room.

This rhythm is difficult.

If you're even slightly off,
it looks terrible.

I'm not like an ordinary 18-year-old.

I don't have the same kind of freedom.

But I have a goal
that I'm striving for.

I don't want to stop
until I get there.

On the way home from practice one day,

Mao starts thinking back on the Miyako Odori, in which she has appeared nearly 20 times.

In my first Miyako Odori as a geiko,
I was given a difficult part.

I had to perform with many
older geiko I'd looked up to.

But until a few days before that,
I'd been a maiko. I kept tripping up.

One of the older geiko
got mad and said, "You're useless!"

During the run, she said nothing!

But on the last day, she said,
"You did well."

I burst into tears!

Those were her only words.
She didn't even smile.

She said she wanted to tell me
after it was all over.

She's retired now,
but I really looked up to her.

I think it's about moving
forward, one step at a time.

Hearing my sister Mao's story
makes me want to try hard.

One day, Maya, you may share
your story with a young maiko.

- Saying, "On my way home from practice..."
- Yes!

Sometimes strict, sometimes kind.

The Miyako Odori sets a young maiko on the path that was the making of her own treasured geiko sister.

Tomiyo dates back some 200 years.

It is a respected o-chaya that continues to uphold Gion's customs.

The business has been passed down through the generations by women in the Ota family.

Every year in March,

Tomiyo observes a custom that has been upheld for many years.

Every generation does this.

When a daughter is born,
they buy a doll like this.

When the proprietress gives birth to a girl, she orders a special doll.

This is my doll.
So, from 1940.

Look, it's all fully embroidered!

They wouldn't make it
like this nowadays.

This was the best I could get.

Kimi, too, once ordered a doll, when her daughter Naomi was born.

Naomi currently serves as her mother's assistant at Tomiyo.

This is my doll.

Each generation of dolls is displayed together with other dolls for the Hina-matsuri, or girls' festival.

How can I put it?

It's as if they've kept watch
over Tomiyo's legacy.

Tomiyo has observed its own strict set of rules since it was founded.

They have been carefully maintained by each generation.

This is my mother.
The 7th proprietress.

Kimi was entrusted with the rules by her mother Fumi, the 7th generation proprietress.

"The first-born girl must inherit the business of Tomiyo."

"Once she becomes proprietress, she must never marry."

Growing up, I always knew that
I was destined to take over.

I once fell in love with someone,
and wanted this house to burn down.

I remember wishing it would
burn down so I could get married.

Then a fire actually broke out.

I ran to the Buddhist altar:
"I'll never wish that again!"

And I apologized.

It was when Kimi was in her 30s, early in her career,

that she fell in love and had thoughts of marriage.

But, that would have meant rejecting the family rules.

She became pregnant outside of wedlock and left Gion to give birth.

In February, her daughter Naomi was born.

That afternoon, Kimi's mother, Fumi, appeared in her hospital room.

She said, "If you'll raise her to be
your successor, then come home."

"If not, just leave."
That's what she said!

That's what she told me.

Two months after giving birth, Kimi went to see the Miyako Odori.

The Miyako Odori that year
really stayed with me.

I realized that Gion was
where I belonged.

I felt sure this life was for me.

- Take care.
- Thank you, Mother.

- Thank you, Mother.
- Thank you.

Now, Kimi is undertaking a major project to ensure that an important symbol of Gion lives on.

Renovation of the Kaburenjo Theatre,

which was the venue for the Miyako Odori for more than 100 years.

It was found to be structurally unsound and performances were banned.

But one day, the Miyako Odori will be held here again.

I need to keep at it.
Keep going.

I must see this through.
Once it's complete, fine.

But I must see this through.

Kimi raised the 7 billion yen needed for the project.

The Kaburenjo Theatre was built in 1912 as a venue for the Miyako Odori.

Funds were provided by local people as they hoped the place would become a focus

of the Gion community.

These old wooden plaques were found during renovation work.

They commemorated the building of the theatre.

On one of the plaques was the name of Kimi's great grandmother Miyo, who was

involved in establishing the theatre.

Gion has been here for 300 years.

If we let Gion disappear,
we would be failing our ancestors.

I want Gion to last forever.

I must pass it on
to the next generation.

That is my greatest responsibility.

March 14th.

With the Miyako Odori just two weeks away, the maiko are practicing hard.

I still need to do better,
so I'll practice hard today.

Filming is permitted at this "all-cast rehearsal,"

where the youngest maiko will be dancing alongside their geiko sisters.

- Good morning.
- Good morning, Sister!

Yuzuha and Maya, who became maiko at the same time, have been spurring each other on.

Will their many hours of practice pay off?

- Good morning.
- Good morning!

Nice to see you.

This is where Yuzuha struggled: the entrance.

Keeping her hips low, she walks steady and straight.

And here comes Maya.

They both enter gracefully.

Including Yuzuha and Maya, 15 maiko will be appearing in the Miyako Odori for the first time.

The "so odori," featuring many dancers, is a famous highlight.

Everyone's movement must match up perfectly.

Don't just move your feet.
Everything needs to be graceful.

Your movement must be smoother.

Move like this, and you'll look like
a wooden doll. That's not right.

Set shoulders. Bend at the middle.

Keep upright.
Don't just turn this way.

If you keep doing that,
you'll never master it.

A strong core and a flexible body.

This is what the Kyomai Inoue style requires.

I'm really hungry!

- Wow, look at that.
- It's all scuffed up.

- Shows how hard we're training.
- Yes, it does!

We've all worked hard.

"A terrible disease has been
running rampant through the world."

"The festival has not
been held for 3 long years."

"The venue shall be
the Minami-za Theatre."

"Please hear the voices of
the people who have been waiting."

"And let the festival proceed."

At the end of March, emergency measures are finally lifted.

And spring comes to Kyoto.

It's April 1st.

We're so lucky with the weather!

The first day is finally here.

Perfect weather.
I'm so happy.

The first Miyako Odori in 3 years.

The venue is the Minami-za Theatre, famous for Kabuki performances.

I couldn't sleep at all.

Less than 10 minutes.
Even so, I feel full of energy.

- I'll do my best.
- "Best of luck!"

Thank you!

At long last, Maya, Yuzuha, and all the other young maiko who trained so hard during the pandemic,

will make their big performance debut.

I think the Miyako Odori is
at the heart of Gion.

I hear those first words:
"Miyako Odori wa, yoiyasa!"

And they just fill me with joy.

The audience, too, has been longing for this day.

It's a full house.

"Miyako Odori wa,

yoiyasa!"

The cherished tradition of the Miyako Odori:

the grand entrance of the geiko and maiko.

Here is Yuzuha.

She keeps her hips low for almost a minute.

The "so odori" is a performance tradition that the geiko and maiko of Gion have upheld for over 100 years.

I'm so happy I could perform
in something I yearned for so much.

A dance that's been passed down by
so many sisters who came before us.

I want to be one of those
passing it on to the future.

It's strange, isn't it?

They're not Gion born and bred,
but now they're all true Gion people.

So very fascinating.

A dance performed by women who have chosen to live their lives in Gion.

Dancing is what makes me a maiko.
That's what I like best.

When I'm dancing, I really shine
and feel so confident.

In the finale, all the geiko and maiko reunite onstage to dance together once again.

We did it!
I'm so happy.

Next year we'll be able
to perform at Kaburenjo again.

I must stay alive to see that!

- "Congratulations, Yuzuha!"
- Thank you.

As soon as the performance ends, they rush off to an o-zashiki.

It's so hot.

Spring has come to Gion, and once again, the town is full of life.

- "Well done, Maya!"
- Thank you.

I was so nervous, but I'm so happy
I was able to live out my dream.

It is said that each performance of the Miyako Odori makes a maiko more beautiful.

And each day, they'll take another step on the path to shining perfection in Gion.

Thank you for everything!