The Geisha Next Door

A serene suite at the Capella, where woven calligraphy panels hang above the bed.

At the Capella Kyoto, a new Kengo Kuma–designed hotel in the heart of Miyagawa-chō, travelers gain a rare glimpse into the city’s elusive “flower-and-willow world”

By Pico Iyer

I’d hardly arrived in Kyoto’s brand-new Capella hotel when a maiko, or apprentice geisha, materialized in the intimate reception area and, in front of a small, golden screen, began presenting slow and graceful dances. Afterward, she answered questions (the hardest thing about her job, she said, was keeping her hair intact for long stretches) and posed prettily for photos. Then she handed each of the six of us in attendance a name card and vanished into the dusk.

I’ve been living around Kyoto for more than 38 years, and I’d never viewed a private geisha performance before. It seemed READ ON