As a result, an unfortunate nickname has even been given to these tourists: “geisha paparazzi.”Foreign tourists have sometimes struggled to understand Japanese customs and etiquette.
In 2015, Kyoto created pamphlets and paper handouts that used pictograms to illustrate travel “nuisance activities” like littering, using selfie sticks, smoking in prohibited areas, and taking photos of geisha and maiko.
Plenty of rules, little enforcementToday, signs in three languages also explain that geisha photography is not allowed without a permit, and that violators could be charged up to ¥10,000 ($67).
Most maiko and geisha (these words are both singular and plural in Japanese) use this road, making it the prime spot for “paparazzi” to gather.
Still, Ota and other Gion residents are looking for ways to curb the “geisha paparazzi” issues.
Persons:
women’s kimonos, Gion, Isokazu Ota, Kike Calvo, ”, Ota, maiko
Organizations:
CNN, Theatre
Locations:
Gion, Kyoto, women’s, Side, Japan, Ota, ”, Easter