With her perfectly lacquered hair, painted face and a submissive demeanor meant to please the men she entertains, the Japanese geisha has the reputation of being a lady of uncertain morals. Delicate, ...

KYOTO, Japan — On the quiet streets of Kyoto you will get a glimpse of them. Dressed in Kimono. The familiar white makeup. Walking quickly. That is the extent of what most people see of a geisha.

Geishas in Japan have an enigmatic charm about them. They are so revered that a teacher of the art was once declared a “living national treasure” in the country. Seeing a real geisha is not that easy, ...

Ayaka (not her real name) is a thoroughly modern Japanese woman. On her days off from work, she zips around Tokyo in jeans and a sweater. Stepping out: Geisha apprentices take a stroll through Kyoto ...

Geisha have been the subject of Westerners’ fascination and fertile imaginings for well over a century, but Lesley Downer’s “Women of the Pleasure Quarters: The Secret History of the Geisha” is one of ...

It took Arthur Golden 15 years to research and write “Memoirs of a Geisha,” his bestselling novel set in 1930s and ‘40s Japan. It didn’t take quite that long for the story to make it onto the screen, ...