Kyoto Maiko Entertainment with All-You-Can-Drink Full Course Dinner & Photo Op
Overall Rating
4.74
If you're in Kyoto this is a MUST DO experience
Reviewed by: MichaelBTraveller, 2020/02/02Our recent Japan trip highlight was the dinner evening with a maiko in Gion District in Kyoto organised through Veltra.
She was gracious and charming beyond belief and we felt so personally touched to have the privilege of spending time with her. The food was amazing, the drinks free flowing and plentiful, and the staff were exceptional in their hospitality and genuine care for the guests.
If you're worried about sitting on the tatame for dinner, don't. I have a pretty poor back and had no issues at all. They give you a chair back on the floor that you sit on and lean against, and you can stretch your legs under the table, so it's pretty comfortable.
It was a very small group of 7 so it felt very intimate and personal. I cannot recommend this experience any higher, it was exceptional to spend one-on-one time with such a beautiful person who embodies everything that is great about traditional Japan.
Thank you so much Veltra for making this possible!
![]()
The traditional dances of the maiko and cameras are welcome!![]()
Such a beautiful person who embodies everything that is great about traditional Japan![]()
Gracious and charming beyond belief and we felt so personally touched![]()
Playing traditional games![]()
Spending time with a genuine maiko was amazing![]()
The environment is very comfortable
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/09 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Always amazing !
Reviewed by: Jeff, 2020/01/04I’ve tried dinners with Maiko experiences before but this is the best. And now it’s been my 4th time visiting. Service food people atmosphere are all excellent. Be ready to sit on a tatami mat style or request a small stool.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/12/14 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
An amazing experience not to be missed!
Reviewed by: Jacqueline , 2019/12/09Dinner with a Maiko was the highlight of my trip to Japan. Meeting the Maiko and having the chance to interact with her was amazing. It is hard to believe that she was only 19 years old, as she exhibited both dignity and poise well beyond her years. The evening started with a dance performance from her followed by a question and answer session. She then sat down and talked to each individual table through an interpreter. I was amazed with the way she made everyone feel completely at ease in the conversation. We then played Tora Tora Tora - which is a Japanese drinking game and finally she finished the night with another dance. The food we were served was absolutely delicious and the hostesses who greeted and served us were all wonderfully welcoming and delightful in their own right. All in all, this evening was one that I will remember for a long time to come.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/09 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Amazing!!!
Reviewed by: Adri, 2019/07/15It was just amazing. The Geiko was so beautiful and sweet and the food was amazing. 10/10 for sure!!! So gonna do it again :)
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/07/11 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Outstanding experience.
Reviewed by: Semih, 2019/05/25It was an outstanding experience in a very friendly and authentic atmosphere.
I would recommend it strongly to anyone who would like to have some insightful information about life of Maikos and Geikos.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/18 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Wonderful evening
Reviewed by: Ellie, 2019/04/03My partner and I really enjoyed this. The food was delicious, the setting was authentic, and the maiko was beautiful and charming. Our English interpreters were also lovely, welcoming and helpful. The maiko only performed one dance for us instead of the two described in the event, but we still had an amazing time.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/03/30 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Trip Highlight!
Reviewed by: Amy, 2019/04/02Our Maiko Banquet experience was easily the highlight of our trip to Japan. Booking was incredibly easy and everyone was so kind about accommodating dietary restrictions. The atmosphere was dreamy and the meal was lovely. The Maiko herself was charming and beautiful! We would recommend this to anyone fortunate enough to visit Kyoto.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/03/23 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
excellent night
Reviewed by: visitors, 2019/02/26far exceeded our expectations. food was great, nice wine and we learnt so much about the whole geisha world - really really enjoyable and interesting. Do it!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/02/23 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Wonderful and enchanting evening
Reviewed by: Ali, 2018/12/22Was a fantastic evening. The Maiko was beautiful and wonderful to talk to. We learnt lots about their lives. Fun games. So much delicious food.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/12/20 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Amazing time!
Reviewed by: Lucy, 2018/12/11The Maiko performance and dinner was a truly wonderful experience. We had a great time watching the Maiko, chatting with her and playing games. Dinner was also delicious. Was a magical experience.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/12/01 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Great times!
Reviewed by: AJ-, 2018/11/22We had such a good time! Maiko performance was nice, and we enjoyed playing the game and talking to the her. Glad they were able to provide vegan dinner (minus tempura).
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/10/28 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Best Amazing Experience
Reviewed by: Rosaleen, 2018/11/01It was an amazing experience and an absolute must do while visiting Japan.. There were only 4 couples in the room with excellent girls who interpreted for us and the maiko, who spent quite a long time at each table after her performance etc. .We learned a lot about the tradition. Lots of lovely food and drink served. Fantastic evening- best ever.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/10/30 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
A Special Experience
Reviewed by: Daniel, 2018/09/24Friendly staff, with very good English speaking assistant. Made welcome right away. It is a small scale private event. Dinner dishes were excellent and varied. The show itself was authentic, nice to learn more details about this art and culture including via direct conversation with the performing Maiko. A great way to round off a memorable stay in Kyoto.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/09/18 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
It was a fabulous evening.
Reviewed by: Lisa and Jack Rhind, 2018/08/04My husband and I really enjoyed this experience of having dinner with a Maiko!
It was a highlight of our trip to Japan. The staff were very welcoming and friendly and the dinner was delicious! We enjoyed the Maiko's dances and especially getting to speak to her and interract with her. There were only 6 of us at dinner so there was lots of time to speak to Maiko and she was happy to answer all of my questions! We enjoyed playing the games with her as well and I even beat her at one of them! I would strongly recommend this evening to anyone who wants to experience the mysterious geisha world up close and personal. I loved every minute of it!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/08/02 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Lots of fun, a bit of culture, and a very enjoyable dinner!
Reviewed by: Michael, 2018/05/31A glimpse into the maiko world of entertainment. Very refined dance and etiquette.
I like the intimacy of four guests tables only, that makes it more interactive!
The after dinner games were a blast!
The staff were all very helpful, wonderful venue... a must for fist time visitors to Kyoto!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/05/29 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Very fun and interesting experience!
Reviewed by: Alison, 2018/03/29Very fun and interesting experience! The food was good. Intimate setting. We played drinking games with the maiko...she was beautiful! Learned a little about being a maiko and geisha. Really recommend this place!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2018/03/27 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Dinner with Maiko
Reviewed by: Min , 2018/01/03Highly recommended. We were warmly welcomed and it was really fun having dinner with Maiko. We were able to watch her beautiful dance, play games with her, and ask her any questions if you want to know. I had a fantastic night. The Kaiseki traditional Japanese food was delicious. Whole program was well organised. Two Japanese Interpreters spoke good English. I can’t wait to go again.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/05 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
A factinating evening!
Reviewed by: Matthew , 2017/10/30My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening with a Maiko. Her performances and one-to-one discussions were graceful and worth the money alone. The staff and games ensured a great atmosphere among all guests and made for a very entertaining evening. This was definitely a holiday highlight!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/17 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Evening with a maiko
Reviewed by: ANAT, 2017/10/28As a photographer I always wanted to have the opportunity to meet a maiko in person. The evening with Maiko was an amazing experience. It was worth every Yen. I was the only one who came alone, but the connection and interaction with the rest of the participants was immediate.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/26 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Had a great time with a Maiko
Reviewed by: Ray, 2017/10/26Going into this experience, I had no clue what a Maiko was and just thought it would a show with someone that just dresses up like a Geisha. This experience taught me a lot about the whole Geisha/Maiko profession and has made me more interested in older Japanese culture. The staff were very friendly and helpful, the food was delicious, and the Maiko was gorgeous and great to hang out with.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/24 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Fun and Educational Evening
Reviewed by: Melinda K., 2017/10/25We had an amazing time. We signed up for this with some hesitation about how fun it would be. Well, it sure delivered a lot of fun and some cool opportunities to learn. The meal was large and provided many, many courses of Japanese food. The entire time we were there we were able to enjoy unlimited drinks. We also appreciated that we were able to regularly interact with an English-speaking person who lived in Japan. We were able to talk to several of the staff who were working that evening, who spent time visiting with the customers and sharing their experiences living in Japan. In total there were about 18 people attending this event. We learned a lot and enjoyed the individual time we had with the Maiko and the group activities too. We highly recommend it and this Veltra package was well worth it. We absolutely would do this again! Very, very satisfied!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/10 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Amazing experience with a Maiko !
Reviewed by: Marc Simon, 2017/10/25My girlfriend and I went to this dinner during our trip to Kyoto, and honestly it was the highlight of the trip.
First of all, we were late by 30 minutes (which is very rude). But the staff was still super friendly and lovely.
About the Maiko:
When we arrived the staff were describing what the Maiko was wearing. They also explain how she became a Maiko, and her daily life as one.
Then she went to every single table and we were able to spend about 10 minutes with her to chat and ask any question (a translator were translating from English to Japanese).
After she visited each table, she show us a traditional dance. We then played some simple game with her, it was so fun ! Everybody played with her at least once.
About the food:
I see a lot of bad review about the food. It's traditional Japanese food and it was DELICIOUS ! You're in Kyoto, open your mind and try everything. I think we had about 5 different dish set like small appetizer, soup, sushi, tempura... there is nothing in there that I didn't like or was not cook properly.
Also, it's open bar ! We had hot sake, wine and beer.
About the place:
The place is beautiful, it's a traditional Japanese restaurant (small table & sitting on the floor).
If I remember correctly there was about 12 people in the room (us included). So anywhere you sit you will be close enough to the Maiko to catch everything.
About the staff:
They are so lovely! They were always making sure we had everything to be comfortable. They even sat down with us for a little chat together.
We both really loved it !
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/19 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Great experience!
Reviewed by: Abraham Abbas, 2017/10/17My partner and I had a great experienc! The staff were very friendly and welcoming and made everyone effort to ensure you were comfortable and that all your needs were being met. The food, Maiko performance, games, conversation and photos were well worth it and we had an incredible time. It was really memorable especially when the Maiko came to our table to speak and answer any question we had. This was a perfect addition to our last night in Kyoto! Highly recommend!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/17 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Fantastic Maiko experience
Reviewed by: Didier, 2017/10/05It was a truly great cultural experience to come face to face with a maiko and soon to be geiko. Watching her perform live and in close proximity make us feel special.
It was a remarkable experience to also be able to chat with her and immerse ourselves into this japanese culture by understanding her motivations and training to be where she wants to be. Becoming a geiko is indeed not a hobby but a life accomplishment. We also have the great opportunity to play fun entertaining games with the maiko.
I highly recommend this activity and not just for the performance. The food and unlimited sake/beer in itself was simply amazing too!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/10/03 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Memoirs Of A Geisha Bucket List
Reviewed by: James , 2017/09/29What an amazing experience! The tea house where the maiko performance is located is in the heart of Gion. It was the perfect location as we were able to walk around this quaint area of Kyoto and explore the city right after dinner.
The staff present that night were so accommodating and fun! Everyone spoke English and there was a translator present when the maiko came to your table to chat with you. We asked her questions such as how she became a maiko, how she sleeps with her hair up, her daily routines as a geisha, and so forth.
With each response we grew more curious about this mysterious Japanese human doll that sat in front of us. The staff never once rushed us during this question and answer session, and the maiko was so sweet for allowing us to take an unlimited amount of pictures with her. The staff members were so kind to jump in and be our photographers that night to truly capture this special moment in time.
We also had a chance to play traditional drinking games with the geisha and it was a fun way to interact and laugh with other travelers that came that night to experience a piece of Japanese culture. We also appreciated that there was only a small amount of other travelers present in the room (around 15 people that night including ourselves) so we never once felt left out at anytime during that night.
The food served was surprisingly tasty and drinks were refilled constantly. Not bad for a tourist based activity!
With the beautiful and authentic okaiya where the performance takes place, the location, and presence of English speaking staff, I would definitely recommend this travel experience to anyone that wants to meet a real life geisha in person!
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/19 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Truley Enchanting Experieince
Reviewed by: Callum, 2017/09/08Before coming to Kyoto we had wanted to meet a Geisha (or Maiko in Kyoto) but did not know what to expect. On this trip we got to meet a Maiko with a small group of other people while we dining.
The food and drinks were amazing but the experience of meeting Maiko and watching her dance was truley magical! We even got to play traditional party games and have lots of fun with her.
Our hosts were also incredible, explaining everything in great detail and translating between English and Japanese for Maiko.
Definitely recommend this event. This was perfect for us as we wanted to experience this in a small group rather than a private event as I think it was a great atmosphere.
| Rating: | |
|---|---|
| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2017/09/07 |
|
Was this comment helpful?
[Yes]
|
|
Dear Callum.
Thank you very much for your time and for sharing your comments here!
We work hard to make our guests happy and your positive comments let us know that we've succeeded in this goal. It's great to know that you had a pleasant time with maiko san (Fukuno)and enjoyed cuisin!
We are happy to know your son enjoyed traditional party games with Maiko san.
Thank you again and look forward to welcoming you back in the near future.
With sincere appreciation and kind regards,
Kishirou Kase