All Reviews for Geisha Shows in Kyoto

I was able to experience the traditional tea ceremony, sitting room games, and dance performances up close, which allowed me to enjoy the essence of Kyoto even more. Additionally, the Q&A session with the maiko was great because I was able to hear things that are rarely shared. Next time I come with someone else, I would like to request this tour again.

お茶の立てかた、お座敷遊び、踊りの披露、近くで観ることができて、京都らしさをより一層味わうことが出来ました。
また、舞妓さんとの質疑応答は、めったに聞くことの出来ない事が聞けたので良かったと思います。
次回、別の誰かと来る時は、このツアーをお願いしたいと思っております。

I wasn't sure about VELTRA... But everything went perfectly! Email confirmation arrived quickly; Easy to show the coupon printout and swap for tickets; Accurate location instructions.

The show itself was extremely impressive, in a beautiful theatre space, and absolutely authentic. Besides tourists, there were LOTS of locals all dressed up to enjoy a quality performance.

I would 100% recommend using VELTRA's service if you want to see traditional Japanese theatre - so much easier than the official theatre website.


One caveat: dialogue is all in Japanese. If that bothers you, you need to broaden your mind.

Oh, and the barrage of souvineers beforehand was a little unexpected - But nothing that could possibly diminish the overall experience.

Cette représentation était spectaculaire et très intéressante du point de vue culturel! À voir absolument !

Great experience! A real geiko and maiko show in pontocho

I really enjoyed this experience. A large group of attendees were served tea and a tea sweet while a beautifully dressed maiko performed the tea preparation part of the tea ceremony. Then we could take pictures of two maiko. The performance included a play and a series of dances that were beautifully performed in gorgeous costumes. Even though I don't speak Japanese, I still had a pretty good idea of what was going on from the dance movements. I had an excellent seat. Wonderful experience.

I have visited Kyoto multiple times on business trips and have seen all the temples and shrines, but I had never had the chance to interact with the okiya, maiko, or geiko, so I wanted to experience it at least once and signed up for this.

The duration was a bit short at 90 minutes, but with food and drinks included, the friendly maiko answered various questions and posed for photos multiple times. Considering that experiences at tea houses can be quite expensive, I was very satisfied to have this comprehensive experience at such a reasonable price.

This time, I was lucky because there were cancellations, and due to the season, there were fewer applicants, so we were able to enjoy the experience with just five participants. I would like to sign up again if I have the opportunity.

出張で何度も京都に訪れていて、寺社仏閣は一通り見ましたが、お座敷や舞妓さん、芸妓さんなどと接することには縁がなかったので、一度は体験したいと思い申し込みました。
時間は９０分と少し短いですが、料理とお酒が付き、気さくな舞妓さんでいろいろな質問にも答えてもらい、写真撮影も何回も応じてもらい、また、お茶屋などでは高額なことが、この料金で一通りの体験ができ、大変満足しています。
今回は、キャンセルがでたことと、季節柄、申込者が少ないことも重なり、５人の参加者でじっくり鑑賞できましたので、ラッキーでした。
また機会があれば申し込みたいと思います。

food and show was good ,but we could have done with a intererpreter in english on bus and dinner

I loved everything about this experience. I think it was well planned and it offered a lot of cool experience.
It offered more than I expected.
Maiko was professional, dinner was tasty and the views were amazing.

We will not forget this performance. It was exciting to watch from beginning to end. The performers, the show direction, the sets were all fantastic. The costumes were magnificent. There was a small downside, and that was the tea ceremony was very rushed. We were herded in and herded out, and this made us wonder why this was significant in any way.

We had a good time at the show. It was a small theatre and the show was not particularly grand, but it was a really nice and cosy performance. Loved it!

The overall experience went well. This is basically the traditional Japanese play, it only happens in a few days in May, and it's not very touristy. Most people going were actual locals, dressed in kimono. There were a few tourists, dressed more casual, but very few.
We knew that we wouldn't understand any of it. But the play itself, more the second part with the traditional dancing, was very pretty, and didn't involve much dialogue.
The tea ceremony was very rushed, and you are expected to eat the sweet and drink your tea very fast, and couldn't enjoy properly the act of the geisha actually "preparing" it.
Overall, I am glad we did it, and it was an experience to remember. But if you expect a long tea ceremony, please go elsewhere. This one was no more than 5min.

The tea ceremony was rushed and a non-event but the tea was real macha with a delicious cake. You keep the cake plate as a souvenir.
We did the photo op after the tea ceremony - it was OK.
The performance is outstanding and well worth the price of admission. Very professional, exquisite costumed and live orchestra.
Highly recommend this if you are in the Gion area.

If you are lucky enough to be in Kyoto while this is on, go! Fabulous!

It was one of the best cultural experiences. Even though i dont understand Japanese I enjoyed it thoroughly. You can buy the English synopsis of the play at the theatre itself. I faced no problem and I just went to the ticket counter and exchanged the voucher.

I'm glad I got to experience the Kamogawa Odori, a traditional event in Kyoto, for the first time. The maiko and geiko were beautiful. It's not often that you get to see real maiko and geiko, so the women I was with were also moved by it.

京都の風物詩の鴨川踊りを初めてでよかった。舞子、芸子さんのきれいなこと。なかなか、本物の舞子、芸子さんを見れないので、同席の女性も感動されていました。

We understood the Web page to be offering a demonstration of the Sado (tea ceremony) by Maiko. This was not to be. What we dis see was a superb performance of Maiko dances and period orchestra with voices performing a tribute to Japan's new era just commenced the week we were in Kyoto. Awesome talent and display of Maiko skills in song, dance and artistry of the animated gesture. The 182nd annual performance by this group. A mempry to treasure.

Maiko don't speak English; however, the staff translate everything. Maiko is so close, and it's a perfect experience about Kyoto.

maiko don't speak English however the staff translate everything. maiko is so close and it's perfect experience about Kyoto.

Un très beau spectacle, émouvant dans sa seconde partie avec notamment l'orchestre à gauche de la scène.

Outstanding geisha performance and tea ceremony. Exchange vouchers for tickets an hour before tea and show. Well organized.

Overall it was a positive experience, especially with regards to the show.
The photo session and the tea ceremony, a joke for tourists, was disappointing
I recommend buying tickets only for theater and geisha dances

There was no issue in finding the location and to get the ticket at the booth with the voucher from Veltra. I purchased Special Seat without the tea ceremony.

Thereafter, we were ushered into a hall where the tea ceremony was held. I did not know it was that when I was in the queue. When they serve tea, they realized that I didnt purchase with it and they asked me to purchase a separate ticket for it (though it was in my intention to opt out). There was no briefing during the tea ceremony as to what was supposed to happen in the process.

After that we went into a room while waiting to enter the performance hall. Although I bought a special seat unfortunately I was given the second last row of the hall. There were staff walking around with signs in Japanese which I figured later they were renting out translator machines. The group of staff while walking around with those did not mention anything in English nor were there any signs in English whatsoever.

The performance was split into 2 sections. The first was like a drama and it was difficult to enjoy the show without translation. The srcond brief was more on dance and it wad quite beautiful.

Staff could be more conversational in English throughout. A lot of foreign tourists were lost in their way from the tea ceremony to the performance as well.

This is a wonderful plan that allows you to enjoy a valuable cultural experience with a maiko, including traditional games, dinner, and photography all at once. It was also very well received by foreign guests.

舞妓さんとの貴重な日本文化体験を、お座敷遊び、夕食、撮影と全て一度に楽しめる素敵なプランです。
外国のお客様にも大変好評でした。

We participated as a group of five, including my 10-year-old daughter and my 79-year-old grandfather, and everyone said they wanted to come back. We took a lot of photos, had conversations, and played games. While watching the dance, I truly felt it was a luxurious time. Considering all the experiences we had, the price felt very reasonable. We are extremely satisfied!

79歳のおじいちゃんから、10歳の娘を含む5人で参加しましたが、全員また来たいと言っていました。写真もたくさん撮ってもらったし、お話しも出来たし、ゲームもやりました。踊りを見ている時はとても贅沢な時間だなと、しみじみ感じました。これだけ体験できてのお値段にしては安く感じました。大満足です‼︎

After an half hour bus ride to the venue, dinner was served following by a show with single maiko. It's a decent performance lasting 15 minutes. The photo taking session with maiko by individual guests took the longest time for the night's activities.

Maiko was very beautiful and graceful . Her performance was great. I enjoyed it very much. The tour was a little rush. After we finished dinner we only had 15 mins left to shop and walk around the garden. The staff in the restaurant was polite and nice. I only wish they could introduce in both Japanese and English (They only speak Japanese so we had no idea what was going on)

I had a wonderful time at the lunch with the geisha, where I was able to see the real performance of the geisha twice, and there was also a Q&A session.

お座敷舞妓さんランチで本物の舞妓さんの舞も2度も見れ更には質疑応答もありで楽しい時間を過ごせました。

The facility itself was located in a corner of a building and had no charm at all, but it was a great opportunity to see the maiko up close. I think the Q&A session was a rare chance. I learned about the struggles of the maiko. I was surprised at how composed they were, even though they are still in their teens. The photo session, dance viewing, and a little bit of geisha play were very memorable.

施設自体は、ビルの一角で全然風情のないところでしたが、舞妓さんを間近で見られるとてもいい機会でした。
特に質疑応答は、めったにないチャンスだと思います。
舞妓さんの苦労などがわかりました。
まだ１０代なのに、とてもしっかりしていて、びっくりしました。
写真撮影、踊り鑑賞、ちょとした芸妓遊びはとても思い出になりました。

This is a tour where you can meet adorable maiko at the lowest price. After having tea, you can take a coveted two-shot photo. If you have time, I think it would be great to participate.

可愛い舞妓さんに最安値で会えるツアーです。
お茶を飲んだ後はあこがれの2ショツト
時間があえば参加するといいと思います。

It was truly wonderful. The price was reasonable, but the quality was by no means lacking. The maiko, Fuku, was very kind and beautiful. It was a valuable experience. My family and I are discussing wanting to visit again with a different plan.

本当に素晴らしいものでした。お手頃価格ですが、決して内容が雑というわけではなく、舞妓さんのふく那さんがとても優しく美しく。。貴重な体験が出来ました。また違うプランでお邪魔したいと家族で話しています。

I had the pleasure of spending a delightful time with a real maiko, Fuku Yuri, from the tea house and accommodation, Hori Ya, in Miyagawa-cho, while enjoying a catered lunch box. She performed two beautiful dances, "Seasons of Kyoto" and "Gion Kouta," and even answered questions about being a maiko. Although not everyone participated, we got to experience the feeling of being a wealthy patron through the tea house play (Konpira Funafuna). Plus, photography was allowed, and we even got to take two-shot photos together!

If you're visiting Kyoto, this is a must-do! It's a low-barrier event, perfect for first-timers, so I highly recommend it to everyone!

Lastly, unlike the occasional fake maiko you might see, real maiko are rigorously trained in etiquette and manners, so their presence and demeanor are truly remarkable, making it hard to believe they are just teenagers!

舞妓さんは宮川町 堀八重(お茶屋兼置屋)の”ふく友梨”さんが来てくれて、昼食の仕出し弁当を食べながら”ホンモノ”の舞妓さんと楽しいひと時をすごさせて貰いました。
華麗な装いで、たおやかな舞を二曲も（今回は「京の四季」と「祇園小唄」）披露してもらえて、舞妓さんに関する質問にも答えてもらえたり・・・全員ではないですがお茶屋遊び（こんぴら舟々）でお大尽気分を味わえたり？・・・それに撮影フリーですし、おまけに2ショットまで撮ってもらえちゃいます～！
京都に来たらコレでしょッ！！・・・ってくらい初めてって方にも敷居の低いイベントなので皆さんも是非ぃ～～♪

最後に：たまに見かけるなんちゃって舞妓と違ってホンモノの舞妓さんは行儀作法からして厳しく指導されてるので、とても10代とは思えぬほどに佇まいからして雰囲気が違いますよ！