32. Chapter: With the Geishas in Gion, a very joyful reunion and unlimited tuna sushi for a lifetime

Yesterday, I wandered all day through Gion, the old (and current) Geisha district, where tourists dress up as traditional Japanese people in kimonos, yukatas, and parasols and clatter desperately in large numbers with these wooden sandals over stairs, hills, and alleys. They are easily recognizable, but if you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a real Geisha or Maiko, a Geisha apprentice, which is quite rare, the difference is evident at first glance.

The profession of a Geisha is diverse and requires years of training, where one must learn to engage in refined conversation on a variety of topics, sing, dance, serve, conduct the tea ceremony, dress and move elegantly and traditionally, style the hair, and apply makeup with a white foundation and a little red mouth until one looks like a Japanese woodblock print, among many other things. The girls enter this career as Maikos around the age of 15 and are trained by an experienced older Geisha for at least five years.

I've never understood this tradition, but a career as a Geisha seems to be quite desirable in Japan. The women work completely independently after their training, and the profession is highly respected. The real Geishas and Maikos appear incredibly elegant and command a great deal of respect. Six years ago, I was able to observe a ceremony honoring a Japanese poet at a memorial stone in this Geisha district, a person who seems to be passionate about and dedicated to these individuals, and I was impressed by the dignity and aura of these women.

The whole affair takes place in the small wooden houses of Gion; one can book an evening with a Geisha, but who does so and what occurs is strictly protected and hidden from the public, likely happening late at night when tourists have lost their way.

In any case, despite the crowds of tourists, I wanted to go back there because it is truly very beautiful and there is an incredible amount to see. Many of the smaller alleys are today somewhat blocked off and marked with photography bans, likely because some travelers have behaved impossibly and intrusively; there are signs indicating how to behave when encountering a real Geisha or Maiko, and what one absolutely must not do. At one of the shrines, where countless colorful fabric balls hang, symbolizing very much the overcoming of one's laziness, I am lucky enough to observe a real Maiko fully dressed with makeup and hairstyle during one of her presumably obligatory photo shoots. She has a female bodyguard and a photographer for protection, and people behave decently.

In one of the two most popular tourist streets, where sari wearers from Ohio and Hong Kong, Malmö and Düsseldorf are photographed in all sorts of poses by their companions, is also the absolutely most beautiful and stylish Starbucks café located in one of the ancient Geisha houses. You sit on flat cushions on the tatami floor at low tables, of course without shoes, sipping your latte reverently.

I struggle my way uphill through all these masses of people because I am searching for something. On the right and left, there are many small shops selling mainly sweets (tasting is allowed!) and souvenirs, lots of Peter Rabbit and Ghibli stuff, even still a whole store for Monchichis, which I loved as a teenager, causing me to squeal with delight! But I am looking for something specific: I know exactly that I was here in 2019 in a small shop where a man demonstrated so-called “eternal coffee filters” made from a porous stone; I was too stingy to buy one back then and have regretted it for the last six years!

After much shoving through the crowds and the feeling that I just want to run away from this madhouse, I can't believe it: In a courtyard, I see from afar that the same man has set up a small stand with his filters and is still offering the same filters. They are only available here; I've not seen them anywhere else. I tell him about my long-standing irritation with myself, and he appears genuinely delighted and feels honored, sells me a sample, and says