1202nb+Ancient+Civ+Report 

Many Americans became interested in geisha culture after seeing __Memories of A Geisha__. In that movie, the main character was named Sayuri, which in Japanese means “Small Lily.” She is similar to many traditional geisha in that she wears a kimono , wears the same hair and makeup, and strives to have a danna, or steady client. Unlike them, however, she has eyes like water, crystal blue. She a lso wants to follow in her own path to become the chairman's wife, which is almost forbidden in the Geisha world. If she succeeded in this, she would definitely have to resign from the Geisha occupation. Regardless of this movie’s popularity, many people in Japan believe that Geishasare worthless and stereotypical. These same people also feel that geishas simply grasp for the attention of men, or people in general. But the truth is that Geisha have to learn and practice for hours learning how to dance, walk, and keep secrets like a real “Geisha”. One of the reasons why Geishas were so popular in Ancient Japan is because they had to keep their mouth closed and not say a word after seeing a client for tea, or drinks. The truth of the matter is, Geishas are the entertainment for the men after a long day of work to get them to smile for when they get back to their wives and family.

The Geishas had a process for getting ready to see a client. The first thing they did was apply white powder on their face and their necks to symbolize a mask, and a small showing of bare skin almost like a glimpse of skin in the United States. Then they would put on their red lipstick that was as red as a ripe red apple, next they would do a small wing on their eyelids. They would wear their hair with an up do and put ornaments and artificial flowers depending on the time of year. In fact, it takes a Geisha well over an hour to complete their beautiful look.

Geishas clothing is one of the most expensive looks in the world. The most important part of the Geishas outfit is their kimono, a silk dress that cost up from $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the design silk quality and color, Secondly, they would

 wear high clogs with socks like high heels in the U.S. Geishas are very dependent on a reputation and if a bad thing was said about their outfit they probably won’t have many clients for a while.

In order to become a Geisha, you have to go through years of training. If you were brought into the Geisha world at an early age, you had to go through minor dance sessions weekly. If you are brought into the Geisha world at an older age, you would have to go to dance sessions daily. Young geisha have to know what they are going to do for the rest of their life so they learn their culture. As the Makio gets older, she needs to learn how to put on makeup and learn how to cheer up clients. In my opinion, becoming to be a geisha is harder than being a Geisha.

While Geishas still exist in modern day Japan, their popularity is dwindling. This is happening for a number of reasons. One reason is because a young woman can just put on a fake kimono, a wig, and makeup, and call herself a geisha, and the client would have to pay less money and more time with the wanna-be Geisha. The second reason is that many young Japanese men pay no attention to geisha; in fact, lots of them don't even know what they are. The biggest reason why geisha are becoming less noticed is because after World War II, people started to lose jobs and forget about the luxurious geishas. Even though they have become less popular, geishas can still teach us many things, such as the importance of beauty, manners, and tradition.