I have a few photos I have always dreamed of taking. Since moving to Japan photographing a geisha in Gion is one of them. There is something beautiful and mysterious about a geisha. They are a moving, living, breathing works of art. Graceful, elegant and playful all at the same time. Gion in Kyoto is one of the last places in Japan that still has an active Geisha District. Geisha have worked in Gion for more than 300 years. If you are lucky, you can catch a Geiko (Kyoto Japanese dialect for Geisha) and Maiko (apprentice Geikos) moving from Tea House to Tea House in the evening. I spent the first few days in Kyoto going through temples and only on the last day late in the afternoon did I head over to Gion to see what I could find.

The very edge of Gion is one of the main Geisha Houses. I figured this was actually not the best place to try to capture the photo I wanted and decided to walk up and down the small alleys to see what I might be able to find...

Today’s configuration: Leica M6 with various Leica lenses shot on Kodak Ektar film.