You couldn't be more wrong...
True professional "geishas" are women who have undergone extensive training over years and decades. They are HIGHLY compensated to provide CLASSICALLY costumed and made up attractive, talented music, dance, poetry, conversation and beauty to any number of gentlemen gathered for dinner...
One can tell the level of respect or appreciation a Japanese host is showing his guests - by the ration of Geisha to Guests he has ordered.... The higher the ration, the more the business relationship means to the host - is the way I've had it explained to me.
A Senior Geisha - one who is at least 40 to 50 years old will mesmerize the average America.... The grace of movement while simply pouring a drink, passing a dish or rising from a kneeling position and walking across the room is a sight that must be seen to be appreciated.... They are art in motion.....gliding like a cat and in a costume that takes one back a thousand years..... They are beautiful to behold -- beyond description...
True - some are kept women by a specific "benefactor" -- but they are on a far higher plain and league than karaoke or bar girls who are little more than fungible whores and present throughout the far East....
The ONLY way most Westerners ever get an opportunity to be in the presence of a truly professional Geisha in a locale like Kyoto's Gion is to be taken there by a member of a private club or be taken to a very exclusive restaurant a heavy hitter Japanese host --- because most Westerners would never dream of entering due to the cost....
