Gion Odori 2025

I have been in Kyoto for two weeks straight after my trip to Bhutan. I like to time my Autumn visits to coincide with the Gion Higashi dance performance which happen each year from 1 to 10 November.

The six Geiko of Gion Higashi in the opening scene.

This years was just wonderful. I went four times! I have been following the careers and developing skills of Tomitae (who I first met 15 years ago) and Tomitsuyu (who was a shikomi and not yet a Maiko when I first met her. Both are now highly skilled Geiko. The small number of artists, relative to some of the other districts, mean the six Geiko all take a few different roles over the course of the performance. There are six Geiko, six Maiko and four Jikata at present. Plus Tomikiwa, who unusually just debuted straight to Geiko, and was given the important task of performing the tea ceremony that’s offered before the performance.

Tomitsuya and Tomitae in the roles of male fan peddlers.

As a Maiko, Tomitsuyu was always looking forward to becoming a Geiko and being able to dance the more demanding and interesting roles. Those included some of the male roles she has since been able to play. It’s a real pleasure to see the performers take on the different ways of moving as traditional male characters.

A vibrant piece with very fast paced shamisen and percussion.

This year saw some more adventurous choreography and exciting lighting. I got to sit near the musicians on two occasions'. So watching the subtlety or drama of the performance to a crisp musical soundtrack was a special pleasure.

Each year, regulars look forward to the solo from senior Geiko Tsunekazu and this year’s was particularly special. She played Princess Tamaori. More about her story here.

Tsunekazu as Princess Tamaori

Each of the five Kagai or Hanamachi (Geiko districts) have large performances over the course of a year. It is really the best way for travellers to engage with these artists and over the years non-Japanese audiences have grown substantially.

Kyoto is, of course, much busier than when I first visited many years ago but the crowds are mostly focused on a handful of locations and quiet Kyoto is still to be found. I was focused on catching up with friends and exploring ceramics when not attending performances and only once stumbled onto a place frequented by big tour groups.