I often travel to Japan, and have spent a lot of time in Gion, a neighbourhood in Kyoto where you can encounter geisha. Though the numbers of these traditional entertainers are decreasing, some women and girls still choose this path, and must observe strict rules for their dress, hairstyles, make-up, music, dance and singing, even as the world around them has changed. Once the streets were full of jinrikisha (rickshaws); now cars and motorbikes pass beneath neon signs. Gion is increasingly crowded with tourists, but there are fewer in the evening when I like to visit. I pay attention to the taxis to see if there is a geisha going to work or returning to her okiya (lodging). That night, I was very lucky. I saw three maiko (apprentice geisha) heading off. I felt I observed a rare moment, with the light on in the cab and the expressions of the three women, and then they were gone.
FABRIZIO BONIFAZI
is a photographer based in Rome who specialises in street photography fabrizio.bonifazi