{"id":17824,"date":"2018-01-05T12:12:25","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T12:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=17824"},"modified":"2024-08-22T11:37:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T10:37:47","slug":"are-geisha-prostitutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/05\/are-geisha-prostitutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Are geisha prostitutes? Geisha history and the prostitution myth"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Having led small group tours all over Japan\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/staff-profiles\/all\/124\/charlea-jefts\/?scroll=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charlea<\/a> has been asked a fair few questions, but &#8220;are geisha prostitutes?&#8221; come up again and again. She takes us back to the very beginning to understand the fascinating history and myths that surround the performers.<\/strong><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Shirabyoshi<\/h2>\n<p>We can trace the roots of the geisha back to the 1200s with a group called the <em>shirabyoshi<\/em>. Although they were not geisha by any means, they were similarly trained and educated in the arts. But they were prostitutes.<\/p>\n<p>They evolved into <em>oiran<\/em> from the 1600s who continued through the Edo period. Looking back on art and other visual references, the easiest way to differentiate them from geisha is the obi (sash); an <em>oiran<\/em> wore her obi to the front so she could re-tie it multiple times by herself throughout an evening.<\/p>\n<h2>The very first geisha<\/h2>\n<h2><em><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-17833\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-720x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Gion_MiyakoOdori_SE2_2004-11.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<p><em>Oiran<\/em> culture brings us to geisha. Perhaps most surprising of all is that the first geisha were not women at all, but men; though they only continued in this field for about 20 years before women became more common. Their original role was assisting with entertaining guests, but they were not allowed to have direct contact with the guests (at all) because the <em>oiran<\/em> feared they would steal customers.<\/p>\n<p>The first geisha that comes close to resembling today\u2019s performers can be traced to the 1700s; this was when they made a clean break from the <em>oiran<\/em> to entertain clientele with artistic pursuits such as playing instruments.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/newsletter\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-32150\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2400\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-1024x205.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-768x154.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-564x113.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-1536x307.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-2048x410.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-1200x240.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-900x180.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-720x144.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-1440x288.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-390x78.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-780x156.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Newsletter_SignUp_Banner-3-510x102.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-half-width wp-image-17832 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-720x481.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-720x481.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-900x601.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-1440x961.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-780x521.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Geshia-Tokyo-Bay-3-510x340.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Are geisha prostitutes, or have they ever been?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The answer flat out is<strong> NO<\/strong>. While geisha arose from the courtesan world, during the Edo period they established themselves as part of the entertainment class and were never prostitutes themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Note that prostitution <em>was<\/em> legal with proper licenses during the Edo period. These were held by <em>oiran<\/em> and lesser prostitutes, but geisha were strictly forbidden from holding such a license.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17829 size-medium-plus-size\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-510x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"510\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-510x765.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-376x564.jpg 376w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-900x1350.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-720x1080.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-390x585.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Maiko2-1-copy-780x1170.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 510px) 100vw, 510px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Modern misconceptions have largely been drawn from:<\/p>\n<h2>Mizuage<\/h2>\n<p>Arthur Golden\u2019s book <em>Memoirs of a Geisha<\/em> is written about a <em>maiko<\/em> (trainee geisha) selling her virginity to the highest bidder. If this was \u201ca thing\u201d then every geisha would have experience of prostitution at least once during their lifetime. But as it was illegal for geisha, <em>okiyas<\/em>\u00a0(geisha boarding houses) would lose their business licenses if caught. So did this occur? The answer is probably yes in some instances, but it was never acceptable or legal, even during the Edo period.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-gs1-7\/private-audience-with-a-maiko\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">private audience with a <em>maiko<\/em> <\/a>(trainee geisha)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>\u201cGeesha girls\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>So how did we come to consider geisha prostitutes? The answer is simple. Allied forces engaged in prostitution with girls dressed as geisha roaming the streets during the occupation after WWII. Not every girl that wears a red dress is a prostitute and not every girl with a white painted face is a geisha. Soldiers went home to America and spread the news about how they \u201cgot themselves a geesha girl\u201d, when they had actually been with a prostitute.<\/p>\n<p>By understanding the history of geisha and their conception, we can appreciate their role within Japanese cultural heritage and their skilled performance. They are wonderful entertainers and remarkable women who strive to promote the rich beauty of old Japan. Spend time with them or see one of their shows to support the preservation of this traditional way of life for future generations.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Meet a <em>maiko\u00a0<\/em>on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japan-small-group-tours\/i-se\/spring-elegance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spring Elegance small group tour<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-gs005-7\/gion-walking-tour-at-dusk-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">spot a geisha<\/a> in Kyoto, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-gs2-7\/geisha-dance-performances\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">watch a geisha<\/a> dance performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Planning a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/\">holiday to Japan<\/a>? Explore beyond the myths and experience the authentic beauty of Japan on your next adventure.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-17842\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-720x480.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-1440x960.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JU28.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F17824\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Having led small group tours all over Japan\u00a0Charlea has been asked a fair few questions, but &#8220;are geisha prostitutes?&#8221; come up again and again. She takes us back to the very beginning to understand the fascinating history and myths that surround the performers. Like this post? Help [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2367,2525],"tags":[3540,3543,3546,3549],"class_list":["post-17824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-japanese-culture-and-history","category-japanese-arts-and-entertainment","tag-geisha-in-japan","tag-are-geisha-prostitutes","tag-history-of-geisha","tag-memoirs-of-a-geisha"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17824"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34071,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17824\/revisions\/34071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}