I can tell you when my dream of becoming a geisha began.
It was James Clavell’s fault. If he had never written Shôgun and Richard Chamberlain had never brought Anjin-san to such vivid life, I’d have never made that vow to myself. The vow to one day go to Japan and learn how to become a geisha. Of course, I had to live the rest of my life, while keeping my dream alive. I graduated from high school, realized that I was gay and moved to San Francisco, deciding to attend college there. Four years later, I had a degree in Asian Studies and a minor in International Finance and I finally realized that my dream was within my grasp. It took another two years before I landed a job in Intel Corporation’s Tokyo office and I was off to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Life in Japan was much harder than I expected it to be. I found myself sticking with other co-workers, rather than mingle with countrymen that didn’t really like outsiders, especially Americans, and didn’t usually welcome them into their gilded circles. I made friends with one Japanese lady, though. A diminutive woman approaching forty, but looking twenty, named Tamiko Hotsubara, called Tamiko-san. Tamiko-san was the executive secretary to the CEO and we were always in close contact since I’d been assigned to work directly with her boss.
One day, she invited me to lunch and over bento boxes loaded with sushi and pickles, I took a leap of faith and told her of my dream. She gave me a traditional Japanese grunt and continued to eat, her chopsticks moving at the speed of light. I chewed, awaiting her response and when none came, I silently cursed myself for letting my resolve weaken. Finally, she set her chopsticks down and looked me squarely in the face.
“You really want to become geisha?”
“Yes, Tamiko-san. I have been dreaming about it for a long time.”
Tamiko-san pulled out a lidded bowl of chilled lychee fruit and a couple of sesame candies and we silently ate the sweet, pearl onion-sized fruit, following with the candies. “Are you busy on Saturday?”
“No.” I had planned on spending a few hours in the office to put the finishing touches on a report for her boss but I could tell that spending those hours with Tamiko-san was going to be a lot more interesting.
“I have a friend that owns an
o-chaya
. She might be willing to give you some training.”
“Oh, Tamiko-san, she could …
domo
!”
Tamiko-san just smiled, chewing her sesame candy and packing the bento box so that we could head back to work.
When Saturday came, I found myself awake at the break of dawn, meditating because I’d been unable to sleep. I dressed in khaki capris and a woven shirt and met Tamiko-san at the Tsukiji Fish Market. We had to pick up some friendly offerings to present to her friend, Hana-san. Stuffing our purchases into her shopping bag, we took a taxi to the Geisha District, also called
hana-machi
and found Hana-san’s
o-chaya
.
Hana-san met us at the door and gave Tamiko-san a hug. To me, she gave a small bow, calling me Nikki-san and escorting us into her private apartments. Her dark eyes met mine over cups of steaming green tea and I felt as if she were sizing me up and satisfying her curiosity about me.
“Tamiko-san tells me that you wish to become geisha.”
“Yes, Hana-san. That is my dearest wish.”
“Tamiko-san also tells me that you are a lesbian, that you prefer female company to male company.”
I felt heat creep into my cheeks and knew that my face had turned red, “Yes, Hana-san. That is also true.”
“The traditional geisha’s responsibility is to serve men. You would not wish to be of service to males?”
I glanced at Tamiko-san, who gave me a small nod of encouragement. “No, Hana-san. I do not wish to service males.”
“Is there such a thing as an
o-chaya
for females only?”
“Surprising that you would ask that, Tamiko-san.” Hana finished her tea and elegantly wiped her mouth. “One opened two years ago. Today, there are seven.”
“
Seven
?” Tamiko-san gasped. “Who knew that it would become so popular?”
“I did.” Hana-san gave her friend a guilty smile. “Three of them are mine.” She laughed at Tamiko-san’s expression. “I also own two that are for males only.”
“No wonder you’re doing so well!” Tamiko-san patted her friend’s hand, laughing. “Your father is truly blessed!”
“And so, we come back to Nikki-san’s request. I have a small
okiya
for the
maiko
that we train. The
maiko
live there but that is not a requirement. Would you like to go visit?”
“Oh, yes, Hana-san! I would love it!”