Travel and Adventure by Various Travel Authors

By Steve Bersgman

What I learned about the dying profession of geishas while I was in Japan was that geishas are entertainers who are trained in different artistic skills such as playing the shamisen (a three-stringed instrument), singing or ritual Japanese dance. And there are male geishas as well as female geishas. All three of the geishas who entertained me and my companions were of a certain age, and it seems as if the profession is going the way of the typewriter. Historically their role was important, but in the modern world, people would rather create the next Facebook than become a geisha.

In fact, after he finished his performance and sat down at the table with us for a beer, the male geisha told us there were only five male geishas left in Japan. That evening we were at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, but before I get into that, I'll introduce the female geishas who entertained my small group at the Fujiya Rito restaurant in the Chiba prefecture town of Kisarazu.

We had traveled on the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line — the bridge and tunnel system that crosses the wide bay on the way to Mount Nokogiri-Yama, but before stopping for the night, we made a reservation at this wonderful restaurant to eat and be entertained by two female geishas.

The women were attired in traditional costumes, in this case elaborate kimonos. Like I'd always seen in pictures and movies, they had their dark hair perfectly coiffed high on their heads, and their makeup was perfected to a look that has been emblematic of their profession for hundreds of years.

There were three stages to the female geishas' night of entertainment. First, they helped serve and relax us at the dinner table. Once they arrived, my glass of sake was never empty. Then came the traditional entertainment. One of them played the shamisen and sang while the other danced and occasionally sang. This was quite enthralling as these stylistic songs and dance movements were also created hundreds of years ago.

The third stage involved games with the audience. The games were simply a form of rock/paper/scissors or races that required using chopsticks to pick up small tablets, but after a few rounds of sake, we all were totally enmeshed in the competitions.

Japanese traditions and history are fascinating and often overlooked by Americans who come for business meetings, stay in high-rise hotels, shop and eat in the modern restaurants. Being entertained by the geisha is one way to connect to historical Japan, and there are many others.

The ryokan where I spent one night in Tokyo was the Sukeroku-no-Yado Sadachiyo, and it provided a very unusual experience. The traditional Japanese inn boasts small rooms that at first glance contain no bed, just a low table. In the evening, the table is moved to the side and a futon is made up on the floor.

The other odd thing about my ryokan was the traditional Japanese bath. Anyone who is taller than 5 feet 5 inches tall will find it almost impossible to use the tub in the room, but it's not really made for to be used in an extensive manner anyway. The common practice is to go to a traditional bath, which is like a bathtub for about six people.

Before getting into this tub of extremely hot water, participants must wash themselves, which means sitting on a tiny stool and scrubbing themselves down, then rinsing off with a spritzer.

The other quirk peculiar to the ryokan is that once participants arrive it is expected that they will take off their street clothes and put on the traditional yukata, or robe. Whether they are going to the baths, having dinner at the ryokan's restaurant or simply hanging about at leisure, it is customary to wear the yukata.

My favorite bit of Japanese tradition is the sport of sumo wrestling, so I headed over to the Kokugikan, or National Sport Arena for Sumo Wrestling, where there is an excellent small museum dedicated to the sport with extraordinary woodprints and printed rankings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The sport, after all, has been around for about 1,500 years.

My visit to the arena also involved eating at one of the nearby chanko restaurants, Tomoegata. Chanko, supposedly the preferred meal of sumo wrestlers, is essentially a large pot of meat, fish and vegetables cooked in a broth. I was told that chanko is cooked mostly by ex-sumo wrestlers. I didn't see who cooked mine, but it was absolutely delicious and the most substantial meal of my trip.

I also visited a couple of traditional Japanese craft stops. One that I especially enjoyed was the Ohshimaya-Onda Japanese Chochin Lantern Shop, which has been in the same location for the past 150 years. The master of the shop is Shunji Onda, a fifth-generation lantern craftsman. The lanterns here are beautiful works of art, and some carry a sizable price tag.

I spent a couple of days exploring the neighboring prefecture of Chiba (across Tokyo Bay), and one afternoon I was introduced to Misue Ota, who runs a Boso Uchiwa (traditional bamboo fan) workshop. She helps her customers make their own fan, and I was quite proud of the one I made until I saw the works of art she crafted.

WHEN YOU GO

Getting there: Traveling to Japan from the United States is relatively easy as several airlines have direct flights from both the East and West coasts. I took a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Narita, returning from Narita through San Francisco (www.united.com). An express train runs from Narita to Tokyo Station. I used it on previous visits, but this time I took the shuttle buses.

Where to stay: In Tokyo I stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel (www.keioplaza.com) in the intense office building area of the city called Shinjuku; at the Sukeroku No Yado Sadachiyo, a traditional Japanese inn (www.sadchiyo.co.jp); and the Park Hyatt Tokyo (www.parkhyatttokyo.com), the upscale, high-rise hotel made famous by the Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson movie "Lost in Translation."

What to do: Geisha restaurant: Fujiya Rito, www.fujiyahotel.com

Sumo Museum: www.sumo.or.jp/eng/museum

Lantern Shop: Edo Chochin Shop, www.chochin-ya.com

Fan Workshop: www.chiba-tour.jp/html/popup/boshu_uchiwa_en.html or http://www2.city.tateyama.chiba.jp/Guide/?stoid=3585

Steve Bergsman is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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