On my trip to Kyoto in April a friend took me to an ‘ochaya’ to eat and drink whilst being graced with the presence of a maiko-san. You can’t just turn up to an ocha-ya, you have to be invited by a member, a custom known as ichigen-kotowari. As such, many Japanese people never get to experience such an evening so I feel very privileged. 
We were served with a multi-course meal known as kai-seki. It seemed never ending due to my trouble eating seafood and other traditional dishes. Still, I was grateful as my host had kindly asked for some dishes to be changed on my behalf.
My friend is a professor at a Kyoto university and as it turned out he had taught the ochaya’s young ‘mama-san’ so the atmosphere was perhaps more relaxed than normal. It turned out that she had actually spent some time in America after graduating which just seemed like such a world away from her current job and appearance. She claimed not to remember much English but I wasn’t 100% convinced.
Of course, there was our Maiko-san as well. She was very polite and interestingly she ended her sentences with ‘dosu’ instead of the standard ‘desu’. I have to admit that it felt a little odd chatting to and being served by a seventeen-year-old, not to mention all the make-up! As was explained, most of the customers at ochaya are men so Maiko are used to men’s talk and it’s not uncommon for them to be surrounded by conversations involving ‘shimo-neta’ (talk of sex, etc.). I guess Maiko have to grow up pretty quickly. 
Being underaged our Maiko-san wasn’t really allowed to drink but on occasion she’d take the tiniest sip, presumably for our benefit. In contrast she kept pouring my glass full of beer so as usual in these situations I had no idea exactly how much I was drinking. There were only ever two large bottles of beer on the table but they were quickly replaced if either became empty.
We saw a traditional Maiko dance as well. All I can say is that is was extremely elegant. Apparently, it was one of the performances she had to do as part of her Maiko test.
One of the most incredible parts of the evening was when I came back from the toilet. Our lovely Maiko-san was kneeling outside the large (20 or so tatami mats) room awaiting my return. As I approached she slid the door open for me to enter. Now that is service!
Wow! What an experience. Most Japanese, especially females would probably never step into an ochaya. Thanks for posting this. Even though I might never have the chance to step into an ochaya (lingered outside one in Kyoto for quite a while though
), your post made me feel like I was there itself. Would you have photos of the kaiseki meal as well?
Yes, it certainly was a special experience. I only took a couple of pictures of the kai-seki but I’ll try and upload them for you to have a look.
Did you manage to get any photos of the Maiko-san as you lingered outside the ochaya?
Tried to, think I even saw 1 geisha alighting from a taxi. But they move amazingly fast. It’s unbelievable how mobile they can be on those geta. Didn’t managed to get any shots of them, unfortunately
Apparently they don’t like being snapped on the streets but it’s OK if you are a customer inside an ochaya as they are ‘on-duty’ so to speak.
Have you seen the pictures of the kaiseki I uploaded? You might need to refresh your browser.
Is that main photo of the zensai only? I always imagined kaiseki meals to have like fifteen dishes or so, and are exceedingly exorbitant in price.
Yeah, the dishes were brought out almost constantly for probably at least an hour.
Apparently the food isn’t actually made at the ochaya but ordered locally.
Interesting. I feel like I’ve attended a cultural lesson.
Really?
I’m not sure if all ochaya work in this way but apparently this one had links to a restaurant very nearby.
Another interesting part was when I was walking to the toilet I spotted a member of staff using a small lift instead of the stairs which we’d walked up to the first floor (second level)! I guess everywhere has mod-cons these days, even in Kyoto’s ochaya.