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Geisha makeover in Tokyo, a must do for men and women

Stefan Arestis
Geisha makeover in Tokyo, a must do for men and women

Our experience getting a geisha makeover in Tokyo includes a fascinating history of male geisha in Japan.

“As Sayuri was standing beneath the Cherry tree, speaking to the one man she loved but could not have,
a sprinkle of delicate pale pink petals fell upon them like snow…”

Gay couple travel book Nomadic Boys Out in the World

At this point, Sebastien GRABBED the remote control, interrupting the most beautiful moment of Memoirs of a Geisha to declare:

“STEFAN! One day, we too, will become geisha!”

The studio Geisha cafe in Tokyo

Fast forward a few years and we find ourselves in the unassuming Studio Geisha Cafe in Morishita, suburbia Tokyo, ready for our own transformation and experience of a lifetime.

“50% of our customers are in fact Japanese men, mainly heterosexual, who simply want to transform into something completely different”.

Michiru, a former model/actress, set up the Studio Geisha Cafe with her husband to provide people the chance to live out their dream. She's used to Japanese men who want to be transformed and we were fortunate to be her first foreign male geisha.

For those who've been following us, you'll know we love to seek out extraordinary experiences, like that one time we learnt to pout and swim like mermaids on Boracay. So imagine our jubilation when we discovered geisha makeover in Tokyo.

Gay couple travel bloggers travelling Dressing up as geisha in Tokyo
The “Before” photo

A quick word about culture appropriation!

Before proceeding any further, we want to make it quite clear this is not in anyway intended to mock or poke fun at the Japanese geisha culture.

Our intention is simply to discover more about it and celebrate this beautiful, fascinating and wonderful cultural facet of Japan.

Sebastien geisha makeover in Tokyo
Seby-Yakko preparing for his big moment to shine in front of the cameras

The elusive male geisha

Geisha comes from two words, gei and sha which translates to art person. The young geisha apprentice is called meiko, meaning dance child. Historically, geisha are entertainers who perform various arts like classical music, dancing and games.

But the original geisha were in fact men not women!

The original geisha was male advisors and entertainers to their daimyo (feudal lords), dating back to the 1200s. They were tea connoisseurs, artists and gifted storytellers. The first female geisha didn't appear until 1751 but grew so quickly in popularity that they soon outnumbered their male counterparts.

Today, there are 5 known (male geisha) in Japan according to Wikipedia (4 in Tokyo and 1 in Kyoto), like Senzo Sakuragawa.

Make that 7 if you include us…

Nomadic Boys geisha makeover in Tokyo
Geisha spotting in Tokyo: can you spot the Nomadic Geisha?

Our Geisha transformation

The make up transformation along with dressing up in the elaborate geisha kimonos took around 2 hours, plus a further hour for the photo shoot.

i. First we had to shave!

It goes without saying you need to shave before doing anything (much to Stefan's reluctance):

ii. Choosing our kimonos

The Studio Geisha Cafe has a selection of beautiful traditional kimonos to try on. Stefan chose his favourite colour (mysterious purple) and Sebastien the more chic, classical black.

geisha makeover in Tokyo choosing kimonos
Stefan always striving for subtetly (!) chose the elaborate bright pink/purple kimono while Sebastien opted for a more classical style

iii. Putting on the geisha underwear

We then had to undress to put on the hada-juban undergarment and the unique geisha pabi socks.

Geisha makeover in Tokyo geisha socks
The special pabi geisha socks which are uniquely divided in the middle

iv. The wig fitting

Before make up, the correct geisha wig had to be selected and fitted. The wig was then put aside and an under layer taped to our head, ready for make up.

Geisha makeover Tokyo wig fitting Seb
After Sebastien's under layer for his wig was in place, he was then now ready for the geisha make up

v. Applying the geisha make up

The Studio Geisha Cafe works with specialist artist Kyoko Matsushita, who has a lot of experience doing make up for men (and women).

A special oil (bintsuke abura) was applied, followed by a white mayu-tsubushi wax to hide the eyebrows and a few layers of foundation to hide beard shadow. Powder was then applied to set the foundation, followed by the shironuri white paste makeup along with red lipstick and eyeliner touches.

The shironuri white paste, so commonly associated with geisha, is a tradition from the days when there was no electricity. It was used to showcase a young beautiful face in the dark candle lit rooms.

Geisha makeover in Tokyo Sebastien 1 hours make up
Does this geisha shironuri make up showcase this young (!!) beautiful face?

vi. Kimono…wigs…lights…and action!

After make up, we were ready to put on our kimonos, have our wigs re fitted and prepare the pouts for the cameras.

Traditionally, teeth are hidden by Japanese girls when smiling as it's regarded as impolite, which is why they cover their mouth when laughing. This suited the pouting Seby-Yakko just fine!

Sebastien geisha makeover transformation in Tokyo
Seby-Yakko perfecting the pout during his photo shoot

An occasional flash of red from the undergarment is a subtle way to titillate: red is historically meant to drive Japanese men wild with passion, so geisha expose it every now and then, ever so coyly, to woo their audience.

Geisha makeover in Tokyo Stefan photoshoot
Fanny-Yakko flashes a bit of red to titillate

If you too want to transform into a geisha, we highly recommend Michiru and her team at The Geisha Studio Cafe. They can also dress you up as a samurai and offer wedding makeovers for both men and women.

Prices for the geisha transformation at the Studio Geisha Cafe are:

Men:

  • 16,000 yen ($150/£104) without make up
  • 23,500 yen ($220/£152) with make up

Women:

  • 15,000 yen ($140/£97) without make up
  • 20,000 yen ($187/£130) with make up
Explore Japan with a gay group by joining a gay tour by Out Adventures

Experience Japan on a gay tour

Psst! Want in on a secret? Our friends at Out Adventures recently launched a super kawaii tour of Japan. On this all-gay foray, travelers will ride the Shinkansen bullet train between Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Highlights include a street food tour, samurai experience, a night in an authentic onsen, and an evening in Tokyo's gay district, Shinjuku Ni-chōme.

Find out more

Watch our time lapse video of Stefan's geisha make over in Tokyo:

 

Travel recommendations to Japan

Train saving tips: Depending on how many trains you plan to take in Japan, it may be worth investing in a 7 days JR Pass ($250), which allows you unlimited travel throughout the country for 7 consecutive days. But you must buy it from an agent before you go.

We personally used Japan Rail Pass. They offered the best prices and would definitely recommend them.

Tour operator: We travelled independently to Japan but we're often asked if we can recommend a good tour company. We've partnered up with Out Asia travel who offer luxury private tours and tailored itineraries to Japan. These guys are locals, passionate travellers and have a real insight of Japanese culture. They are offering our readers an exclusive 5% discount for bookings of 7 days or more when you quote NOMADIC5 in your enquiry.

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENJOY A 5% DISCOUNT FOR YOUR HOLIDAY TO JAPAN

Happy travels are safe travels

We recommend you always take out reputable travel insurance before your next vacation. What happens if you suffer from illness, injury, theft, or a cancellation? Many gay travelers forget about it and regret it when something happens. Better to pay a small price and have peace of mind and not worry.

Read more travel stories like this in our book!

Like what you read?

We've got more stories and practical tips like this in our gay travel book, Out in the World, available to order now.

Click on the book to order:

Gay couple travel book Nomadic Boys Out in the World

For more inspiration:

Geisha makeover in Tokyo for men
Stefan Arestis

Hey everyone, I'm Stefan, the curly-haired Greek flavor behind the gay travel blog Nomadic Boys. Together with my other half, I have explored more than 90 countries across 5 continents. What I love most about traveling is discovering the local gay scene, making new friends, learning new cultures. I've written about LGBTQ travel in numerous online publications such as Gaycation Magazine, Gaycities, Gay Times and Pink News as well as for other non-gay-specific publications including Lonely Planet, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Huffington Post. Check my full bio here.

Hayley

Saturday 7th of October 2017

Wow! I kinda wish I had done this when I went to Japan :-)

Nomadic boys

Saturday 7th of October 2017

lol thanks :)

fairouz

Thursday 27th of April 2017

this is amazing ! I love it ! where is this studio in Tokyo ? i am looking for a place to do a complete geisha makeover and i would really appreciate if you had some places to recommand =)

Nomadic boys

Thursday 27th of April 2017

Thanks buddy- definitely check out geisha cafe in this article, they're brilliant!

Kim-Ling

Tuesday 7th of February 2017

I love this guys! I had no idea the original Geisha were men, but it makes sense. We are going to Japan in June and I really want to do this! I wonder if I can convince Guy to do it with me? ;)

Nomadic boys

Tuesday 7th of February 2017

Thanks Kim. He can dress up as a Samurai instead if you can't get him to be a geisha :)

Amy

Sunday 29th of May 2016

This is one of my favourite posts on your site so far! What an incredible, unusual experience. I didn't think anything could top your mermaid outfits but your geisha look is stunning.

Nomadic boys

Sunday 29th of May 2016

Thanks Amy :)

NOM NOM Boris

Sunday 22nd of May 2016

wow that is such a cool experience. SO glad you did it or else I would have never know about this.

Nomadic boys

Sunday 22nd of May 2016

Thanks buddy :)