Right across the river from Pontocho, is another Geisha district, known as Gion.
Originally built to accommodate the needs of travellers and visitors to the Yasaka shrine, Gion had since evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in Japan.
Due to the decline in the number of geisha in Gion, the district is now famous for the preservation of traditional architecture and entertainment.
One of the major preserved street is the traditional Hanami Lane and its surroundings.
To improve the preservation of traditional architecture and the original beauty of Gion, projects are on-going to restore the streets by moving all overhead utilities underground.
Because of the misconception that geisha are prostitutes, Gion is popularly misunderstood as a red-light district. In actual fact, Gion is not, and never was one.
No comments:
Post a Comment