is an apprentice geiko. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen

Shamisen

The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...

(three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors at a feast. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geiko after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen

Shamisen

The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...

, and learning Kyō-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins.

Origin of Maiko

Maiko originated from women who served green tea

Green tea

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...

 and Dango

Dango

is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko , related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.Dango are eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons...

(Japanese dumpling made from rice flour) to people who visited the Kitano Tenman-gū

Kitano Tenman-gu

' is a Shinto shrine in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan.-History:It was built in 947, to appease the angry spirit of bureaucrat, scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, who had been exiled as a result of political maneuvers of his enemies in the Fujiwara clan....

or Yasaka Shrine

Yasaka Shrine

', once called , is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri , the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage.-History:...

(these are the two of the famous shrines in Kyoto) at teahouses in the temple town about 300 years ago.
At first, women served only green tea

Green tea

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...

 and dango

Dango

is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko , related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.Dango are eaten year-round, but the different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons...

, but they gradually started to perform songs and dances for the visitors.

Appearance

• Hair style

Maiko’s hairstyle is called nihon-gami

Nihongami

Nihongami is one of many traditional Japanese hairstyles, dating to the Edo period, today most often seen on maiko . Traditionally, two sides of the hair stick out until it curves to the back...

 (Japanese traditional hairstyle from Edo period.) They arrange their hairstyle with their own hair. Maiko put kanzashi

Kanzashi

are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. Some believe they may also have been used for defence in an emergency.In the English-speaking world, the term "kanzashi" is sometimes applied to the folded cloth flowers that traditionally adorned tsumami kanzashi, or to the technique used...

 (Japanese traditional hair accessories) on their hair with seasonal flowers. The hairstyle changes by the years of experience they have.

• Dress

Maikos wear kimono

Kimono

The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...

 with the train trailing on the floor. They wear darari-no-obi (the special obi

Obi

Obi may refer to:* Obi , a sash worn with a kimono or with the uniforms used by practitioners of Japanese martial arts* Obi-Wan Kenobi, fictional character from the Star Wars universe...

 for Maiko) over the train, which is 5 meters long and it hang from their waist to their ankles.

Jobs

In the morning, Maiko take lessons to polish their performances. At night, they go out to work. They are usually given the opportunity to feast at high-class Japanese-style restaurants or stay in Japanese-style hotels. They perform dances, songs, play the shamisen

Shamisen

The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...

, and serve visitors with sake. Recently, their jobs have expanded visiting nursing institutions or hospitals. Some Maiko are also dispatched overseas.