Japan is reeling from a 20-year economic slump, and has recently been surpassed by China as the world's second-largest economy. What the Japanese call the "lost years" have taken a serious toll on some of the country's most beloved cultural icons, including the Geisha. Instead of charging several hundred dollars for tea, dancing and artful conversation, many now have to look for other ways to make a living. Al Jazeera's Steve Chao reports. Shot and edited by Matthew Allard.
The changing world of Japan's Geisha from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.
The Geisha from Matthew Allard on Vimeo.
Gearfuse adds:
At the peak of their career, they numbered over 80,000 in Japan. Now, boiled down to a number lower than 1,000, the modern geisha has become more a novelty than the once revered and exclusive figures they once were. Largely the result of a 20-year economic slump in Japan, professional geisha, born and raised into the life of servitude, entertainment and feminine grace, have largely become a show for tourists, rather than the companions for the extremely wealthy and powerful in decades and even centuries past.
Thanks to I Heart Chaos.
Original Link: http://vimeo.com/14288152
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