Miyako Odori 2027 (Geiko & Maiko Spring Dance, Kyoto)

Miyako Odori is the spring dance performance of the geiko and maiko of Gion Kobu, one of Kyoto's geisha districts, staged every year since 1872. The 153rd edition runs from 1 to 30 April 2027 at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre, with three shows a day. The hour-long show never drops its curtain, moving through eight scenes that follow the seasons from one spring to the next, and a new work is created each year. Geiko play shamisen and sing on one side of the stage while maiko play flutes and drums on the other, all live. A fine choice if you want to see geisha dance properly in a theatre during Kyoto's spring.

Miyako Odori began in 1872, when Kyoto held Japan's first exhibition to revive the city after the capital moved to Tokyo, and the geiko and maiko of Gion Kobu danced as a side attraction. Since that first season, Gion Kobu has danced only in the Kyomai Inoue style, and the fifth Yachiyo Inoue choreographs the show today. It opens with the call "Miyako Odori wa, Yo-i Yasaa!" as dancers in matching pale-blue kimono enter along the walkways on both sides of the hall. Tea-ticket holders can join a tea ceremony before the show in the Ryurei style, with tables and chairs, which was devised for foreign guests and first shown at the Miyako Odori in 1872.