Ichiriki Ochaya, Kyoto

Ichiriki Ochaya (GPS: 35.00362, 135.77511) is the most famous ochaya, or tea house, in the Gion district of Japan. It is located on the southeast corner of Shijo and Hanamikoji, and is easily identifiable by its distinctive red walls.

The Ichiriki has been immortalized in the Kabuki play, Chushigura, where it is a setting of one of the scenes. Although the name indicates that it is a tea house, Ichiriki is not for the casual visitor. It is the ultra exclusive haven, off limits to all but the ultra rich and connected, a place where, if you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it.

At Ichiriki, the entertainment is provided by the geisha - a collective term which may involve the geiko - who wear a white-collared kimono, and the maiko, which is a geisha apprentice. They geishas belong to a okiya, or geisha house, headed by a matron, called o-kami, who teaches the girls various arts such as dancing, playing traditional instruments, or singing.

Ichiriki Ochaya, Kyoto

Ichiriki Ochaya is on the Map of Kyoto

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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