kagurazaka has been a geisha district for more than two centuries, and a small number of women still work here as geisha today. Most visitors never meet one. This hour is a straightforward way to.

In a quiet room in Shinjuku, a working geisha performs a classical dance and sings to the shamisen. She then teaches you the ozashiki games that guests have played in these rooms for over a century, and sits down with you over matcha and a seasonal sweet to answer whatever you want to ask. An English-speaking guide interprets throughout, so nothing is lost between you.

The group is never larger than fifteen, and often much smaller. This is not a theatre show. It is closer to the way guests have always been received in a hanamachi: unhurried, at close range, and on her own terms.