Pearl of Gion: Return of the Miyako Odori (2023)

The prestigious entertainment quarter of Gion in Kyoto Prefecture is one of the largest in Japan. As an area priding itself on traditional hospitality, Gion was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several geiko and maiko lost their places of work, and without any opportunity to pass down traditional ways to the new generation, the art itself seemed in danger. The revival of the Miyako Odori, a large-scale dance performance to be performed for the first time in three years, is their only hope. We join some young maiko who fell in love with this wondrous district and life in Gion as they attempt to overcome adversity. We bring you rare footage from inside the okiya where they live and train; a side of life normally unseen by outsiders. Young maiko work hard to realize their dreams in the sometimes strict, sometimes kind world of Gion.

• First Air Date: 2023-05-15
• Last Air Date: 2023-05-15
• Total Seasons: 1
• Total Episodes: 1
• Episode Runtime: 59 min.
• Director: Maki Kubochi
• Creator: NHK World-Japan