KYOTO--A star geisha from Gion-Kobu ... For example, she had a kimono made on the motif of ume (Japanese plum) and snow, which is only good for wearing over a short spell of days before spring ...

but it is my first year not wearing kimono on so many occasions," she said with a wry smile. While the kagai districts continue to be in dire straits, geisha are the ones hit hardest by the pandemic.