Sukoshi Japanese Vocabulary

Kimono	Robe style tradition Japanese clothing
Obi	Kimono waist bands
Maiko	Apprentice Geisha, confined to Kyoto hanamachi
Geiko	A geisha
Gei	Art/arts usually dancing, singing, drumming, playing the shamisen, tea ceremony and other traditional Japanese arts
Okiya	The geisha house where geiko and maiko live
Ochaya	The tea houses where geisha primarily entertain
Tabi	Buttoned toed socks
Okobo	Platformed sandals for Maiko
Misedashi	The debut of a new maiko, and her rite of passage
Furisode	'Swinging sleeve' kimono, long sleeved kimono for young girls
Erikae	The changing of the collar/chignon, when a maiko becomes a geiko
Edo	Tokyo (prior to 1868)
Kyoto	The old capital of Japan, and home to many of the hanamachi
Hanamachi	Geisha areas, the suburbs which okiya and ochaya are located
Hanadai	Flower money, the rate of pay for a geiko. Maiko are usually paid at half hanadai, geiko at full. Geiko may set the rate of their hanadai depending on demand and quality of the service.
Iki	Simplistic chic, a style of fashion for which the Geisha are known
Jikata	Geisha who sing or are musically proficient in instruments such as the drums, shamisen or Japanese flute. These geisha often accompany the dancing geiko who get more of the glory.
Kaburenjo	The meeting place for each Hanamachi, usually contains a theatre and offices and the geisha schools
Onesan	'Older sister' a term used by a maiko or geiko to her elder geisha mentor
Okasan	'Mother' the term used for those who run Okiya
Onsen	Volcanic hot springs, a popular leisure attraction for many Japanese, and the home of 'onsen geisha' or 'low geisha' who perform for tourists.
Onsen-geisha	'hot springs geisha' These are usually untrained 'geisha' who serve alcohol and service parties. This is a term for low class geisha as onsen-geisha are not culturally refined nor dedicated to their position much as Tokyo or Kyoto geisha
Minarai	The observation period where a maiko trains by observing her onesan
Mizuage	'The flowing of the waters' when a maiko loses her virginity, once this was a traded commodity but Japanese law forbids this practice now.
O-zashiki	'Tatami room' A party or banquet, the term is used by geisha to refer to their appointments
Sake	Rice wine, can be served hot or cold. Beware it's strong!
Shamisen	3 stringed guitar style instrument played by geisha. The Shamisen is dismantled and carried in a box between performances. Traditionally shamisen were covered with cat skin for the best sound.
Shikomi	An era of training now dying out, shikomi is the period before minarai where a young girl serves as a maid or house girl prior to becoming a maiko.
Tachikata	Geisha who dance, often these geisha are more expensive or more in demand than their musical geisha counterparts.
Taikomochi	Male geisha, these are more comedic entertainers than cultural ones and are now dying out.
Ukiyo-e	'Pictures of the floating world' woodblock prints of the pleasure quarter areas in the Edo period.
Ko-uta	Short shamisen songs frequently performed by Geisha
Danna	A long term geisha patron, who supports a geiko financially and enjoys a special relationship with her (may lead to sexual activity, but not necessarily)
Han-gyoku	Tokyo apprenticeship geisha
San san kudo	'Three threes, nine times' a ceremony involving taking 3 sips of a sake cup, 3 times over, shared with a partner. This is a part of the traditional Japanese marriage ceremony but for geiko and maiko this is the practice used to bind a maiko to her onesan at misedashi.
Yu-u-jo	Literally "play girls" courtesans of the Edo period walled Pleasure quarters. The Yuujo were divided into classes, the highest of these were the Tayu which many mistake for Geisha.Yuujo were prostitutes of varying classes, it should be remembered that these practices are outlawed in post-Meiji Japan and that Geisha are not for sexual sale.
Yu-u-kaku	The walled pleasure quarters. Designed to control prostitution and minimise social uprising the yuukaku was a place a man (of considerable wealth) could enjoy himself for up to 3 days. The Pleasure Quarters sent more than one man to the debt collectors. Though samurai were forbidden from visiting the pleasure quarter it was often tolerated; though many kept the charade of disguising themselves for visits.
Oiran	The highest classes of prositutes including the Tayu. Oiran had a pleasure ill afforded many yuujo - they could refuse their clients, and could choose why they spent time with. Oiran were seen as a mark of status, if you could afford their prices and gain there interest you had truly made it.
Kemban	The geisha 'union' offices, usually held in the kaburenjo for each hanamachi