A Day as a Geisha

A Day as a Geisha is an interactive story for grades 5 to 9 about one ordinary working day in Gion, the oldest geisha district in Kyoto. Students play Kikuno, a sixteen-year-old maiko, or apprentice geisha, on Thursday, November 18, 1965.

Kikuno has a dance lesson at half past nine, the hairdresser at one, and makeup at four before an evening at a teahouse with her older sister Kikuyo. That morning, fifteen-year-old Yoshiko arrives to begin training, and all she knows about geisha comes from a film and a magazine. At midnight, students use what Kikuno saw during the day to correct nine of Yoshiko's beliefs.

How it plays

• Students click items in each picture to fill Kikuno's notebook and choose topics to ask Okaasan, the dance teacher, the hairdresser, the obi tier, and others.
• Six short puzzles, such as putting on the day kimono in order and matching the hairdresser's tools. In the afternoon, students choose the kimono shop or Tatsumi Shrine.
• The score starts at 100, and each wrong answer at the end costs 10 points. The ending prints as a day report.
• A word list of 39 words, a free Hint button, larger text, and read-aloud.

Good to know

• Most students finish in about 60 minutes.
• The characters, house, and teahouse are invented. Gion, Hanamikoji, the Shirakawa canal, Tatsumi Shrine, and the customs are real and were checked against published sources. The teacher guide explains why the story is set in 1965.
• Open the HTML file in Chrome or Edge. Progress saves in the browser on that computer, so students can stop and pick up later. Project it for the whole class, or give each student a copy of the folder.

Grades: Grades 5 to 9.

How you get your files
After checkout, the download link is on the order page and in your confirmation email. Unzip the folder and open the HTML file in Chrome or Edge. It works offline, and students do not need an account.

Questions? support@trailposteducation.com