Exactly how steamy is this story?
NC-17
The life of a geisha doesn't always mean selling your body to men, but it still means selling your body to men.
A geisha isn't a prostitute, technically, but she still has sex for money (just not as often). As a result, there are frank descriptions of sex between not-necessarily consenting parties. And when Sayuri's mizuage occurs, a ritual where a man bids to take her virginity, she definitely isn't of legal age in the U.S.
Because this is all part of the job—like mopping a bathroom or doing paperwork—Sayuri doesn't seem upset by any of it, and sometimes uses downright goofy expressions to describe the process (like "eel" and "cave")…but it's still traumatic if you sit and think about it.