Memoirs of a Geisha Themes

Most people wear makeup to either enhance, change, or hide their looks. That's the purpose of makeup, whether you're watching makeup tutorials on YouTube to transform yourself or just putting on a...

An alternate title for Memoirs of a Geisha would be Memoirs of a Maiko or, in English, Memoirs of Being an Apprentice Geisha. The vast majority of the book takes place on Chiyo's journey to becomin...

If this book were called Memoirs of a Barista or Memoirs of a Cubicle Worker it wouldn't have been quite the sensation that it was. One of the reasons Memoirs of a Geisha was so popular when it cam...

What do you wear when you go to work or to school? Do you dress for style or for comfort? Some wear jeans and a t-shirt wherever they go. Some people must dress more formal for work, wearing a powe...

"A geisha is not technically a prostitute. Here is a useful rule: Anyone who is not technically a prostitute is a prostitute." That's Roger Ebert, summing up the role of a geisha for the film adapt...

Memoirs of a Geisha spends a lot of time talking about ritual. And there's a good reason for that: the life of a geisha is super-ritualized, with hours spent putting on makeup, doing hair, and wrap...

When Americans think of Japan and competition, they probably think of sumo wrestling, major league gaming, or those crazy obstacles courses that inspired Wipeout and American Ninja Warrior. They pr...

Geisha are masters at singing, dancing, and playing traditional Japanese music with the shamisen guitar or the tzuzumi drum. But we have to wonder if they ever put down the hand drum and pick up th...