I must say, I'm surprised and delighted at the subject of your story. So few can write with both talented style and knowledge of Japanese history/culture. And having a gaijin pose as a maiko makes for a great story. I can hardly wait for future chapters! Promise me you'll keep at it. _~

this sounds like geisha of gion by Mineko Iwasaki

i love this story its a great idea. Update soon.

Aw :( that so sad! Nanashi is so badly made fun of, that's just very unfair. I like how you wrote in her character though. I get an definite impression of who she is and at least, who she could be.
She's so anxious to please...it makes their teasing even worse. She's trying so hard.
I see many similarities to Memoirs of a Geisha in this story, so I know and understand alot of what you present here.
Great writing, I'm so glad that you finally updated! I was beginning to think that you had abandoned it. _*

Cultural point-of-note: Ochaya are not the places where geisha reside. They are often the places where geisha entertain. These places are often called 'teahouses', since 'ocha' means tea. Okiya are where geisha are known to live. Perhaps that was what you really meant.

It reminds me a little of the book Shogun (maybe just since some of the subject material is similar) - you know, the foreigner in Japan. I'm also proud of myself 'cause I know most of the words. This is a really neat story, and I hope you update soon!

Well, here is a partial answer to my question. It's kind of sad for Nanashi right now, so alone in a world such as that. Though begin raised Japanese, I guess it would be so bad.
Anyway, update soon, reply if you can. (sorry to be a bother, i'm annoying like that _)
Great story so far, I'm now hooked.

Sorry to bother you with a little question, but then you did encourage..._
Would a caucausian (sp?) woman, like Nanashi here, be considered ugly by most japanese in this time period?
I know this isn't about the geisha, but I would like to know. Please, if you have an idea, could you e-mail me and reply.
My e-mail is . Thank you for any reply, and thank you for writing such an intersting story.

Gee, Katsumi is not very pleasent is she? Well, if I had to wear make-up that ruin my complexion that bad when I got old, I'd probably be unpleasent too. _
On to Chapter 3...

Very nice. I'm already intrigued. The child doesn't look much different than me! lol. Anyway, I love almost any asian story, one would think that I was born asian in a past life. _ Especially how I adore almost anything asian, mostly japanese and chinese stuff. Sorry I'm rambling.
Also I like how you have footnotes at the bottom of the page. Very helpful, must obliged. On to chapter two.

Interesting so far. I can't wait to see where this is going. Keep up the lovely work.

nice job on this chapter! You seem to know a lot about this topic, which is good. keep up the good work!

This is great. You seem really well-learned in the art of geisha. Can't wait to read more.

This is cool. Well-written AND with a good plot.

Thanks for the explanation of Geishas. I liked the description in this chapter both of Mineko and Nanashi.