Geisha Schoolgirls

I had spent several months in Japan teaching english to high school students when a friend suggested I visit a geisha house.

“It’s great. The women feed you, bathe you, play music for you- it’s nothing sexual though, it’s just a chance for a man to have women be subservient to him. There’s an inexpensive one I know about. The girls are younger and less experienced geishas, but I think you’ll like it. “

One weekend I went to the place he reccomended. The lady behind the counter seemed to look on me with some disdain, probably because I was an American, and I figured I would get the least experienced girls.

She handed me a robe and pointed me toward a room. As I stripped down and put on the robe I looked around the room. It had paper screens with paintings on them for two walls, and the other two were wood. There was a hot tub and cushions and a low table on the floor.

I heard the paper screen slide aside and a young girl’s voice excitedly say, “Mr. Edwards ! ” I turned around and saw two of my students from the high school standing there wearing kimonos.

“Kimmi ! May ! I didn’t know you two girls worked here. ” I knew these two girls well. They were both very interested in America and learning english, and would walk along with me asking me questions, and sit with me in the park across from the high school where I would eat lunch

“We just started working here, ” Kimmi said. “In fact, you are our first customer ! “

May laid out a tray of sushi, shrimp, vegatables and tea, and Kimmi directed me to sit on the cushions.