[Reuters] Ikuko (pictured below), the "big sister" of Tokyo's Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before.Though the number of geisha - famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts - has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan's state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules.
"There were more than 400 geisha in Akasaka when I came, so many I couldn't remember their names. But times changed," Ikuko, now 80, said. Only 20 remain, and there aren't enough engagements to take on new apprentices - especially now.