Like when a stone is dropped into a pond, the water continues quivering even after the stone has sunk to the bottom." How do Japanese ideas about eroticism and sexuality differ from Western ones? Does the Japanese ideal of femininity differ from ours? Which parts of the female body are fetishized in Japan, which in the West? The geisha’s ritual of preparing herself for the teahouse is a very elaborate affair; how essentially does it differ from a Western women’s preparation for a date? Not just the personal story of the main protagonist is very well written, it´s how Japans´culture and history are shown in a new perspective one wouldn´t have ever thought of because of the stigmas and prejudices the same men haunting the poor women are imposing on them with their conservative, misogynic policy. Arthur Golden, with the use of beautiful language and vivid imagery, weaves together the world around Chiyo/Sayuri, set between World War II (1929-1945) in Japan and the United States. In a story filled with hardship and sadness, the protagonist, Chiyo/Sayuri, always seems to overcome any obstacle thrown her way and find the light in every situation. Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that had happened a long while ago, and I said to you, "That afternoon when I met so-and-so...was the very best afternoon of my life, and also the very worst afternoon." I expect you might put down your teacup and say, "Well, now, which was it? Was it the best or the worst? Because it can't possibly have been both!" Ordinarily I'd have to laugh at myself and agree with you. But the truth is that the afternoon when I met Mr. Tanaka Ichiro really was the best and the worst of my life. He seemed so fascinating to me, even the fish smell on his hands was a kind of perfume. If I had never known him, I'm sure I would not have become a geisha.

So, in that sense, geisha don't talk. What I really wanted to know, though, was what it was like to be a geisha? Where do you sleep? What do you eat? How do you have your hair done? And she was quite willing, really, to talk about that. It was enormously helpful. Memoirs of a Geisha is this month’s May Readalong, and I have mixed feelings about this book. First, the pace is really slow. Usually, this is a detriment, but it is perfect for reading this over a month and having in-depth discussions. And the characters. *SIGH* What can I say about them? Hatsumomo was just a big cliché, and so was Pumpkin, and so was The Chairman. My mind on the eve of my debut was like a garden in which the flowers have only begun to poke their faces up through the soil." I did it in third person twice, and really only went to first person when I realized that I wasn't going to get the book written that I really wanted to write, unless I made this kind of imaginative leap into the mind of the character."

Media Reviews

After returning to Gion, Sayuri is summoned to a nearby tea-house. Expecting Nobu, she is instead surprised to see the Chairman. He confesses his feelings for Sayuri, that he always knew of her identity but refused to interfere with Nobu's feelings out of respect, and that he himself arranged for Mameha to become her mentor. Sayuri is finally able to confess her love to the Chairman and they share a kiss. O'BRIEN: You wrote a rather lengthy draft before you had an opportunity to meet the person who was the primary source for information? The film's setting of the 1920s and 1940s covers both World War II and the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which time Japan captured and forced thousands of Korean and Chinese women into sexual slavery known as " comfort women" for Japanese military personnel. [32] Various newspapers such as the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post and the Shanghai Youth Daily expressed fears that the film could be banned by censors, with concerns that the casting of Chinese actresses as geisha could create anti-Japanese sentiment, and stir up resentment surrounding Japan's wartime actions in China - in particular, the use of Chinese women as sex slaves for Japan's occupying forces. [33] [34]

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) – International Box Office Results – Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Sayuri’s plan to get Nobu’s attention and make him jealous has worked, even though it seemed impossible. The Chairman is now able to pursue his love for Sayuri, and she is now able to be with the man she truly loves without fear of Nobu’s disapproval. In the end, the Chairman still becomes her Danna, resulting in an illegitimate child. To provide her child with the life she deserves, Sayuri asks the Chairman to move to the United States, specifically New York City, where she opens her teahouse.

Reader Reviews

Several years later, Pumpkin debuts as a maiko under Hatsumomo's tutelage. Shortly afterwards, Chiyo is taken under the wing of Mameha, one of the district's most prominent geisha, who persuades Mother to reinvest in Chiyo's geisha training, promising to pay her twice over after her debut. Chiyo becomes a maiko and receives the name Sayuri. At a sumo match, she is reintroduced to the Chairman, but attracts the attention of his gruff business partner Toshikazu Nobu. The novel, told in first person perspective, tells the story of a fictional geisha working in Kyoto, Japan, before and after World War II. At the end of the war, Nobu visits Sayuri, asking that she return to Gion. Sayuri finds Pumpkin working in a new okiya; despite hoping to rekindle their friendship, Pumpkin later sabotages Sayuri's plan to scare Nobu off from proposing to be her danna, as revenge for taking her place in the adoption so many years ago. O'BRIEN: To what extent is this a thinly-veiled biography of the geisha ... who became your source? And she has this sort of weird fascination for adult men, first M. Tanaka and after The Chairman, and it's just so annoying. Why does she like them? Why?

Another factor to consider is the audience. Since this book aims to ‘educate’ persons who are unacquainted with the geisha culture, this can foster imaginings scaled on huge cultural misrepresentations. What’s more, given the fascinating and ‘exoticised’ nature of the book, many might equate its happenings to actual factual events. This can perpetuate myths and undermine the basis of geisha culture as a whole.

A talk with Arthur Golden

If you're looking to learn something deep about the psychology of Japanese culture, or meet nuanced characters, then I'd steer you elsewhere. The story only skims the top of the more complicated aspects of a Japan in decline, focusing mostly on a genteel lifestyle that probably seems more appealing from the outside. There's a way in which the book, written by a man and a westerner, is slightly fetishistic, but less so than you might imagine.