Maiko with the traditional nihongami hairstyle and dangling kanzashi. A Maiko is an apprentice geisha in western Japan, especially Kyoto. Their jobs c

Maiko with the traditional nihongami hairstyle and dangling kanzashi. A Maiko is an apprentice geisha in western Japan, especially Kyoto. Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument) for visitors during feasts. Maiko are usually aged 15 to 20 years old and become geisha after learning how to dance (a kind of Japanese traditional dance), play the shamisen, and learning Ky?-kotoba (dialect of Kyoto), regardless of their origins.