AT first blush Azuha and Seiko, two geishas in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighbourhood, are paragons of Japanese decorum. With white-painted faces and silky black hair, they dance elegantly in silk kimonos for ...

Wearing tall platform sandals and a long kimono, Ikuko glides across the room as if she were balancing a glass of water on her head. She gazes at a wall of old photos in Tokyo’s Akasaka geisha house.

TOKYO — Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, long a popular destination for tourists, is closing off some private-property alleys in its famous geisha district because of complaints about misbehaving ...