Reel Geisha: The facts vs. the fantasy.

Huntington Beach, CA—From the early geisha films from Japan such as Gion no Shimai (Sisters of Gion 1936) and Gionbayashi (A Geisha1953), to the American films, The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) and My Geisha (1961), to the recent Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), Hollywood loves geisha.

Mysterious and sensual, geisha possess the allure of movie starlets and are given the same glam treatment on film, but how authentic is what you see on the screen? The film version of Memoirs of a Geisha received a lot of criticism for straying from the traditional makeup, hair, and kimono to tell the story of the little girl from a small fishing village who became a renowned geisha in a fictional Japanese town.

Did American audiences notice? Or did the questions the film raised about the geisha lifestyle make the viewer more intrigued to know the real story behind these fascinating and mysterious icons of traditional Japanese society?

The answer is yes. Geisha mania is everywhere: Banana Republic launched a clothing line of kimono-style tops and dresses while Fresh, a skin-care and cosmetics company, has its own line of geisha cosmetics featuring rice- and sake-based products. Icon, an accessories manufacturer, printed scenes from the film onto purses and cosmetic bags. And at the recent Texuba trunk show in Los Angeles featuring vintage kimono from Japan, customers were lined up outside waiting for the doors to open.

So what is the real deal about geisha? Join geisha expert, Jina Bacarr, when she brings the provocative world of geisha to the Cheers for Writers Book Club at the Barnes and Noble in Burbank on Saturday, February 18th at 1pm.

Jina will discuss:

What does the word geisha mean? Who were the first geisha? How long is their training? What special ceremony marks the end of this training?

What is a geisha "little sister?" How are geisha ranked? Why is age an asset? Is granting sexual favors part of their job? What sexual ritual was part of geisha training?

Jina will also demonstrate the art of kimono using a formal desho kimono and a furisode decorative kimono, along with obi (sashes), etc. found in the geisha's wardrobe. For more information, check her website: http://www.JinaBacarr.com or The Burbank News at Topix.net: http://www.topix.net/city/burbank-ca.

Barnes and Noble is located in the Burbank Town Center, 731 N San Fernando Blvd.,
Burbank, CA 91502. Tel: 818-558-1383

Jina Bacarr is a radio talk show host and the author of "The Blonde Geisha" (SPICE Books, August 2006) and "The Japanese Art of Sex: How to tease, seduce, and pleasure the samurai in your bedroom" (Stone Bridge Press 2004).