Tokyo's Geisha: Inside the closed world of Japan’s Enigmatic Icons | Foreign Correspondent

In Japan the geisha community is a closed world. The way of life behind the iconic women with striking makeup, bold black wigs and exquisite silk kimonos is largely unknown - even to many Japanese. So how do geisha operate in the modern era? What is life really like for a geisha in 2026?

On Foreign Correspondent reporter Natalie Whiting takes us into the private lives of the geisha. With incredible access we meet one of Japan’s most famous geishas and the young women who have given up the freedoms their friends enjoy to devote their lives to one of Japan’s ancient artforms. Once, more than 13,000 geishas lived and worked In Tokyo. Now there’s only around 200. And they’re on a mission to open up to the world in an attempt to save this ancient performing arts tradition.

Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on conflict, natural disasters and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.