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.

Geisha and maiko (teenage apprentices training to become geisha) are women who perform Japanese traditional arts such as singing, dancing and playing instruments to entertain customers while they dine ...

The Palme d'Or winning auteur interviewed real-life working geisha in Kyoto as part of his preparation for the series: "I realized I didn't have any idea how Geiko and Maiko actually live their lives ...