Geiko and Maiko call to the world from Kyoto for participation in the Billion Tree campaign

On 15 February 2007, during a press conference in Kyoto, Geiko and Maiko joined hands with the Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE) to call on the world to participate in the “Plant for the Planet! Plant for the Future!– the Billion Tree Campaign”. They called for fundraising to support cost for planting trees, and encouraged individuals, groups and the private sector to get involved, and to register the number of trees pledged and planted on UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign website.

The Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), based in Tokyo (Japan), aims to build public awareness on environmental matters around the theme “Living Together on the Earth”. Since 1991, the Foundation has collaborated with UNEP to carry out various programmes targeted mostly at young people. It has recently launched activities in Asia under the 'The Forests for the Future' Project, a global tree planting campaign with the slogan “Plant for the Planet! Plant for the Future!”, under the umbrella of the Billion Tree Campaign.

In 2007, UNEP and FGPE will hold tree planting activities in Nairobi and Makueni on 30 and 31 March, the goal of which is to plant a million trees over a number of years.

Geikos and Maikos of Gion (Kyoto) heard of the campaign from a member of FGPE. Knowing that every second, somewhere in the world, a forest the size of a football pitch was vanishing, the Geishas of Gion offered to contribute by promoting the tree planting campaign from Kyoto.

Download the Invitation to the Press Conference (pdf)

Maiko were originally women who served tea to people visiting Kyoto temples about 300 years ago. Over time, they began to welcome people not only with tea but also with sake and a meal, and entertain them with dance and song. To become a maiko, the girls have to learn dance, Kyoto language, manners, etc. for one year. After becoming a maiko, she has to keep training for 5 to 6 years to be a geiko. The ceremony celebrating the transition from maiko to geiko is called eri kae (collar changing) as maiko have red collars and geiko have white. To be a geiko is to be a professional entertainer.  The districts where Geikos and Maikos live are called Flower Towns and they are venues for various traditional events held through the year.