Hanamachi

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A hanamachi (花街, lit. 'flower town') is a district where geisha live and work in Japan. Each hanamachi typically has its own name, crest, and distinct geisha population, with geisha not typically working outside of their own district. Hanamachi usually contain okiya (geisha houses) and ochaya (teahouses where geisha entertain).

Historically, hanamachi could contain a high number of okiya and ochaya, and would also contain a kaburenjō (歌舞練所) as well – a communal meeting place for geisha, typically containing a theater, rooms where classes in the traditional arts could be held, and a kenban (registry office) who would process a geisha's pay, regulation of the profession, and other related matters.

Gion, a geisha district in Kyoto, also has a vocational school, called nyokoba. Many of the teachers there are designated as Living National Treasures.^{[citation needed]}