The mystery of the Geisha remains as alluring, and deeply complex, as when the ladies first came into existence 400 centuries ago.

Each demanding day begins with lessons in dance, singing, tea ceremony and music, and continues with parties -- the geisha's real work -- from six until midnight.

An apprentice geisha called a maiko. (Kyoto Chamber of Commerce) KYOTO, JAPAN – Koharu is 17 but doesn’t go to school, have a cell phone or any social media accounts.

Just eight years ago, Komomo was a Japanese teenager living in Beijing. Now she is a geisha in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital.

Long before Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" became a bestselling novel and a Hollywood movie, the Japanese geisha was an intriguing and enigmatic subject.

Susanna Quinn witnessed many horrors in her three years working as a modern day Geisha in Tokyo’s notorious Roppongi District.