Show I l PO A airi iIi Out of Luck k J TT 4 II f R I Iv v l f Y I 4 wry wt P. P tf 1 1 1 1 f y an H ry w tP a 9 L' L M R At jv 4 r j r s a r ti Y S a at t i b LEAF 4 C ar sM I w. w wr f z yV J. J iB By Sheba Tokio eT JAPAN today Is being swept by a craze for tor Western forms of dancing and American Jazz Hundreds of public dance halls the opening of which until only a a. afew few months ago was strictly prohibited by bi the police are sprouting like mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms mush mush- rooms In the larger cities of the empire Thousands are flocking to these halls nightly to be Introduced to the charms of the fox trot the varsity drag and the various blues and hops bops and what note nots The result Is that the geisha girl girt once the undisputed queen of Japanese entertainers entertainers enter enter- Is rapidly losing her popularity For one thing she is too expensive an en entertainer entertainer entertainer en- en to be patronized regularly in these days of Nippon's financial depres depres- sion True she still is picturesque In her gay kimonos and brilliant nt obi or sashes and her gay insouciance her saucy quick repartee and her charming manners still attract a goodly number ber of men of wealth but she no longer is the favorite of the ordinary Japanese man who finds In the thed d dance nce halls a a. companion who imbibes no expensive sakI the national Japanese al alcoholic alcoholic alcoholic al- al coholic beverage and who is 15 s satisfied with being paid a a. few cents for a dance or two Consequently the dance halls are almost al almost al- al most always overcrowded while the geisha houses are all but forsaken In fact one visiting any of the numerous Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese dance halls hails In Tokio would Imagine that Western dancing was made for the Japanese They take to It like Uke ducks take taketo to the water and yet strange to say dancing was not up to about six months ago popular in Japan The reason for this is that for years public dancing has been strictly prohibited in Japan just as kissing ti Jis still prohibited Following the tho earthquake catastrophe of 1923 when Japan suffered tremendously through the tho loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and the destruction of property valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and after the passage of the American Immigration tion Act of 1924 which was regarded as a alight might against t the e Japanese people saddened saddened saddened sad sad- Jap Japan n was In no mood to engage In such light-hearted light amusements and any one seen dancing ev even n in his own home was likely to be mobbed dancing at that time and until PUBLIC as recently as 1927 was prohibited In practically every part of the empire In Tokio there was dancing only at the Imperial Imperial Im tin- penal Hotel one o the largest hostelries cast of Suez but here too it was abruptly halted when a group of rowdies brandishing brandishing brandishing bran bran- dishing swords broke Into the ballroom In which some scores of people were dancing dancing ing and threatened the dancers with physical physical phys phys- ical violence unless they forthwith ceased their frivolous pastime In 1927 Osaka the principal Industrial city of the empire for the first time permitted permitted permitted per per- the opening of public dance halls These places however were ere not popular due to the strict regulations governing their operation T The e regulations provided that All' All persons entering a dancing hall must register their names and addresses es esat at the entrance of the hall haIl as well weli as at atthe atthe the tho local police station Persons under 21 years of age must bring the written conent consent con- con ent sent of their parents Drinking and eating within the hall are strictly prohibited No o unduly noisy musical Instruments are to be played A list of the names and addresses of all aU i o yi J r At left a hostess of ofa a Japanese anese dance hall ball h above lI such where as shown men f G Geisha els h a G. G Girl It 1 o 0 of f t the h eL Flowery Dl tOW ery K Kingdom d v dance with girls S a provided Loses Her by bythe the Popularity and f management nt w t 0 k Pines for fr Partners Turns t i as Japan i to Jazz and J Oriental Youth Y m Joins in Craze Graze 4 4 for Imported Y 4 American Dancing y L Z ti L ay a y Lk j rs I T 4 dan dancers rs on the floor must be posted in a a. conspicuous place Waitresses are prohibited from dancing Lights must never be extinguished Doors leading Into a dancing hall must not be fitted with locks which can be operated from the Inside Dancing must cease at 10 P. P M. M Such regulations naturally would keep most moot people from visiting dance halls and this was the case until about six months ago when these regulations were amended and It was only then that the dance craze really took Japan by storm At present hundreds of skeptical subjects of the conservative conservative conservative con con- Island empire are dally daily becomIng becoming becoming becom becom- ing interested In the idea of dancing and jazz Each week sees the opening of a new dance danco hall or pr two In Tokio and and- probably as many more In Osaka Kobe and other large cities and yet thero there are not enough halls to which the tens of thousands of university students young business men and a legion of middle-aged middle men In various various various vari vari- ous walks of life can comfortably go The metropolitan police of Tokio receive on onan onan onan an average ninety applications applications- each month for permits to build dance halls halb Inthe hi In hithe n the capital The strange thing about Japanese dance halls halb is that one never takes women and girls to them All AU partners are professional dancers and It Is 15 still not regarded proper to Invite members of the feminine sex to dances In this particular dancing in Japan In exactly the predicament in which motion pictures were up to a half a dozen years ago when women of the better classes seldom went to picture shows It will however not be very long before respectable women will wUl find And their way Into dance halls hUb for the opinion Is gradually gaining ground that dancing far from being Improper Is 15 a a. he healthy pastime The rhe surprising thing about the popularity popularity popularity larity of dancing In Japan Is 15 the fact that despite the many regulations enforced by bythe bythe bythe the police pollee the pastime grows grows' In popular- popular Ity Uy A GOOD number of the senseless re restrictions restrictions restrictions re- re which applied to the dance nee halls hails of Osaka two years ago are being enforced at present In Tokio and to add to this the police officials of ot Ja Japans Japan's ans an's capital capital capital capi capi- tal have thought up a number of other rules Just as idiotic For Instance after fter the termination of f a dance number the themen themen themen men must sit on one side of the hall while the women must retire to the opposite opposite site sits side There must be no conversation between the men and girls during the In Intervals Intervals In- In and there shall shaU be no drinking or 1 Ji 1 7 Vo n v This geisha girl represents a class of Japanese entertainer whose L popularity is threat threatened ned by d dance nce vogue eating whatever within the hall The re result result re- re sult suit Is that immediately the orchestra commences playing there Is a race of the themen themen themen men to the opposite side siele of the hall haIl for partners No ng is permitted anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where In Japan after arter 11 P. P M. M Some of the dance halls are so strict that they do not permit any conversation whatever between patrons and partners even cven during dancing At other p places aces managers of the halls require their dancers to obtain the seals of their parents parents parents par or guardians to a a. statement giving the exact time of their arrival each evening evening evening eve eve- ning at their home so that this tills can be checked up with with the time tune of the departure departure departure depar depar- ture of the dancers from the halls Going out on wild sprees with patrons Is not countenanced by these places But this Is 15 not deterring the men from storming the the halls And the greatest sufferer from t this ls dancing rage is the geisha girl Just Justus as the picturesque are being driven out of ot the cities by the practical Ameri Ameri- made can-made automobiles so the geisha girl Is finding it more and more difficult to tomake tomake tomake make her living since the Introduction of the fox trot the blues and the varsity drag This Is greatly to be regretted for the geisha girl is not contrary to the tho opinion of her held In America a a. waltr waitress Ss in a bogus teahouse but an important part of Japanese society As one writer has described de- de scrib scribed d her The geisha girl cannot be classified according to Western standards at all There is nothing like her In Occidental civilization If It one excludes the the cabaret entertainer which she resembles only slightly it if at all an Her ethical attitude has nothing at all to do with her profession and is s strictly her own business In the broadest sense she the Is 15 a a. singing girl hired to enliven Japanese banquets In n lieu of the dinner after-dinner speaker who in America has done so BO much to revive the old custom of dining at home In a more definite sense she is a a. charming guest whose talents are always available nh to give a Wt bIt of f gay gayety ty to what might otherwise be a dull dun evening She is the product duct of Pu a charm chann school that has sought to cultivate her personality per per- rather than improve her mind She knows how to singa little and how bow to H dance the odd little posturing posturing dances of Japan and how to play on a a. zither- zither like instrument with three strings but n No o Lights Out I IN TN N J JAPAN AP AN when the nation nahan H went went In in for American jazz dancing the following allowing rules were enforced en en- forced arced in dance halls 1 Drinking and e eating a at t i n g within the hall are strictly forbidden n. n 2 No unduly noisy musical instruments are to be played 3 3 A list of the names and addresses add res s e s a of f all dancers on the floor must be posted 4 4 Waitresses are prohibited prohibited prohibited from dancing 5 Lights must never be extinguished 6 b. Doors Door leading into a dance hall must not be befitted befitted betted fitted with locks which can be operated from the inside 7 1 Dancing must cease at 10 P. P M. M chiefly she knows something about the theart theart theart art of conversation This final accomplishment has made her what she Is today Some of the great ladies ladles of Japan are former geisha girls For generations she has been the grand Follies of opera and the Japan But this certainly Is not all the accomplishments accomplishments accomplishments of the geisha though the foregoing foregoing foregoing fore fore- going description sums up the Impression of her which the average a Westerner ob obtains obtains obtains ob- ob during a a. stay in n Japan The fact tact Is that the geisha girl is one of the important im im- important Institutions In the empire She knows ws more political secrets ts confidential business agreements and mysterious J. J I L r p p A Japanese dancer J executing an an Oriental conception of x a i the Charleston f k ti vate matters matters all all of which she guards guard with her life than life than any anyone one else eIse As a a. consequence she plays an Important important important Im im- part In the social life Ute of Japan and commands high respect She Is 15 considered considered considered con con- essential to every banquet for she sho ad adds a a. touch of beauty and gayety to what would be an otherwise dull attain The geisha Is also an important cog Inthe in inthe inthe the affairs of government and business mIllS Is so because of the strange In- In JL ol born characteristic of the Japanese race raco which encourages wariness and secretiveness and discourages frankness Matters of state as well as business problems problems problems lems seldom are discussed candidly There is always a a. mask of disguise when two Japanese get together to talk over anything anything anything any any- thing over which there Is likely to be the slightest embarrassment on either elther side lido During the rec recent nt session of f the Diet which came to an end late in March Ll l after a session of three months the newspapers newspapers news news- papers dally daily reported the holding of meetIngs meetings meetIngs meet meet- ings of the various political parties patties In 11 such-and-such such a a. restaurant or In such- such such and-such a teahouse From the Prime Minister down every political chieftain In the capital attended one or another of these e meetings sometimes as 8 often as es asten ten times a week Now although the average Westerner would hardly suspect it It these restaurants and teahouses are y nothing but geisha houses of the higher class The he politicians gather here frankly discuss their plans and problems And t this applies to business men as well 1 Unless he has been educated abroad or has resided for a considerable length of time In a a. foreign country it Is next to i impossible to persuade a a. Japanese to speak frankly when discussing an important Im Important important im- im question That Is th the teaching that has been handed down for genera genera- Consequently the geisha house Is made use of whenever important political or J business matters are to be discussed o Naturally being ever pres present nt at these functions the higher type of geisha girl girlIs girlIs Is familiar with what Is going on on and and J these Include numerous deep political secrets and Important confidential business buss busi 4 a ness conversations but seldom has a a. s' s geisha girl been known to divulge these j mysteries to any one Geisha Geisha- the Geisha the word literally means an a entertainer entertainer are are a product of the Yedo civilization and first mention of the word y geisha was made In 1761 These girl girla are recruited from all aU corners of the empire empire em em- i pire and are apprenticed d from a very from childhood early age frequently Girls 7 or 8 years old are generally selected by agents 1 1 of the leading geisha houses from among the children of 9 the poorer classes and are ara bought for life Ufa for sums ranging from a a. hundred to R more than a thousand dol dol- 4 lars jia ji J a I The child chUd geisha geisha slie she la is t not known as a a. geisha thenIs then f 15 Is first placed under the most severe discipline her s' s duties being many and tedious First of all all she Is 18 expected to wait walt upon the older j girls the real geisha and for hours every everyday 1 l s day she goes through exacting lessons In etiquette so that later on she excels even evena a court lady She learns polite speech and repartee she is 15 taught to pose and to make all aU R her movements graceful She spends an n endless number of hours bours under an ex- ex geisha dancing teacher She learns Innumerable innumerable In Innumerable in- in numerable songs and how to compose her own on lively topics or about people It 1 is a hard life cruel In many ways and q scarcely to be compared with the training of chorus horus girls and cabaret entertainers In the United States or to that of the Japanese dancer In Western dance halls WHEN a geisha girl reaches the age of 15 or 16 she comes out and Is 11 V Y taken by her ber master to be introduced to the numerous restaurants and teahouses I In the district In which she expects to j appear If she Is 15 attractive the the restaurants restaurants restaurants I rants call for her ber whenever their favorite 1 patrons call and It Is on these occasion that the |