Socially distant geisha struggle to survive in coronavirus shadow

Mayu adjusts Koiku's kimono, both of who are geisha, as Koiku wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where they will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "My father really didn't understand geisha, he thought it was like the sex trade. He opposed me so violently I thought it would tear the family apart", said Mayu. "After six years I just gave up and left", she added. "When he saw our first performance, and how hard we work, he came backstage and went to his knees and bowed really low ... Now he's a huge fan." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - - Ikuko, the "big sister" of Tokyo's Akasaka geisha district, came to the capital to seek her fortune in 1964, the year Tokyo first hosted the Olympics. But the novel coronavirus pandemic has made her fear for her centuries-old profession as never before.

Though the number of geisha - famed for their witty conversation, beauty and skill at traditional arts - has been falling for years, Ikuko and her colleagues were without work for months due to Japan's state of emergency and now operate under awkward social distancing rules.