Ochaya

Though the term {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} literally means "tea house", the term follows the naming conventions of buildings or rooms used for Japanese tea ceremony, known as {{nihongo3|lit. "tea room"|茶室|chashitsu}}; as such, though tea is served at {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} as an ordinary beverage, it is not, unlike teahouses and tearooms found throughout the world, its sole purpose.

When used as part of a name, the honorific prefix {{Transliteration|ja|o-}} is not used in Japanese, and the plain {{Transliteration|ja|chaya}} is used as a suffix, as in "Ichiriki Chaya". In English, this is not always observed, and terminology such as "Ichiriki Ochaya" is sometimes used. {{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}} are often referred to instead simply by their name, as in "(the) Ichiriki".

File:Ichiriki Ochaya 2.jpg

{{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}} are typically very exclusive establishments; with very rare exceptions, a person may only enter if they are already an established patron, or are accompanied by a patron, with reservations.{{cite web |last=Burgess |first=Steve |title=The powder puff girls: My $5,000 night at the most exclusive geisha house in Japan. / Memoirs of a gai-jin at the Ichiriki: For 400 Years, Japan's Legendary Geisha House Has Been Satisfying Clients. Tonight, Captain Coquette, Sultaness of Spark, Has Eyes Only for Me |work=Salon |date=13 June 2001 |access-date=8 July 2008 |url=http://www.salon.com/2001/06/13/ichiriki/}}

Relationships to {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} can often be traced back generations, and are generally associated with a family or company. Switching {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} is not generally possible,{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} and even patronizing {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} other than the one with which one is associated is considered a very serious breach of manners.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

In exceptional circumstances, these restrictions are relaxed. For example, for a brief period of only a few nights in 2006, one {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} in each of the five Kyoto geisha districts offered general access to a small number of tourists who were unaccompanied by patrons, as part of a tourism promotion program, at the request of the Kyoto City Tourist Association."Exclusive Kyoto Teahouses Open Doors to Tourists." Yomiuri Shimbun [Tokyo] 30 Jan. 2006: .

{{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}} cater to a discreet clientele, and thus do not present a particularly conspicuous front, but nor are they particularly secretive as to their location. {{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}} are generally located on or near the main streets of their geisha district, and will generally have the name at the entrance, with an {{Nihongo|entrance curtain|暖簾|noren}} and front garden in larger houses, which can be glimpsed from the street. In Kyoto, {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} are licensed by the city, and all display a metal badge at the entrance reading {{lang|ja|"「京公許第〜号」「お茶屋」"}} (Kyoto public license #..., {{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}}).

As traditional establishments, {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} occupy buildings exemplifying traditional Japanese architecture, most often {{Nihongo|town house|町家/町屋|machiya}} style construction, particularly in Kyoto. Interiors will typically be tatami rooms, while exteriors may feature sheer walls (for privacy) or {{Nihongo|wooden lattices|格子|kōshi}}.

The main function of an {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} is to provide a private space for entertainment by geisha (including apprentice geisha). Geisha are not affiliated with a particular teahouse, but are instead hired from the geisha house ({{Transliteration|ja|okiya}}) they are affiliated with by the proprietress of the {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} to provide entertainment, consisting of conversation, flirtation, pouring drinks, traditional games, singing, musical instruments, and dancing. {{Transliteration|ja|Ochaya}} typically do not prepare food, but customers can order catering a la carte, which is delivered to the house; geisha districts typically have a variety of restaurants serving this trade.[http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~mf4n-nmr/itiriki.html 祇園一力亭] (Gion Ichiriki-tei) (in Japanese)

The most notable and famous {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} is the Ichiriki Chaya in the Gion district of Kyoto, considered one of the most exclusive {{Transliteration|ja|ochaya}} in Japan. The Ichiriki features as a major setting in Arthur Golden's fictional portrayal of a Gion geisha's life, Memoirs of a Geisha.

• {{Transliteration|ja|Hanamachi}}
• {{Transliteration|ja|Okiya}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~mf4n-nmr/itiriki.html 祇園一力亭] (Gion Ichiriki-tei – article shows pictures of interior, a private dance show, and the house's matchbox) (in Japanese)

Category:Geisha

Category:Japanese words and phrases