Yuko Asakusa is not your average 91 year old woman.
For a quarter of a century she has been working as a traditional Japanese performer, known as a Geisha, payed by wealthy professional men to play instruments, sing, dance and engage in witty conversation.
Having always dreamt of becoming a Geisha, Yuko (whose real name is Fumi Kikuchi) undertook an apprenticeship in her teens and has never swayed from her career choice.
While the profession itself is shrinking, falling from it’s peak in 1928 of 80,000 to just a mere 1000 Geishas today, Yuko continues to work fielding reservations and mentoring the next generation.
Even after serving for a phenomenal 75 years, there is no sign of Yuko slowing down, as she vows to work until she dies “It’s not about how old I get. In my case, I will be a Geisha all my life. It’s not until a specific age, it’s until I die”.
They certainly don’t make them like they used to.