Geisha by Liza Dalby
All the houses located on the east side of Pontocho have wooden platforms in back, extending out over the wide river bank. These square verandas are strung with paper lanterns in warm weather for geisha entertainments. Summer has traditionally been thought the best season to appreciate Pontocho. Bright lanterns swing gently in the breeze off the river, and at dusk the Eastern Mountains look like an ink wash painting in which each receding mountain pales to a lighter shade of gray. Every Pontocho teahouse has invested in air conditioning, which does a more thorough job of cooling than a river.....
