Netflix's 'The Makanai' Explores Maiko Culture Through Food and Friendship

The Netflix series 'The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House,' directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, premiered on January 12, 2023. Based on a manga by Aiko Koyama, the show follows two 16-year-old friends, Kiyo (played by Nana Mori) and Sumire (Natsuki Deguchi), who leave their families to train as maiko (apprentice geisha) in Kyoto's Gion district. Kiyo discovers her true talent lies in cooking, and each episode features a traditional dish that serves as an emotional anchor. The series depicts the strict training regimen of maiko, including a five-year apprenticeship, prohibitions on carrying money, using cell phones, or having boyfriends, and the communal life within the okiya (geisha house). Kore-eda, known for films about family dynamics, was drawn to the story's focus on food and the maiko culture. The series challenges the perception of geisha as victims, showing women who freely choose this path, an ancient art often mistaken for prostitution. The show also features quirky characters, including a Godzilla-obsessed trainee and another obsessed with George Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead,' while the okiya mother maintains a shrine to Korean actor Hyun Bin.