The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

Two girls leave their rural village to travel to Kyoto where they join a maiko (apprentice geisha) house in the hope of realising their dreams. Sadly one is a naturally elegant whilst the other seems to lack coordination and will never make the grade. The story is gently told over 9 episodes and we get to see that even though dreams are thwarted new ones can appear. The people in the house are addressed as mother, sister or brother and we see how even though they are not blood relations they all have a bond. Food is an important part of the story and many of the best scenes centre around the kitchen and how important taste and flavours can be to connect us with our past. A beautiful story with an insight into the lives of maiko but more importantly a story of true friendship.