[](http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/) [**Japanology Plus**](http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/japanologyplus/) ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– **Dec. 18, Thu.** [**Geisha**](http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/japanologyplus/archive201412120400.html)  A private banquet in the company of geisha is considered the ultimate in elegant hospitality. A common misconception is that geisha are courtesans - in reality, they are skilled practitioners of traditional performing arts. At one time, there were 80,000 of them working in Japan, but only about 1,000 remain today. Our expert guest Kenji Watanabe, a scholar of early modern Japanese literature, will guide us into the real world of geisha. And in Plus One, playing party games with geisha!  Going a step further from our previous series BEGIN Japanology, host Peter Barakan visits experts in various fields to show Japanese culture from a new perspective.