Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House [English]

Kiyo and Sumire are childhood friends from Aomori Prefecture who move to Kyoto to become maiko. Sumire learns quickly, thanks to her talent and diligence. Kiyo struggles with all the skills and is eventually expelled. However, Kiyo is very talented at cooking and becomes the maiko house. Kiyo supports Sumire and the other maiko through her cooking. Each episode has two parts. Each part has an event, Kiyo cooks and then Kiyo and Sumire share some tea while they discuss the meal, techniques to make it, and sometimes even the history of the dish. In Kyoto, maikos are geikos, or hostess entertainers in training. In most of Japan, they are called geisha, instead of geiko. It's a heartwarming and sweet slice-of-life that's beautiful to watch.