About 1,000 geisha still practice their profession in Japan. Contrary to what I thought before I came here, that doesn't necessarily mean the oldest profession, though it can lead to that. Maiko, who are apprentice geisha and can be found only in Kyoto, are, to put it bluntly, virgins; geisha, not. Both maiko and geisha have patrons, and thought the patron can make sex (with a geisha, not a maiko) a requirement of the deal, they don't always. I was told that being a geisha's patron is like owning a racehorse: just another clear sign of your wealth and taste. That a man supports this woman who is so accomplished in Japan's traditional arts, and that all his friends assume he's sleeping with her (as his wife probably does) seems to be enough for many patrons, who get the prestige, no muss, no fuss. Then he goes out and gets a girlfriend, she gets a boyfriend, the wife gets a boyfriend, and everything's ducky.