Ochaya

In Japan, an ochaya (お茶屋, literally "tea house") is an establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha.

In the Edo period, chaya could refer to establishments serving tea and drinks (mizujaya (水茶屋)), offering rooms for rent by the hour (machiaijaya (待合茶屋)), or brothels (irojaya (色茶屋) in Osaka, hikitejaya (引手茶屋) in Edo).

For example, for a brief period of only a few nights in 2006, one ochaya in each of the five Kyoto geisha districts offered general access to a small number of tourists who were unaccompanied by patrons, as part of a tourism promotion program, at the request of the Kyoto City Tourist Association.

Interiors will typically be tatami rooms, while exteriors may feature sheer walls (for privacy) or wooden lattices (格子, kōshi).

Geisha are not affiliated with a particular teahouse, but are instead hired from the geisha house (okiya) they are affiliated with by the proprietress of the ochaya to provide entertainment, consisting of conversation, flirtation, pouring drinks, traditional games, singing, musical instruments, and dancing.