Love geisha! I wonder if they are still common in Japan?

From what I understand, the number of Geisha in Japan is at an all time low since they began. It is a shame, too, because they are, in some ways, the gardians of certain traditional Japanese cultural phenomena. However, since the practices of how girl come to be geisha have changed, there are fewer geisha all together. For instance, when Japan was not doing well economically, before WWII, many girls were sold into okiya in order for the family to get some money. Now that such poverty is not an issue, and the girls can choose to become a geisha or not, there are a lot fewer. I think the most active geisha hanamachi in Japan is still Gion Kobu in Kyoto. All the other ones, it seems, keep up appearences for tourists for the most part, and are not as dedicated to the traditional geisha lifestyle.

One more thing, if you are interested in what life is like for a geisha, you should read "Geisha: A Life" by Mineko Iwasaki. She was a top geisha in Kyoto before she retired at age 29 and wrote an autobiography about her life in Gion.