FACTBOX-What it takes to be a Japanese geisha

(Reuters) - Geishas are female entertainers in Japan who perform traditional dance and music for dinner parties and meetings at exclusive restaurants.

There were around 40,000 geisha in Japan in the mid-1950s but only an estimated 1,000 remain. Their decline is attributed to a fading interest in traditional arts and the emergence of karaoke and other forms of entertainment.

The geisha trade is centered in the ancient capital of Kyoto but other districts include Tokyo, where 300 geishas remain, and the resort city of Atami, west of Tokyo, where 230 are left.

Following are some facts about the profession:

TRAINING

-- Girls in the past could become apprentice geishas from the age of 13, but it is now illegal to become an apprentice before 18 except in Kyoto where a girl can be an apprentice at 15.

-- Apprentices used to work for several years before becoming a full-fledged geisha, but with many women joining the profession now in their 20s, they often debut as geishas from the start.

-- Geishas undergo rigorous training in classical instruments such as the three-stringed shamisen, the flute and drums. They also take lessons in traditional dance, song and tea ceremony.

-- Other skills to be mastered include entertaining guests with light conversation. Geishas are bound by an unspoken rule not to reveal details of their conversations with clients, which include powerful politicians and corporate executives.