JAPAN // With their elaborate kimonos,  theatrical make-up and immaculate up-dos,  the mysterious geisha usually confine their  appearances to special occasions and best-  selling novels. Yet if you're lucky you may  catch a glimpse of them shuffling by as they  go about their daily business in Gion.   Kyoto's largest entertainment district by the mid-18th  century, Gion is still a stronghold of Japanese  geisha culture. Despite thronging tourists,  it maintains an air of tradition, particularly  in the little back-lanes. Behind the closed    doors and shuttered windows of 17th-century  teahouses, kaiseki restaurants and exclusive  bars await, signalled by glowing lanterns.