This book is set in Japan, 1930. An eight year old girl with light blue eyes named Chiyo lives in a small fishing town by the ocean. Her father is very old and her mother is dying. Chiyo had to go down to the fish market to get medicine for her mom when she tripped and fell in the rain. She was taken into the fishing harbor and met Mr. Tanaka, the owner of the market. He learned that both of her parents were just about at the end of the rope and Chiyo thought he sought to adopt her and her older sister, Satsu. They go to Mr. Tanaka's house for a night but are inspected by a lady. The next day, that same lady is waiting for the sisters at the train and they are taken to the city of Koyto, far from Mr. Tanaka and their lives as they know it. To make matters worse, when Chiyo gets out of the buggie that's took them from the train, she realizes Satsu is meant to go somewhere else. They are separated. Chiyo is taken to an Okiya. This house has a few servants, one of which is about Chiyo's age, Mother, Auntie, Granny, and a geisha, Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo is beautiful but evil; she strikes Chiyo just for being in her room. Granny is Mother and Auntie's mom. They're job is to help Hatsumomo be a successful geisha. Chiyo learns that if she is obedient, she'll go to school to learn how to be a geisha also.
This is a great book so far. The author uses great comparisons in describing little details that give the book a lot more flavor. I think Chiyo got to go to the Okiya because of her rare (for Japanese people) eye color. Whereas her sister had brown eyes.
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