Memories Of A Geisha

Finally I managed to capture the elusive Geisha.
However, rather than a triumphant blip trophy I find I am a bit sad and rather ashamed.
Today we went to the Gion district famed for its Geisha tradition and enclosed Geisha village. We were hoping to see some of the dainty beauties dressed in their colourful kimonos but as it turns out we weren't the only ones.
Hordes of tourists were hovering in the streets with cameras ready, in fact there were more Japanese than Western.
The Geishas were literally running from them, as they were chased down the streets and surrounded, cameras being pushed into their face. I snapped this pretty girl (with my zoom) as she walked through it all with great dignity. It was later as I was was walking through some of the back alleys I stumbled across one of the poor girls hiding from it all, but not well enough, a couple of ladies cornered her and began snapping away. I put my camera away.
It was sad to see such a lack of respect and I'm sad to say, I don't know if the Geisha tradition will survive becoming a tourist phenomenon, I hope it does.