It is understandable to want a photograph when you see a geisha or maiko. Japanese people may also turn their heads and think, “Oh, a geisha.” Most people do not see geisha or maiko every day, and a visitor to Kyoto may naturally want to preserve the moment.
That does not make it acceptable to photograph someone without permission.
Taking only one picture from a distance is not automatically fine just because you do not make the person stop. Pointing a camera at someone without their consent is disrespectful in itself. This is not a special rule that applies only to geisha and maiko. It is a basic matter of not photographing a stranger without permission.
A geisha or maiko walking down the street may be on her way to work. Stopping her to ask, “May I take a picture?” may delay her or get in the way of her work. Following her, blocking her path, surrounding her with a group, or repeatedly taking photographs goes far beyond recording an interesting part of Japanese culture. It treats a person as though she were a tourist attraction on display.
There are situations in which photography is allowed. At an official event where visitors are clearly told that photographs are permitted, people can follow the rules of that event. It is also acceptable when the person willingly agrees to be photographed.
Consent must still be freely given. Repeatedly asking, pressuring someone, or creating an atmosphere in which it is difficult to refuse is not respectful. Permission means little unless the person can comfortably say no.
This cannot be explained away simply by saying, “I did not know the rules in Japan.” Not photographing strangers without permission, not surrounding them, and not chasing them are matters of basic consideration before they are questions of Japanese etiquette.
The desire to look is not the problem. Geisha and maiko are unusual enough that even Japanese people may notice them and feel pleased to have seen them. But sometimes the respectful response is simply to watch quietly and let them continue on their way.
Not taking a photograph does not erase the memory. You can return home and say, “I saw a geisha walking through Kyoto. She was beautiful.”
That kind of distance may be the more graceful way to remember the encounter.