Rural tea-rooms seek geisha girls

The Lake District is popular with Japanese tourists and there are hopes for a further wave of interest once the film Miss Potter opens in Japan.

Cumbria Tourism has translated a map of tea-serving places off the beaten track, into Japanese, and is hosting a Green Tea Day on 19 July.

And cafes on the tea trail are advertising for geishas to assist with the intricacies of the tea ceremony.

Applicants could also help translate some of the trickier recipe names, such as "tarty tarn drizzle" into Japanese.

The children's author Beatrix Potter had a home in the Lake District, and much of Miss Potter, the film about her life, was shot on location.

The Japanese are enormous fans of her creation Peter Rabbit, with many Japanese tourists visiting to the area because of the connection.

Tea etiquette

Fully-trained geishas are a dying breed and would charge up to £7,000 to fly across from Japan, so the tourist organisation is hoping there might be some local expert keen to put their skills into practice.

Annie Swarbrick, owner of the Greystoke Cycle Cafe, and spokeswoman for the tea trail, said: "We are certain those Japanese tourists who have been inspired to visit because of Miss Potter will be keen to drink in the Cumbrian landscape and experience good old Cumbrian hospitality.

"We know we are experts at creating the quintessential English afternoon tea experience, but we need guidance when it comes to tea etiquette in Japan.

"We don't think there are that many advertisements for geishas out there, so we hope to get some good applications."

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