The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House, also known as Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san, is a Japanese series based on Aiko Koyama’s graphic novel of the same name. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, Megumi Tsuno, Hiroshi Okuyama and Takuma Sato, the story will show the life of Kiyo working as a chef at the house of geishas. Geishas are entertainers who dance and sing traditional Japanese songs. They have a high reputation and are remarkably beautiful.
The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House Synopsis
The official Netflix description of the series is,
Two inseparable friends move to Kyoto to chase their dreams of becoming maiko, but decide to pursue different passions while living under the same roof.
Apparently, Kiyo aspires to become a Maiko, but she gets rejected for the job and decides to cook the maikos meals at least. She and her friend join the Geisha manor (Maikos’ home) and cater to all the Maikos with some delicious meals every day.
The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House Cast and Crew

The main cast of the series includes Nana Mori as Kiyo, Keiko Matsuzaka as Chiyo, Mayu Matsuoka as Yoshino, Natsuki Deguchi as Sumire, Aju Makita as Ryoko, Takako Tokiwa as Azusa, Kairi Jyo as Kenta Nakanowatari, Momoko Fukuchi as Tsurukoma, Kotoko Wakayanagi as Kikuno, Kotona Minami as Kotono, Lily Franky as Ren, Yukiya Kitamura as Takeshi Ishida, Kanji Furutachi as Kanjiro Furutachi, Keiko Toda as Kimie Sakurai, Kayoko Shiraishi as Kiyo Nozuki’s grandmother and Arata Iura as Masahiro Tanabe.
Genki Kawamura and Hirokazu Koreeda produce the series. Yohei Taneda does the production design, and the art department credits go to Haruka Kawai. The production companies are Bun-Buku and Netflix.
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The Makanai Cooking for the Maiko House Official Trailer and Release Date
In the official trailer, we can see Kiyo and Sumire moving to the Maiko house in Kyoto. They both are fascinated by the architecture representing ancient times. When the girls join the Geisha, unfortunately, Kiyo disappoints the trainers. Hence, only Sumire is given further training to be a Maiko. But Kiyo wishes to stay there and asks whether she can cook meals for them. Ultimately, she becomes the star cook of the house, and all the Maikos love every meal Kiyo cooks. It is then shown that Kiyo was meant to be a cook while Sumire is destined to be a Maiko. Here is the official trailer for you to watch.
The series will premiere on January 12, 2023, and it will consist of 9 episodes, each about 40 to 50 minutes. The series will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix for a global audience. If you’re waiting to watch this series, turn on the remind me button on the OTT platform.
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