Shimamura is a wealthy married man and dilettante from Tokyo who frequently travels to the rural onsen towns for leisure. He identifies as an amateur scholar of Western ballet, despite never having actually attended a performance, preferring to construct an imaginary version of the art form from books. This preference for imagination over reality bleeds into his personal life, causing him to view the rural environment and its women through a highly detached, romanticized lens. He routinely prioritizes his own aesthetic pleasure over the emotional realities of the people around him.

Komako is a young woman working as a geisha in a rural hot spring town to support herself and pay off debts. Initially met as an amateur in training, she soon becomes a full-fledged professional whose livelihood depends on attracting wealthy clients. She is bound by the strict financial and social rules of her profession, which clash directly with her genuine emotional attachments. She attempts to maintain a connection to a broader intellectual world by meticulously logging novel summaries in her diary.

Yoko is a young woman who works as a caregiver and lives in the same household as Komako. Previously employed as a nurse in Tokyo, she has dedicated herself entirely to tending to the terminally ill Yukio. She presents a cold, distant demeanor that some find aloof or odd, though she displays intense devotion to the select few people she cares about.

Yukio is the son of the local music teacher in the rural onsen town. He suffers from a terminal illness that requires constant care and drains the financial resources of those close to him. His deteriorating condition serves as the central gravity in the household he shares with Yoko and Komako, driving the women into difficult economic and personal sacrifices.

Kikuyu is a senior geisha working in the rural hot spring town. She attempts to leave the profession by abandoning a steady restaurant management job in favor of a marriage prospect. When the man abandons her, she is left without respectable work and is forced to leave the town in shame, serving as a bleak example of the precarious nature of their profession.

Kimi is the young daughter of the local innkeeper. She spends her time around the inn where the geishas work and entertain guests, providing a brief, innocent distraction for the workers during their shifts.