Throughout the film, Hatsumomo appears many times with her hair down. Although the director states in the DVD commentary that he wanted to portray Hatsumomo as a 'free spirit' and hence the hairstyle, this will never have happened in Kyoto of those times. Most geisha back then would style their hair with hot wax, and would only go to the hairdresser once a week, and wear the hairstyle day and night. Therefore, no geisha was seen walking around with her hair down, even during the day. [At these times, there were mostly Maiko (apprentice Geisha) who would style their hair with wax. Geisha women could as well use a katsura wig. It is also stated in the book. At the beginning of the movie, Hatsumomo is seen being prepared for work, and her long hair is pulled up with a net, so that she can wear the wig.]

When Pumpkin is telling Sayuri about Hatsumomo talking to Dr. Crab, she says that she was waiting outside during the conversation, and while she could hear it, she couldn't see them. However, at one point Pumpkin describes a facial expression of Dr. Crab. [That doesn't make any sense. Pumpkin does not make one of Dr. Crab's facial expressions; she makes that face to cheer up Sayuri.]

During the first parts of the movie while, Chiyo is still a young girl, she is brought to live at the okiya. Notice that her friend Pumpkin is tacking a "chan" on the end of her name (i.e. Chiyo-chan) This is a Japanese honorific that girls use for each other. When you first meet someone, even after you have known the person for a while, you still refer to them with the honorific. You only drop the honorific, and refer to the person by just their name ONLY after you have known them for a while and have asked permission. Pumpkin uses the honorific, but Chiyo does not. Failing to use this honorific when you should is very rude in Japanese culture. It can't be that she does not know this because at the very beginning of the movie, she calls out to Mr. Tanaka, saying "Tanaka-san" (the Japanese honorific equivalent to saying Mr. Tanaka). [Chiyo is her real name so chan is used, but pumpkin is not Pumpkin's real name, so chan isn't always used.]