| Show Ii I A n TOUR THROUGH TH JAP JAPAN BY P A YODER An eleven days ocean voyage from Honolulu or altogether eighteen h days da s from San Francisco lands the Ameri American AmerIcan American can visitor to Japan at the Important port of Yokohama He Is doubtless full of ot expectation to see strange scenes In fn this extensively advertised oriental land He may be disappointed at first by finding everything V except the peo people people people themselves of 01 a v very ry European like appearance He will be ushered into one of ot the many fine European or American merIC n hotels and will hear Eng English English lish Ush spoken on every overy hand Even the he meets are largely Euro Europeans Europeans Here in the start let us ex explain explain explain i plain that it has become becom customary in Japan to designate all whites what whatever ever ver their nationality as Europeans If f therefore we say Europeans we may mean Americans as well wall The passenger has landed In the foreign settlement of Yokohama This city is IP moro more under foreign influence than any other city in Japan Kobe Is next to I Yokohama In this respect We need not go far however even ev n in Yoko Yokohama llama hama to see streets that are decidedly Japanese At the pier Dior one of the first sights that attracts the newcomer is the line lineup lIneup lineup up of with their oddly dressed not drivers dr ers but pullers eager eager eager er to have the job of transporting us to our hotel or wherever else we may wish to go As soon as business mat matters matters matters allow a little leisure time we will certainly want to make a round of this busy city in a jinrikisha Even before we are ready the jInrikisha men are after us and offer of tel to take us all allaround allaround allaround around all afternoon for tor one and one half halt yen We proceed to our business motioning them that we ve do not want them If Ie they have the least hint that we will want a jinrikisha soon they will likely follow for blocks bloks gradually coming corning down in their price until they are offering their services for a whole afternoon at fifty sen each one yen yeni i Is 13 equivalent to cents in f American money We Ve seat ourselves i F ak akS S t w p f w I h l C 2 I T Tc c A tramway reach each t ach in one of these miniature two to 1 carriages and the boy bo who may be a man steps into the shafts picks them up and trots off with long and apparently easy strides to wherever we direct him to go It makes one feel as If he were entering a second childhood to be thus trundled along on this little cart It is how however however however ever all an earnest matter with the boy bo He eagerly tries to ascertain our wishes and tries hard to please us with his services for the amount of gratuity you pay pa above the agreed price determines largely the extent of his efforts in this direction If Ie it is in Yokohama our boy bo will probably understand a 0 little English At most other places and at all inland towns we will need to give our directions in Japanese or get a friend to write out In Japanese where we wish to go We Ve soon learn learna fI a 0 few words of Japanese like for right for left to mare for stop yuke for go on etc After four weeks experience in Japan we conclude that the man manpower manpower manpower power carriages are after all a very convenient institution For short trips and many stops they are as rapid as carriages and I far more convenient They The take us through narrow streets and along paths where carriages could find no room The boy bo Is at your our service to carry bundles bundled camera etc etcor etcor etcor or to guard your belongings In the rik Isha when you leave them for a few minutes to note some point of or Interest along the way Jf ft we have an aver aversion aversion aversion sion to going in a jinrikisha on the score of cruelty to our fellow man we I need but reflect that these eastern countries have a dense population and andall andall andall all need to make a a living in some way We Ve do these boys bos a greater kindness I by engaging them and paying pa ing the fee j than by bypassing passing them by b There Is no J occasion for overworking them If it itIs ItIs itis Is an uphill road or If we are in a great Ireat hurry we call a second boy who pushes or hitches himself In front and we ve then proceed d with a doubleheader or we get out and walk uphill In stormy weather we can put up the top and put on the storm apron almost ex exactly exactly exactly as on an American top buggy only the storm apron has no slot for forthe forthe forthe the reins Except In the extreme northern part of Japan the are plentiful and In the towns and cities there are jinrikisha stands scattered through throughout J out so that a person can get one with without without Ii out delay almost any time In our hotel at Yokohama we scarce scarcely scarcely scarcely ly get seated before a tailor and a shoemaker both very ver polite China men call on us and solicit orders The tailor was profuse In his assurances of ofa n a fit tee and he promises no no takee On our return from northern Japan Tapan we again have a night in Yokohama and desiring a suit to wear In the tropics later on our journey journe we call callon callon callon on our Chinese friend and he assures us a suit finished next forenoon He took the order and measurements at 4 9 I Ip p m At we called again to have It fitted Next morning at 8 t tit we call again and find that the suit is finished all In good workmanlike manner and a goodee with which we could find no fault How Howe is this for prompt service The Japanese Inns While In Yokohama and other open ports with European settlements we put up at European hotels and have all the comforts that wo we could have at home However at times by choice and in interior towns of necessity we put up at regular Japanese inns and get more experience In the real Japa Japanese Japanese Japanese nese life In the Interior towns ton we rarely arely find any anyone one who can talk Eng ng lish not oot even oen among railroad officials or innkeepers and much less among the shopkeepers r Other O her European i 4 y att r w x z ss 4 r a xa V 1 t t Ca z zo M cx o k kr t w I Y t r 4 i JO V f k kJ J S We take a jinrikisha JI ride A room at a Japanese Inn languages than English we seldom hear spoken by any Japanese cVen cen at atthe atthe atthe the seaport towns When hen therefore in our travels we alight from the trains wherever night overtakes us as asis asIs asis is our custom we often find ourselves s sIn Jn In small country towns While the strangeness of the language puts great difficulties in our way at such places it also affords us interesting and often amusing exper experiences experiences experiences In getting along with hotel ar arrangements arrangements arrangements etc tc Without stopping at such country towns we would miss much of the purpose of this trip We Ve desire to study the life of the common people and observe the agricultural in industries rather than the tho social or commercial life lICe of the large cities On landing at such a place inquire for a inn and being shown shon one we meet the deep bows of the innkeeper innkeeper er er his wife and such servants as may maybe maybe maybe be present when we proceed with one very limited Japanese vocabulary and with unlimited motions to Inquire in regard to rates and accommodations The few expressions that we have learned have to do much service such as what does it cost takai too much food ichi ban r first train Ichi t hi ni san sanshi sanshi shi go goy etc one two three four five etc The rates understood and accepted we take off ort our shoes and enter for to step on their clean floors floor br mats with our street shoes Is the height of incivility They The use the floors for seats and what hat would we at home thing should a stranger come in jn inand inand and step on our chairs settees or beds with his shoes on We Ve are arc shown to our room which in almost every case is of the standard size Rarely are arc we assigned to a size room The mats which cover the floors are feet in size and are made of straw about two inches thick with witha a woven reed grass covering In the shape of the rooms and the furnish furnishings furnishIngs furnishings I ings ono one ideal seems to be very rigid rigidly ly adhered to There is always a sort of indentation or alcove In one wall wallin wallin in which Is hung a or I long scroll with a copy cop of some master masterpiece masterpiece piece of Japanese characters Partly I In front of this is set a fancy vase with flowers or branches brt ches of evergreen The other furniture consists of an ash ashbox ashbox ashbox box or kettle to hold the charcoal fire I Ia a table about twenty inches square and ten Inches high a writing set a ing set H a clothes rack and as many cushions on the floor as there are guests to occupy the room The writ I ing set consists of a small longhand dIed camels hair hall brush a stick of black India ink and an I tray tra all in 10 a neatly lacquered box i The smoking set consists of a asman small charcoal fire box and anda a cigarette or pipe holder bolder No wash boiler or pitcher is supplied In the room but all aU guests go to a com common common common mon wash stand in the hall Directly after showing us to our room the inn keeper orders servants up with a sup supply supply supply ply of glowing slowing charcoals and the tea service This latter is brought on a richly lacquered tray and Includes the little china tea pot the cups and sau saucers saucers ers erB and a tea kettle with hot water The tea kettle is set on a tripod over the charcoal fire In the ash box The servant pours hot water over il tI t tea in the pot and waiting a very definite length of time usually about a min minute minute minute I ute she pours out the tea into the shallow Japanese cups and offers it to tous tous tous us As only Japanese food is served at these inns we usually prefer to pro provide provide provide vide our own lunch lurch though for the tl sake of the experience we occasionally took the regular reg lar meals These were always alwa ys brought to our room and sitting sit sitting ting on our cushions on the floor we the drink the tea and eat cat the rice and fish or eggs fried shrimps vegetables and other delicacies which they the bring We even make a desperate effort at using the chop sticks provided us al although although although though after the novelty of It Is worn off oft we probably prefer to open our lunch basket and get our own knives and forks as well as a supplement of or bread butter jam canned meats fruits etc that wo we may have brought along for emergencies If at times be between between tween meals we desire tea we c call the servant by means of the electric bell bellor bellor bellor or In the absence of a bell we clap our we see sec the Japanese do doWhen doWhen doWhen When we wish to retire we also ring the tho hell bell or clap our hands and the servants bring in a 3 deep roll of quilts and spread them about six or eight Inches deep on tho the matted m floor to tb lie on and spread another for Cor cover This part is comfortable enough but the pil pillow pillow i ilow low Is quite unsatisfactory consisting of a small round bag or roll tightly filled with something that feels about like oats We can usually make a good substitute for a pillow out of an extra quilt rolled up In the morning the beds are again removed and we have havethe havethe havethe the entire room to sit in while drink drinking drinkIng drinking ing our tea and eating our breakfast The plentiful supply of boiled water for tea is very acceptable for sanitary reasons in this land where the methods meth methods methods of fertilizing the land with sewer age makes many of the wells more or cr orless orless less dangerous The building Itself is i an open frame framework framework framework work supporting the floors and roof Only a few inside halls are perma permanently permanently permanently partitioned off oft Partitions be between between between tween the rooms and also the outside walls are composed of light removable rem vable panels about the size of an ordinary door The outside panels are an open lattice work wo rk covered with translucent paper In daytime in warm warT warm weather these are arc all slid out of the way and the room is open to the street or court I Outside of the rooms and running all along the front of the building there Is a narrow walk or porch which at night is also closed from the street by wooden panels thus effectually shut shutting shutting shutting ting up the house from outside intrusion intrusion Intrusion sion There is no means of locking a room against inside Intrusion and the servants are liable 10 w bolt in at almost any time of day without giving any warning Separate bathrooms are nev never never I er provided and even the water in the thet tub t b is not changed during an evening I except eXl ept upon special request We learn i that among the Japanese they the usually have no scruples against several veral s and even opposite sexes occupying the bath bathroom bathroom bathroom room at the same time We find evi evl evidences evidences dences on every hand that the Japa Japanese Japanese Japanese nese ideals of modesty differ quite ma mat t from those of Americans and northern Europeans Yet no evidence of greater Immorality is observed by bythe bythe bythe the traveler in this cou country try Japanese Railway Service The railway trains and station ar arrangements arrangements arrangements are patterned after Euro European European European or American models in almost every particular Some cars have the central aisle lengthwise of the car with end doors and direct passage from one car to the next Others are divided Into compartments like European European Euro European cars and have the side doors The stations are called c from the sta station station station tion platforms With timetable in hand a n passenger even a stranger can keep track of the stations better than in America merica a for at each station there are arC signboards on either side of the track at frequent intervals the length of the th station platform and from any part of the train we can see I Ion on these the name of the station in English as well as in Japanese characters char characters characters Along some lines Hues they even indicate on these signboards the names of the next station in each direction This feature we think well weli worthy of ot imitation by b American merican railway managers mana managers managers gers Coaches are provided for first second and third classes The fares for first class travel average about three sen a mi mite e one and a half halt cents second class about two sen and third class about one and sen sena a mile This brings railway travel within easy reach of even the poor The main crowds of Japanese go third class As there is no prohibition against smoking in the cars and as Japanese men and women nearly all smoke the atmosphere often gets very dense and on a long ride we often get quite thoroughly smoked It seemed to be really worse in the second class than in the third class coaches In the former class passengers usually are well enough to do to abom abominable cigarettes cigarette while in the latter class they are mostly poor and use e a pipe with a very vor small cup into which they place a small pinch of tobacco that is consumed in one or two puffs With such pipes they the can not make such rapid progress in vitiating the air While the fares ares in all classes cl are rel relatively relatively relatively cheap there are no reductions for through rough t tickets and no excursion rates This also proves very conven comen convenient convenient in saving the economic traveler all the time and worry of off figuring out the best time to go to get the benefit of rates or on to what place best to buy through tickets to get |
