Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-10-16
JAPAN.
Fine Waterfalls-N0A AlnRln9. DlrdX- No
y 'PcrKQmcd Flowers.

Ad4Aea 8uU b 10W OCuoT 10CtS:
:;We we're now approaching the vicin-
ity OF the fall, but, from The nature Of
the oauntry just about U.S. you would
hardly have expected that : waterfall
of any respectable SIZE could be very
near. But. the guide .peipted out q
thick growth of underbrush and treas
which skirted o deep depression. or
break in the surface, only few rods
distant, and said that was the point we
were aiming for.
As We drew near, the roar of many
waters greeted us, and the sound grew
louder and deeper as we passed under
the dripping foliage and descended the
preclritous and. rocky path which led
us to the bottom OF q wild, romantic.
looking canon, which was completely
shut in by steep rocky wallis, nearly q
hundred feet high.
The main waterfall was situated at
the innermost end of the circular
shaped gorge in which we stood, and
though its height was rot more than
sixty or seventy feet, yet it was very
beautiful, and mace, on the whole,
quite respectable fall. The amount
Of water was considerable, and it fell
in one solid column which struck with
great force in the oval basin below.
The noise was almost deafening, be.
oause the sounds reverberated SO from
the walls Of the gorge which encircled
ts with circumference of not more
than 500 feet. The Japs call this fall
the great "White Rope" and the little
falls close to it they call "Silver
Threads" because they are SO
many of them spinning down
over the rocks. The main
fall reminded me somewhat of the
Staubbach, which Byron likens to the
tail Of: the White Horse in. the Apoca-
iypse and the rest of the gorge is on a
small scale, like the t'valley of thous-
and springsn in switzerland, for there
are surely Thousand miniature foun.
tains, which leap from the rocky preci-
Pice to the rightsof; the main fsll, and
these add greatly to the beauty and ro-
nance of the scene. just to the left,
also, there Is what you might call a
"bridal veil" fall, so thin, smooth and
transparent is it in its airy descent.
There is rich border of foliage inclos.
ing the whole gorge, and setting off the
falls, the foam, and cataracts to great
advantage. It is, on the whole, the
prettiest spot I have seen in japan.
Although the country scenes in Ja1
pan are fresh and green and variegat.
ed, yet there are many things which
you mist in the Landscape. You do
not see the birds, nor the flowers, nor
the meadows, nor orchards, nor any
thing of the kind that We aasociatl
with country life in New England at
home. OF birds there are none, except
few little, sparrows that came twitter-
ing around now and then !; and since
first came to Japan, I have never heard
bird sing. But the crotos are horri-
BILE, great creatures, and are so bold
that they come right ACROSS your path,
md they make The day hjdeous with
their perpetual cawing. ~
The flowers are1ew and far between,
and even then are too small to be no
tice1. and they have no perfume what
ever. Meadows are entirely unknown
in the county, and every nook and
corner of available lind is sasithe,
banked off into q rice field, or else cut
up into ittle vegetable patches. The
general size of field in Japan, whether
+ for rice, grain, or other, vegetable, il
about the dimensions of an ordinary
"house lot" at home. Each farmer
has his own little field, or set of fields,
and he: attends to these exclusively,
doing all the work with q queer shaped
sSg3 4 -9Ss tSs Sa1 s ee 'o odaas1
they raise two crops each year, f6,
they have no winter Of any account
[whatev4r.. After September they begin
to plaat.xheat beams, peas and other
things of like character; and then
when spring comes they reap their
winter harvest, and Immediately after
they sow rice, cotton, indigo, sweet
potatoes, sugar can and the like. So
THAT now their ssuuntner crops .!>are
coming up, and the hot weather will
soon ripen them: .,-;:.,l: ;. ~ noi