Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-02-14
Travelling I'm Japan.


We found accommodations, never so
very bad, in all the villages Of any
size, and tine japanese hotels are as
good according 10 japanese ideas of
comfort) as those in any other country.
The rooms are clean and warm bath
is always to be obtained. The natives
sleep rolled in padded quilts of cotton
and from these a fairly comfortable
European bed can be easily extempor-
lied, by spreading one for mattress,
rolling mp another for pillow, and
using third as a cOverlet. We always
found the people at the inns civil and
attentive in the extreme. During the
whole of our journey of II days, from
Kiota to Toxic, we lived on japanese
food. with the exception of four small
pots of Liebig's extract of beef, and
some spirits AID tobacco. Eggs and
rice are always ta be obtained, and Oc
casionally fish, with other dishes, the
origin of which the European traveller
would DO well not to ask. If accepted
on trust, some of them are by no means
bad.
The japanese appear to travel great
deal about their own country, and To
shift their residence frequently. Native
guide-books and itineraries are to be
obtained along all the roads of any i'm
portance. They usually give the dis
tances between the towns and villages,
and list of the best inns at each place.
On leaving an inn, it is the custom, in
some parts of the country, for the land
lord TO ask yOu where you intend to
stop the next night, and he will then
Introduce you TO some inn keeper at the
place you mention, with whom he pre-
sumably has some understanding.
These intrOductions are often useful, if
one arrives at an Out-Of-the way place
late at night, in which case the traveller
might be looked on with suspicion.
Sometimes. too, the inns may be crowd
ed, and then the bearer of the introduc-
tion will find the landlord inclined to
nike more than usual efforts to accOmo-
late him. In the hill-country the
oOms are usually in sets of three, one
3ehind the other, rising in steps, the
highest being the furthest from the
road- These inns had chiefly been
h:iilt 20 accommodate the trains of the
i'ahniOs in their progresses to the capi-
tai The " "Yakonins," or officers Occu-
pied the highest rooms; their "Sam-
auri," or soldiers, occupied the next,
and the coolies andservants the lowest
The highest rooms still appear to be
kept for the more distinguished guests.
As we carried papers stating that we
were English ofiicers-Yakonins. the
country people called us-we were al
ways shown into the highest rooms,
and in some eases it even appeared as if
the landlord turned guests whom he
considered of inferior rank into lower
rooms TO accomOdate US. Nearer the
large towns, however, they appear to
have grown much more republican in
their ideas, and no distinction appeared
to be made.
The landlady will often wait on those
whom she considers important guests
in person. This, however is but
doubtful advantage, for il usually
means that your viands, &C., are handed
tOyou by a creature with black teeth
and shayen eyebrows according to the
hideous custom of married women in
Japan) instead of a little 'musume,' q. |
e, girl,) with pearly teeth and laughing
black eyes, who watches you all the
time with mingled astonishment and |
curiosity.
On the whole one may travel in |
Japan with comparative comfort, and |
without encountering the filth and 1
squalor which those who leave the beat |
en- tracks of Europeans generally meet |
with in the far East. If the traveller |
makes up his mind TO rough it and cast
aside European habits, and adopt those
of the natives, he viii travel with econ
Omy and speed. To some men, however,
this would be simple misery, and such |
a one must make up his mind to carry /
the impedimenta of occidental civiliza- /
tiOn with him. His progress however
would be slow, and each additional |
coOlie he found it necessary to employ
would be new cause of delay. - Geo
graphical -Gg0dziRe