The Newtown bee., 1878-06-27
correspon denee,
Our Japan Letter.
YOKOHAMA, MaY 17th, 1878

YOKOHAMA, May 17th, 1878.
 Editor of tie Bee.
 DEAR SIR.-Since writing to you I have visited the larger cities of Japan and many places of interest which can- not be described ill d single letter 1 can only give you few general impress sions of tho country and people as I have found them during brief soiourn.
 To say that the country is delightful is but echoing the sentiments of ninety nine out of every one hundred visitors here. Japan abounds ill high mountains and fertile valleys, beautiful lakes, rivers and cascades, and the natives have completed the picture by cultisating their farms to perfection. In almost any portion of the empire the tourist may ob an grand and beautiful views simply by travelling a short distance or asc nding some near mountain. The valleys and l ;ins are very fertile, and the little farms are laid off with as much taste and cultivated as thoroughly as the best American gardens. Fruits and flowers are abundant, and at this season of the year the fields present an appear ancc of rareSt lOvclinGss. The hili sides arc generally terraced, and there are reservoirs in close proximity 10 all the farms, so arranged that any one of the latter can be flooded at pleasure. There are no worn out" lands here, but every foot of available ground is regularly titled. When we consider that the natives have worked some of this land for more than eight hundred years, rais- ing one, usually two, and sometimes three crops in a year, and that aS nearly as can be ascertained it is just as pro- ductive now us ever, we must certainly give them credit for being good farmers.
 The Japanese are q polite, ,good-natured set, have a lively appreciation of the humorous, and, as compared with the Chinese, are very clean in their habits. Cleanliness is next to GOdliness," it is said, and this trait of the Japanese is at least q redcefning characteris tic Cf their hcathenism. Their taste and ingenuity are shown in the various products of Japanese art which have of late been shipped in large quantities to America. It is claimed by some that the opening of these ports to foreigners has proved an injury to Japan. It is true that the same ships which brought the mission aries to preach Christianity brought also the traders to cheat and deceive them. The Japanese are apt at initiating, and have taken lessons off both missionary and merchant. 1 think some of them would hold their own with Philadel- phia D ician TOW. But the mission aries are doing good work among them, and have tablisi ed schools wherein Japanese youths are making rapid pro- gross in all that fits m to become useful men bers of society. At the Kobe mission had the pleasure of meeting MT. and Mrs. D. c. Jencks, the latter a former resident of Newtown. I spent two weeks at kiotO, city which contains one hundred thousand inhabitants and but seven Europeans, KiotO contains many temples erected to Buddha, some of which were founded in the eight cen tury. Several of these were very costly, and contain expensive images of bronze and decorations of gold lacquer. At the entrance of some of the temples are large open chests, into which the wor- shippers throw their copper cash. Over each chest is bell which they ring occasionally to wake old Buddha up, and lot him know that liberal offerings are being made. I am told that when a Japanese dies a different name is in- 5cribed on his tombstone from the one he bore during life, so that when the devil comes along he will think he has made mistake and got the wrong man. The usual mode of conveyance for people here is by iinrik s h or large bailv 'eart drawn by coolie, and which has been dubbed by some Americans "tEe Iun- man car" 4 good eoolie will sometimes draw a man fifty miles in day i'll one of these carts. In Tokio formerly called Yeddo) there are foIty thousand iinrik- isha men, who hayeno other occupation but that of hauling people about the streets. Travellers experience but little inconvenience in travelling about Japan, as nearly every large town contains a