Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-04-11
JANUARY 25, 1879.

lnianu oea 10 onshE OEiha. ~
sooner were We on beard the stoamo
: than We felt quite at homo; an American
built side-wheel walking-beam steamer
commanded by Capt. Swain. a genuin
New Highlander born and bred. VI
were furnished with commodious stat
rooms and provided with everything for th
promotion of our comfort. Ii was very
stormy afternoon and proved very bolster
Gus right. We had little sleep.
January 30.-At four o'clock this morn
ing we arrived in the Bay of Kobe, thu
wind high and the sea rough. After ar
carly breakfast VIC were taken ashore in &
san-pan (pative's boat), and proceeded di.
| rectly to the railway station, and by cars t
Kioto, forty-eisht miles distant. 1t was a
great holiday with the Japanese, who ii
immense crowds filled the cars on theil
way to Osaka to make offerings to the god
Of wealth. 1t afforded US IN opportunity
to observe them in their best outfits
There were no women of the party
the men were ell bareheaG excepted the
pilgrims, who wore a saucer-shaped palm
leaf hat of immense sizs. They spend their
lives many Ot them in visiting temples and
shrinCs, OF v hich there arc several thousand
in the empire. The dress Of the japanese
men consists of a silk skirt reaching to the
ankles, and silk sacque Of another color
with flowing sleeves, stockings that do not
reach the ankles. with clogs about three
inches high for their feet. We were three
hours in making our journey to kioto,
through a valley along the border of river
completely surrounded by mountains, ex-
A very rich and fertile valley it Is. prOba-
bly, greater in extent than any other farm
| ing district in Japan. We mad an oppor-
tunity Of observing huw every small strip
OF land may be utilized. and what
manual labor will accomplish when
applied in the proper direction
and with perseverance,. 1t seems as
il almos. every inch of the land had been
between the thumb and finger of the labor
ers. They grow their rice in places which
they can overflow at any time either by
directing Il stream or by conveying buckets
| of water at the two ends Of pole across
shrub, barley and dixie, "a species OF turnips,
| are raised in drills of TWO rows, with q
water course between them. The bamboo is
cultivated with 4 great deal of care: and, by
| h.,
| two must bo planted in its stead, rule
which Rpp.its respect = eSeif tree. Tue
bamboo is used for almost every purpose in
the house and upon their plantations, and is
| an article Of commerce in Japan. On reach
| ing kiOto, We each engaged two men who
hauled Us tandem in jin-rika-sha through
| the town containing about 300 600 inhabit-
| ants, living in the same small houses. border
| ing narrow clean streets in the way and all
occupied in the same way as | nave hereto
fore described to YOU. Before VIC could
enter the cily or obtain refreshments at q
hotel, we aIc obliged to present pass from
the secretary of our legation, al instru
ment covered ith japanese characters in
red ink and black, which Is II guarantee from
our government of our good behavior, and
that We viii not pass the night with any
japanese family or sell t. or buy from
them, under the penalty of being arrested.
In the streets Of kicto, in the temples at
the holy shrInes We saw more japanese
females than VIC had seen IN other places.
fn tlatr nj
ability in the sane st, lc, tho only diiferance
being in the quality of the material used in
making their garments. They wear silk
skirt which extends from the waist to the
ankles. so scanty in breadth that they can
scarcely place one foot before the other, ard
cannot ascend the stairs Of the temples
without raising their garments above their
knee. They wear a silk sacquc with flow
ing sleeves. and a plain cOlored scarf about
the neck which ~ neatly secured to the
sacque. Their beautiful black hair is folded
over puff at the back of the head and ex-
tending from ear to ear. and Ornamented
by large pins, with elUbular heads OF gold
or brIllah;S and costly gems. All women,
even the poorest peasants, have their hair
dresser who visits them at their homes a.
often as IL necessary, to keep the hair in its
best presentable condition 10 order to
keep tho hair from being disheveled when
asleep, every woman uses Tor pillow. "A
piece OF wood followed and padded go as
to fit the neck. Young girls have
their hair shaved of from the
crown of the head from space
about the sizs of a silver dollar. and from
the forehead a narrow strip. over wnich
they comb clipped hair, that is banged in
the same way as is done by many American
grown up women. To the eirdle which se-
cures the saCquc about the waist, they sus
pend ornaments, their fan and articles for
daily use; the "Grocian bend " and the
camel's hump-like pannier. have been with
them for 50 many centuries that they are re-
garded as national characteristics. The
status Ct tho female in Japan is far superior
to what II IL IN any other of the Eastern
countries. She IL loved and tendery
treated by her husband; she is quite uni
qersally considered as possessed of soul,
without having to undergo the process OF
being transformed into a man in order to
have that Distinguishing quality. When
girl il born to Japanese parents, tree,
such us their patterns for the feet and their
low tables are made from its wood
IL planted IN the garden and culti-
waited with great care until tho baby has
grown up and IL married, then it is cut
down, made into furniture and given her as
her marriage portion We meet girls of all
ages in the streets and the SHOPS, and have |
never seen one OF them who did not behave |
with the utmost decOrum and mOdcsty.
The japanese make Tree use of water for |
bathing purposes. Many of them two or |
three times daily resort to bathing houses, |
where men. women, boys, girls and children |
together nIngle in Il common bath without |
any m>behayIOr or apparent consciousness
of improperly.
Alter an hours ride through the streets,
intensely interested in all that We SAW
around Us, we arrived at the palace and
chapel Tor tonplc) of the late Tycoon,
which is but story and n half high,
covering large space OF ground and bOr-
lantern stands, idols. rivulets of water
and little ponds, containing gold fish.
The apartments of the palace are
numerous and most of them small in size.
with floors covered by bamboo mating. A
few for use ON state occasions had carpeting
to cover them When VIC consider that the
Tycoon had II wife. twelve concubines. and
upwards of fifteen hundred retainer4 to
shelter, 1t Is not surprising to us that there
are as many apartments IN the palace
as We saw there. There is not
bcdstead or Il char in the whole
nor n window of glass.
We have not seen IN all the cities and
country houses, table, chair or pane of
glass. except such as are used by foreign
residents. In this garden, IN mid city of
three hundred thousand inhabitants "a
thickly packed almost az sardineS, We ielt
AZ much isolated from tho world and alone
a. # IN an unnhabited prairie or in the
wIds of a forest.
We ovisted Temple Diaboot1, where there is