The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-07-08
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN,
- nEl


tends to the lu5icrous. The other
day l saw two polite Jsps meet; they
happened to be just the right distance
apart, bowed very low, and their
heads came together with a thud
which practically proved that their
skulls were thicker than goose egg
shells, or they would have lost their
brains. 1t was the most lsugnable
scene have witnessed, except one,
since arrived here. That exception
was the occasion of my first meal
among the Japanese, and my fret
attempt to eat soft-boiled eggs with
chop-sticks, Wills a bright-eyed
Japanese girl looked on, ready to ex-
plode with laughter at my extreme
aWkwardness. 1 am now prepared to
prove that there is no more embsrras-
sing position in the world than to try
and satisfy hunger on boiled fish, rice
and soft eggs, with two small eticks,
and without using ones fingers, with
a mischievous Japanese girl looking
on.
l have made two excursions into
the oountry-one about ten miles and
the other about four-and back. A
person born and raised in the United
States could hardly imagine to what
extent q country can be cultivated;
but here every foot OF land that can
be cultivated is put to its utmost pro-
ductive capacity. They raise barley,
wheat and rice. the wheat and bar
ley are now ripe, and they are hsr-
vesting. The land is laid out in
small patches, with ridges around to
bold the water, exactly like the ks,o
patches in the Sandwich Islands.
Everything is done by hand; the
ground is upturned and turned over
with hand instruments ; in fact, they
could not use ploWs or hsrroWs. The
Japs can raise two crops of wheat and
barley, or one of barley and wheat,
and one of rice, as the wheat
and barley crops are ripe before it is
time to plant the rice. Rice is OF
considerable trouble, and has to be
transplanted. 1t is first grown to a
Insight of ak or eight inches, as high
as it can be grown when it is trans
planted into rows about two feet
apart. The barley and wheat crop is
heavy one now, but whether it is
unusually heavy l am not Informed.
Nothing is supposed to grow here
that is worthless everything is very
clean, and they use all kinds of fer
tillzers-kelp from the sea, grass
from the sides of the hills where
they cannot grow anything. Even
the excresences of animals dropped
in the roads are soon swept up with
brush and bamboo pan like d dust
pan, and carried to q heap. The
garbage from the streets is carried Of
every morning, 90. that the streets
are always clean.
Yokohama is lighted with gas, and
good order prevails. Every person
| seems contented with his circum-
stances, whether he is a bostman,
fisherman or government official,
md all are polite and courteous.
they are all busy. The shopkeeper
is generally q manufacturer; hence
be ia ct work when not waiting on
customer.
The Jsps are frugal in their living
and have great power of endurance.
l have seen 8 load hauled by one
man which l should Judge was over q
ton in weight; and the loads OF sugar
rice that three men can haul ia SIM
ply enormous.
One feature of Japan is the hand
carriage for passengers. These car
riages are comfortable and as con-
venient as a buggy. Each is drawn
by q man, and he will trot of as fast
as horse, and continue all day for
forty or fifty miles. These hand car
riages have about the same purpose
as street cars, only they are much
more convenient. The fare is from
10. upwards. Yet there is one an
noyipg feature about them to
strangers, as the persons pulling
them will not let q person walk, as
they insist on his employing them;
still, they are not as bad as hotel
runners IN the states.
l have seen no place where so
much taste is shown in the way OF
shrubs and flowers. You zee none of
| the Mother Grundy monotony which
is a perpetual annoyance in the
states-in every window the same
flower and in every yard the Same
everlasting cedar trained to a cone.
Here the trees sre trained to cores
pond with the size Of the grounds,
and there is a constant variation.
| I've q
they appear like three trees in one.
There is no vacant place where tree
or flower can grow but you
see one or the other there
in the front yard, in the back
yard, in passages and in pots, and no
large trees except where there is 5
suitable place Tor them. 10 the eoun-
try is to be seen the same care and
taste in regard to flowers and shrubs.
In their dwellings they are very
neat. They wear sandals, and when
they enter their houses they leave
them at the door. They have neither
chairs nor seats of any kind, but sit
on mats. Shopkeepers do not like to
have anyone step on their mats with
| anything on tDelf leet, anu IL - Ne4S
awkward to pull of our clumsy shoes.
The people are, as q general thing,
very short in stature, and much smaller
than the Americana. The women
are short and broad across the cheeks;
but they have good eyes and are
mirthful, cheerful and childlike in
their simplicity; in fact, they are
,, natural. In many respects they are
ike the Sandwich Islanders.
The Japanese have established
! manufactures and are now able tt
! build ironclaGs apd make glass toys
They are manufacturing almos
everything that is likely to be wanted
J and in that way they will be able t
compete with the foreigner in every
thing. except drinking lager beer ant
whisky.
l think it ia The diamond hardnes
of cheek for foreigners to assume .
much superiority when thsy set n
. better example than excessive svsric
- and drunkenness. 1t is poor show
J. ing that missionaries make Whel