Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-22
LETTER FROM JAPAN

Government Paper Mills at Tokio-De
scription of the Buildings, Machinery
and General Appearance description o.
the Residence of Mr.. Shibusaws, ano
the Feast Thereat-Unique Customs
Modes and Hsbits-Musicisns and Danc'
ing.
TOXIC, 1SS0.-About five miles from the
business center of Toxic. Spelled sometimes
Tokei), on high ground commanding mag
nifcent view of portion of the city, and 8
great valley full of rice-felds, with the snow
capped hills of Mike touching the horizon,
is the suburban district of Oil, pronounced
O-gee), where are the government paper
mills, which his exceIlency, Mr.. Okinna,
minister of finance, had invited us to visit,
and where, also, is the charming country
seat of Mr. Shibusawa, merchant prince and
banker, to which we were invited to partake
of dinner gotten up in all the quaintness
and served with all the ceremony of ancient
Japanese style.
First came the visit to the paper mills,
which We reached in one of the carriages be-
longing to the foreign Office, at about II
O'Clock, and at once latter the inevitable,
but always acceptable and delicious cup of
teal began our examination under the guild
ance of half score of officers and attend
ants, headed by Minister Okinna.
There is nothing peculiar about the build
ings themselves in construction or appear
ance. Bnilt after European designs, they
are a counterpart of similar factories in Eu
rope and America, where land is not valuable
enough to force poor operatives up six or
eight pairs of stairs to their daily toll.
Being but two stories high, with an
abundance of large windows, these working
people have as conveniently arranged and as
we'll ventilated apartments for labor as the
most favored mill or factory can boast. The
process of paper-making is essentially the
same as elsewhere, except that the govern
ment is using here the inner bark of ma
tive tree, which produces paper of wonder
full beauty and finish, and of such marvellous
strength that sheet no thicker than ordi-
nary letter paper, held OF the corners by sew
eral of the gentlemanly guides, supported
your correspondents one hundred and sixty
pounds avordupois without a sign of weak
ening.
OF the machinery I can only say that
the gentlemen of our party compe
tent to judge of such matters pronounced it
perfect. Tt certainly was bright and beautiful
and worked SO smoothly that the eye, not
the ear, told of its presence; and both ma
chinery and buildings, inside and out, were
go clean and well kept as to call forth many
complimentary remarks. Nearly all of the
operative are girls from twelve to twenty,
who in their uniform long white aprons, and
with their plump, fat cheeks and strong
healthy appearance, made US sigh as we
thought of the poor, pale, exhausted women
of our factories at home. These are mostly
farmers daughters who receive about twenty
cents per day of eight hours labor, which,
in Japan, is good wages.
We could have pleasantly spent several
hours more watching the mysteries of paper
making, but already one messenger, then
another and yet third came to say that Mr..
Shibusawa's feast was ready and we must 90.
A drive of five minutes brought as through
rows of jinrickishas and between the noun
ted guards who always attend the ministers
to the door where our host with the inter-
prefer stood to welcome Us.
Here everything, the construction of the
house and all of its appointments, the
grounds, the arbors and the walks; the
shrubbeIy, the tea plants and the orange
trees; the host, his family and all of his
guests, save one other couple and ourselves
was japanese. First we strolled through
the grounds covering about six acres, along
walks bordered by rare plants and past beds
of curious shape, stopping now and then in
some wild, wierd but always beautiful spot to
taste dish of soup with sweetmeats, and
for little practice with chop
sticks before attempting their use at
the feast, or to partske of cup of tea serv
ed by our host from one of the cunning lit
lie kettles suspended from bamboo tripods
over few pieces of charcoal, and thus on to
the top of an artificial mound crowned with
pagoda shaped summer house, where we
fingered so enchanted with the beautiful
scene before US that it was almost with re-
Iuctance we turned our steps again towards
the house where awaited us feast such as
the princess and darimos of thousand
years ago were honored in giving and &C.
ceptiDg.
Removing our shoes at the door We pass
ed through long gallery over the softest of
mats to the feast room. This room was
about eighteen feet wide by twenty four feet
long and eight feet high, finished in plain
highly polished but unstained wood. and
painted screens, in panel work, for the sides,
the ceiling being all of polished wood, and
the floor covered with mats which, all over
Japan, are of one size, viz: three feet wide
and six feet long. These mats are STAN
dard of measurement for house building
purposes. Dust here q baby earthquake
shook my table SO that had to stop writing
till even the heroes got quiet sgain.) Their
lumber is made to correspond in multiplies
of six feet; SO also their doors, which always
slide, never swing, and their screens. A
Japanese house is said to contain so many
rooms of certain number of mats each,
instead of being SO many feet wide and long.
At the head, or upper end Of the dining
room is raised platform about
four feet wide and ten inches
high, generally in lacquer work, where are
deposited ornaments, and not infrequently
some religious symbals, vases of flowers, etc.
This is the place of honor in the house and
here found my name and the cushion was
to occupy, supported on one hand by His
Exeellency, Mr.. o Kinna, and on the other
by an interpreter. In the centre on the left
was the seat reserved for my lord with Gov.
Matsuda, of Toxic, and an interpreter on
either side. Opposite on the right Ministers
Invnje and Uejno, next to whom sat the
hostess, Madame Shibusawa, while the last
cushion at the far end of the room was
occupied by our host / can not re-
call other namaa ayaoD& fhooo of