Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-07
JAPANESE HOTELS.
How Travellers Fare the Other Side Of
the Globe.
l. japan Letter in tue Boston Transcript.

Fron. a japan Letter in tue Boston Transcript
That interesting coIunn in the American
newspaper which informs the travelling public
of the various aai rival charms OF mountain
and seaside hotels has no parallel in the Japan
csc press There is such thing he re as gas.
hot and cold water aad all the sa0dern i'm
provements" With the verI few exceptions Of
the moun-.-,, is3...!- Inch eater to foreigners
s.il hotels are Practically alike, the main diGer-
ence beiHI an the ncatness and inside finish of
IT, house
Some hotels are very large. covering great
space &. gron.;d. for although they frequently
are two stories high. the second story is not
CONSIDERED a de-.ia.!e rlac" to stay in.
Thr tromt at tne house Is cHtiiciy open tn the
street IN tie 81, time What serves for the OIL
ne : IN the fTo;t room The kitchen is also i'll
front one vi nearly always see u list of
prices tor i,.Gin hung III the HeiGhhorhood OF
thr kitchen
= you ride by 2 hotel on a hot dav it looks
very t;tvtt.ug- II tine house be a iar-t one Won
vii ~"c room after ruOih stretching backward.
In tHc center nf the house * iin open court. III
which Is a JAFa-:'>t. Garden, such no one els,
Can make H"ck"TieS of old and cJirsoUSlv-
shaped ruca~ plants and flowers art-tic;lliy ar
Tanced. aud S'';tt"tj uaeS little pond with gold
fish TIE pariur l. the back room OF the house
There u really very little difference in rooms az
HOuc OF theln have one solitary piece at turui-
tuIe Tue woodwork of parlor il sometimes
very pretty. ana There ar2 pictures. with soIa-
times -! -Sf,tttn IN large characters on SILK
hanging on The walls These roCInS are arcnnr-
ally scTurulOUSly clean. The floors of all jap
aht>" hcG>e> are covered with timex straw ii.a5s.
On entering hotel or anv huuS. your shoes
must come OFT Jarase-, never wears any
thing heavier thana stocking hsI,' i'll the house
Wherever there II any woodwork in the floor it
Is Kept nI-hly roIi-Hed. are also the veran-
o;tN. which are an Indispensable accompaniment
10 h"Fti. as 1t Is o. ih"ln that the various
Rooms are reached lis" wood Is so smooth that
II Viii show scratch. the mark made 10y q
hai! TN the shoe as easily as polished table
would do 50.
TN arriving at hotel Won are shown to a
TOoIIi and a .sirl waiter immediately briuns tea
and cake The Japanese. custom is To give IL
little present of nungy al this time: greater
or less sun. according to the amount of atten-
tOn !ou may demand.
The pTCt- Of lO!rin" are generally fixed at
stated SuIHs tor first. second and third-cias5
dodgers This IIice Includes supper breakfast
AMI iOd1ln@. quests DO not remain in Il hotel
during the day excepting at the summer or
health resorts Ry eight o'clock in the morning
thu hotel il empty. Meals are invariably served
In the diifefent rooms THIS requires a large
number Ot waiting girls.
Food is served small. low tables Just
raised from the floor. The price of frSt-cass
lodging with meals IS about thirty five cents
that - to JapaneSe. Foreigners are charged Tor
Room rent. and for all the food served. Last
July put up at hotel over night. Nv Jap
aneSe teacher was with me. He had one parlor
and had another. Our food. rooms bedding
were precisely alike. He was charged fOrty-iive
sen for lodging and room: / was charged fifty
sen for room only. AND in addition tor every sep
arateiteTn OF food. ref,,-cd to pay my bill bat
hnaly was obliged TO pay it. or | should have
made myself great deal OF trouble Most
hotels prefer not 70 take foreigners at any price
vi course. where We are served with chairs,
table and bed. We are willing TO pay extra for
thein- But YOU seldom find these articles eX-
cept OH the main rOa,iS of travel. One must be
.ired IN order 10 rlper the II Dor lying one
thick Blanket with another similar one for
Cover.
| will not venture to speak of the rats. NOS
qultoFs and feas which nfest all houses. for
fear that my Character for veracity may suffer.
Suffice it 10 say. that summer nights lodging
Is almost uncomfortable, The yerandas of the
house. which are entirely open during the day.
are closed al night by n series of sliding wooden
doors. As the whole house is surrounded with
these. il i almost air-tight. the stencil which
then circGiates through the rooms is sckening
1t Is a great mystery 10 foreigners that the
Japanese persist IN certain sanitary negiigencrS
when theT are 80 extremely clean and nice in other
regar'iS At one eud OF the open court is a
sink, with basins and water for the toilet OF
course, every hotel has its bathroom for the
hot bath Tte irst arrival at night has the first
use of the bath.
There Is another disarrefabie feature to these
hotels. There Is possible way to f;isten the
room at night There are doors like our
doors The division between rooms. rs we'll as
between the room and the outer veranda Is
nothing but paper; paper sl.d;ng-ti0Ors. which
can ue lifted eat Of their grooves with the
Creates of ease. converting the house INTO one
large room. | nave slept y for a number of
night IN a room al fo's' st'isS of which could
De- taken away in i've minutes time. and which.
of course. could bee opened 10y any one Strange
a. IT may seem. there is very seldom ANYTHING
like robbery Things must be- lett about the
roOm.a- one cannot pat ali ms possessions under
The pillow TN returning from country trip
ii gives M great pleasure tO enter my secure
brick house. loC. my chamber door and sleep,
feeiing sure that all four sides Of by room are
Ammo abe.