Morning journal and courier., 1883-12-04

Upon Q Japanese Famny-InterestfnR
 Adventure With ChopIt1cks-NV hat a
 'Tihn'' Consisted Of.
 YOKOHAMA, Japan, Nov. 1.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Steaming into.the Bay of Yeddo, we picked our way through twenty miles of fishing smaeks and punts, till we rested in the midst of the extensive shipping of the harbor of Yokohama, where our anchor was heaved overheard. And now the steamer was sur rounded by innumerable sampans, as they are called, rude triangular craft, foored for the convenience of patrons, and manned by scantily clothed natives. These coolies sculled their boats with good deal of dex- terity, thought, considering their clumsy shape, but despite all their efforts collisions were not infrequent. There was none of the excitement and swearing and quarreling that so frequently characterize harbor scenes in more civilized countries and at this I won- dered. Coming alongside the steamer, they solicited our patronage for the ride of some two miles to the custom house pier Our party was already provided for, thanks to the guide who arranges for the Cook excur- sionists in advance, aud taking one Of the hotel boats we were conveyed first to the customs wharf and then to the hetel Our stopping place, the Wipdscr House, is commodious and pleasant two story structure located on the Bund, the leading street of the foreign part of the town. The harrow ing part of the matter is that the hotel is kept by the omnipresent Ohio man, mem- Der of the prolific Smith family.
 Almost every one, I fancy, is disappointed in Yokohama. There is nothing pretentious about the city, but I regard this as 8 fortu- nate circumstance, since 1t gives thu tourist a chance to study the innumerable novel GUS toms and striking objects which he encoun- ters in Japan for the first time, without any famous sights to distract his attention. do not propose to give any statistical or histori. cal sketches, or even to describe Yokohama On the contrary, shall simply pick out at random such curious bits of fact es amused or interested me and for the present letter, confne myself to single experience.
 On board the steamer I had become ac- quainted with 8 returning lady missionary who became interested in the obejct of my visit, and secured for me number of favors upon our arrival here, for which am much indebted to her. One of the most valuable of these was joint invitation out to dinner a rather tony Japanese family in the suburbs extending the courtesy. We started from
 
 residence about three miles distant by jinri- kishas, as the vehicles are called commonly, although that is the Chinese term, and the appropriate Japanese word is kuruma. The 'rikishas, es they are called for short, are all the go In Japan for every class of travel, al- though introduced as recently the year 1870. Ge where you will, these vehicles greet the eye. The streets are full of them in the cities, and the rapidity with which they axe propelled without collision is some- times amazing. The 'rikishs proper is 8 aort of two-wheeled baby carriage, usually adjustable hood of oiled paper, cloth Things within, a receptacle under the seat for small parcels, and 8 pair of shafts which rest on the ground in front before you enter the carriage. coolie ''harnesses'' himself into these shafts and acts ss horse. But is this 6 wholesome business ?'' inquired, pointing to the cooIie. Ut really is not" responded my companion. "The average life of these runners is only five or eight years, and yet the occupation is very popular one. When the 'rikishRs were first introduced thousands of Japanese young men deserted agricultural or mechanical employments and became run ners paying from $1O up for their outfits. Cheap as Is the compensation asked, it is better paying than almost any other employ msnt, and these always tindustriously- poor Japanese people are willing to shorten their days for lucre."
 Seating ourselves in the perambulators we were soon being bowled along the streets at a breakneck speed by couple of good-natured coolies, whose raiment was startlingly limited in quantity, however superior it might have been in quality. On the way we encountered a great many similar conveyances, some con- structed of polished brass some inlaid with shells or ornamented with representations of nondescript monsters of earth, sir and sea. as well as flowers and landscapes, but the majority had plain lacquered surfaces. In the evening these conveyRnces carry pretty colored paper lanterns.
 Having reached our destination We made our smiling, tattoed pilots supremely happy by presenting them with fifteen sen apiece, the equivalent of about fifteen cents in Amer ican money, and nearly double the sum ex- pected. It may be well to mention incjden~ l tally that the rates of exchange in Japan are | constantly fluotuating the range of variation being full fifty per cent. In general, how 1 ever, the following decimal system of mon- les may be set down as having entirely SUI | perseded the old system of cobangs, itzaboos 1 and cash The yen, analogous to our dol l lar the sen, corresponding to our cent the | rin, which is one-tenth of sen; and the | tempo, which is equal to eight rln. think I have solved the problem presented by the di- | vision of the sen so minutely these rims | have fulfilled their sublime destiny when | they find their way into the collection boxes in the various temples And right here is 6 | painful feature of money matters in Japan. | However much the value of the satsu, or pa- per money, may fuotuate, there is no cor responding Ructuation in prices. A lady who 1 thinks to carry handsome dress or shawl | back with her as a souvenir of her visit in | Japan is accordingly sometimes mortified l when she comes to pay the bill 8 few weeks l after ordering the fabric, by finding that it | costs her half again as much as she had bar l gained for, and yet she is clearly held by her |
 1-I lars are very popular, although inconVenient to carry and frequently counterfeited.
 The house of the we'll to do native whom we were about to visit was 8 large and-for 1 Japan-handsome house, one story high of course, and with one of the heavy tiled roofs SO common In Japan. Whatever the house might lack architecturally to American eyes, the large park by which it was surrounded | was worthy of all admiration. We did not | knock at the front door, neither were we | ushered into the vestibule front hall | Those are accessories which are not enooun- | tered in Japan. Instead we entered at one side of the hougs which opened into the gar den, and which was closed at night by wood en slides such as are used in many of the native stores in the cities. Neither did we find the interior of the house divided into roo.as by means of partitions, but apart ments or chambers were created at night by means of the drawing of screens of paper oASIo side in the garden path before entering. You are committing gross breach of etiquette not to remove your shoes upon entering Japanese home. It is strange that such fas- tidious cleanliness in this respect is not joined with equal carefulness in other respects "Where on earth Is the furniture ?' said to myself ss stepped awkwardly inside, and cast about fer something upon which to rest a hand or an elbow at the worst. The floor was beautifully matted. and the walls of the eommodious room were ornamented with disttnctively Japanese scroll-work, drawings of storks, landscapes, &c. There were also folded screens here and there, similarly dec orated, and some vases filled with growing plants peculiar to the flora of the island 1 Everything was so spotlessly clean that I hesitated to move for fear of defling the 1 apartment. I had not time for many refec | tions, however, for 8 man-servant was kneel- | ing and prostrating himself before us in a way that highly grstifed my American pride, but filled me with dire forebodings that satsu | might be wanted. He was handsomely at- tired himself and kept casting cushions of | pink silk on the floor before us.
 Presently our host entered, and with my | missionary friend as interpreter, I enjoyed | the qualified pleasure of conversing with | representative native until dinner time. The