Middletown transcript., 1883-11-23
IN JAPANESE HOTELS.

The front of the house is entirely
open to the street in the daytime.
What serves for the Office is in the
front room. The kitchen is also in
front. One will nearly always see a list
of prices for lodging hung in the neigh
borhood of the kitchen.
As you ride by hotel on a hot day
1t looks very inviting. If the house be
large one, you will see room after
room stretching backward. In the CEN
ter of the house is an open court, in
which is a Japanese garden, such as no
one else can make. Rockeries of old
and curiously shaped rocks, plants and
flowers artistically arranged, and some-
times a little pond with goldfish. The
parlor is the back room of the house,
There is really very little difference in
rooms, as none of them have one soli-
tary piece of furniture. The wood
work of aparloris very often pretty, and
there are pictures, with sometimes a
poem written in large characters on
silk, hanging on the walls. These
rooms are generally scrupulously clean.
The floors of all Japanese houses are
covered with thick straw mats. On
entering a hotel Tor any house,, your
shoes must come off. A japanese
never wears anything heavier than a
stocking while in the house. Wher-
ever there is any woodwork in the floor,
1t is kept highly polished, as are also
the Verandas, which are an indispensi-
BILE accompaniment to hotel as it is by
themthatth various rooms are reached.
The wood is so smooth that it will
show scratch, or a mark made by a
nail in the shoe, as easily as polished
table would do.
On arriving at hotel you are shown
to a room, and a girl waiter immedi-
ately brings tea and cake. The Japan
ese custom is to give little present of
money at this time; greater or less
sum, according to the amount of atten-
tion you may demand.
The prices of lodging are generally
fixed at stated sums, for first, second
and third class lodging. Guests do
not remain in a hotel during the day,
at the summer or health re-
'orts. By 8 O'Clock in the morning the
lotel is empty. Meals are invariably
erved in the different rooms. Thisre-
Iuires large number of waiting girls.
Food is served on small, low tables,
ust raised from the floor. The price
# frst-class lodging with meals) is
bout thirty-fve cents. That is to Jap
nese. Foreigners are charged for
DOM rent and for all food served,
4ast July I put up at hotel over night.
Iy japanese teacher was with me. He
ad one parlor and I had another.
'ur food, rooms, bedding were pre-
isely alike. He was charged forty
We sen for lodging and room 1 was
harged fifty sen for room only, and in
1dtion for every separate item of food.
refused to pay my bill, but finally was
oliged to pay it, or 1 should have
ade myself great deal of trouble.
lost hotels prefer not to take foreign
s at any price. OF course, where we
e served with chairs, table and bed.
e are willing to pay extra for them.
ut you seldom find these articles ex-
3pt on the main roads of travel. One
ust be tired in order to sleep on the
9or, lying on one thick blanket, with
lother similar one for cover.
There is no possible way to fasten
le room at night. There are no doors
ke our doors. The division between
,oms, as well as between the room
nd the outer veranda, is nothing but
aper-sliding doors, which can be lifted
ut of their grooves with the greatest
ease, converting the house into one
!rge room. I have slept (P) for a
umber of nights in room, all four
des of which could be taken away in
We minutes time, and which of course
ould be opened by any one. Strange
) it may seem, there is very seldom
nything like robbery. Things must
> left about the room, as one cannot
ut all his possessions under the pillow.
Boston Transcript.