Morning journal and courier., 1883-12-07
AROUND THE WORLD.

Surprising Japan-Some of the Sights If YOkOhama Queer Spelling - Small Men, Small Horses, Small Houses and Small Morality-A Ride Through the City.
 YOKOHAMA, Japan, Oct 90.
 To ths Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER
 The strongest recommendation that Japan
 has just disembarked from Pacific steamer
 is the fact that it is land. The next strongest
 is the fact that the country is one full of
 surprises. You don't have a chance to settle
 down before you are shocked by some sight
 to which American eyes are unaccustomed,
 or are brought to your feat by some sound
 which nearly psralyzes your nervous system.
 Since I arrived here at this treaty port of
 Yokohama have not had single opportu- nifty to cultivate that repose of character for
 which I was so widely and SO favorably known in America. The first shock came when was approached by the naked coolies in their sampans, who demanded with the
 most shameless effrontery the privilege of sculling me and my baggage ashore from the steamer. l retract. second and more thorough scrutiny develops the fact that there is single microscopic article of cloth ing worn by each of them in the shape of a OEccCh-CAOubS LlOA0 PAOpOtAy, AOlA SlOtA' It is 8 case of something approximating noth- ing. Yet even this marc, as the garment Is called by the natives, is testimonial to the Europeanizatien of tho island, it's use having been ordered by the government in difference to foreign ideas. Since this initial expert ence have fed upon surprises of similar and different character, until am ready for any
 thing.
 When one comes to write upon Japan he is met at the outset by an obstacle of orthe- graphy. The proximity of China and the intimacy of the two peoples (for the Chinese have made themselves quite at home in Ja- psn) has developed a blending of the two languages which is responsible in a large de- gree for many instances of illogical ortho- graphy. Such words as Tokiyo, Kiyoto and Daimiyo are commonly, perhaps usually, spelled without the y. The Asiatic society, 8 literary association having its headquarters at Tokiyo, has pronounced in favor of the former method of spelling and as 1 want to be thoroughly literary, will follow this ex- pressed preference, although the abbreviated form is more convenient. I notice that my passport to the interior of the island spells the name of the capital city,-'Tokey," which is still another version. It will be ob served that the Japanese are not stingy in the matter of nomenclature. The complications brought about by the union of Chinese and Japanese methods of spelling are illustrated even in the case of the name of the Match less Mountain itself, which all the Japanese revere so profoundly. The common name Fusiyama is altogether wrong. It should be either Fujisan (which is the Chinese of it) or Fujinoyams (which is the Japanese Fuji- yama is tolerated, even in literature now, be- cause it has become so popular, in spite of the fact that the particle mo" is omitted be- tween the two roots. The spelling difficulty is largely due also to the fact that the Japa- nese have no alphabet, but have syllabary instead.
 find that this is a manikin sort of an is- land. Although large in point of population t35, ,00O, 900 people,, Japan is characterized by small men, small horses small houses and small morality. The people are ceremoni- ously polite, and have not yet encountered open solicitation to evil; yet am reluctantly compelled to infer that the obsequious mani | festati0ns of courtesy are as often the cloak 1 for craft as the outgrowth of instinctive, un selfish hospitality. visit curio shop and | beat 8 man down to one-sixth the figure asked | for a certain piece of bric-a-brac. He is pa- l tient and affable,-oh, so affable And when, | the bargain concluded, he proffers me cup l of tea according to the universal custom, aud | lowing low, sweetly murmurs the customary parting salutation-''Saiona ,"-I am | pricked in conscience for being so grasping. l That Is, am until get back to the hotel, | and find that neighbor paid just one-third | as much for the same article at the same place. understand these dealers only have | one price for native patrons but try to gouge l