Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-21
A CURIOUS COLONY.
LoNDON'S JAPANESE VILLAGE WITH
ITS TEMPLE AND THEATRE.
Olive Losan's Description Ct the Shops
and the skilled Workmcn Therein
National Diet The japanese
SIen and Women.
London Cor. Philadelphia Times. !

lLondcn Cor. Philadelphia T;mesl
| This is the age Of marvels / have been to
japan without leaving tie cockney county
Of Middle ex. In other words. l attended
the opening day OF the curious japanese vii
lage which has been erected within short
bcw-fight Of hyde park Inside the pre-
cincts o. n large metropolitan Tail there has
arl-en Jap nsse town, with its Buddhist
temple. lis theatre, its streets of shop. its
native iopul ltion, all at work mailing the
quaint AM attractive articles with which
ifolera civilization is now SO fami lar.
Ioe very moment one crosses tie Dol tai OF
this place and leaves the London streets be-
hind, one finds oneself IL an atmos phere and
with surroundings entirely new and stran-e
No one ey cept tao.e who have travAlei in
japan can possibly nGve sea anythi7s Ike
Ii. The illsa AZ { pm g-rcd- CO, cred
with sra" ins -ls an 5pt in the case
Of the exceedingly well !. , there is no sec
oni story. WINDOWS are plentiful. but there
Is no glass IN the panes, which are all Gov
cred over with white tissue payer Like the
hoop the clown jump; through at the circus.
Their household fittings seem 70 consist Of
10 more than dozen or tHo Of articles,
none Of them luxurious, and their food Is
principally rice Rec is to the japanese
what breai is to MS. an / Il is { dish which is
ever Present on Tie tahle o! ell cia ses. 4
JaPanese labcrer can easily consume two
pounds OF rice Ier dem, ami as thess men as
q rule enj2 10y the best of health, IT must be in
Terrell that rice Is a most excellent article of
i"d for daily consumption and might be
employed with advantage among ourselves
even more freely than it i. Salt fish
Is greatly Used Ia Japan, their be-
ing nearly hundred different
kinds ofriver and sea fish which are cooked
IN various fashions. though some are eaten
raw, a for instance, the whale Vegetables
and fruits are much eaten, and the weather.
classes indulge their appetities by eating
birds, siorks and cranes being considered
great deliracy. Snipe. skylark. heron,
quaiis, Iheasants, ard other game in vogue
with US are used in Japan, all birds Except
quail, woodcock and rheasant being boiled
Seaweed Is greatly in demand, and is either
boiled. picked or eaten raw. Vegetables
and fruits are much liked, but meat forms
no part Of the national diet, nor pastry or
anything else Ia. which butter or milk is u-ei
fassIns down 4 prominent cross street of
the village we first came upon a shoe maker'-
shop. A projecting sign in Japane,e gives
MS name and occupation as with us His
place Is hung from ceiling to floor with
japanese foJtcear. Odd sort Of wear. to t.,
sure. The most frequen. occurrence in shoes
l. the straw sole with cotton sandal strap
Dbout thu ankle. But another kind is the
high pattern, two lofty blocks OF wood being
placed to go crOsswise Of the foot Eu-
ropean trying to Get about with this sort of
shoe would probably sprain the ankle at the
first step or two. All about the streets of
tie village we see these shoes on the natives
They wear instead of stocking white
cloth ankle boot, with the "bis toen bageed
of by itself, AMI 1t is between the big toe
and the rest of the foot's digits that the
sandal strap passes. This enables them TO
to hold tee shoes on while they go about the
streets, but tho moment they enter any
building they drop the shoes at the doorstep.
We are now in front Of the carpenters
shop, where two active, strengthening men
are at work You will at once observe that
all their movements are contrary to those in
vogue with cur carpenters The fine tooth |
aw and the plane are both drawn towards |
the japanese carpenter, not pushed away
Fl ON him, as by Adam Beie and his brother |
Angl0-Saxon workmen. And it is strange
10 observe the dexterity with which the mo-
ton is reversed. In this industrial world 4
nothing resembles the scenes of labor & /
which We are accustomed For in 1
stance, here Is shop where mer I
are at work at embroidery Women
it seems, are unknoxh
ven as amateurs. in Japan The occupl- +
tan is never made the means of passing an 1
die hour for women ami girls hs with Us.
Jut embroidery is solid male trade. like
metal work or ccrpentery, or anythin! e.se
which demands skill, strength ami ,atienc,. I
Here is n man maxim, those paper u,.-
'ie!las VITA which our civilization S.
uperabun auily supgiieL lis tools are
ew IN numLer, AS NilJis P ant seeming 10 /
'oneIst Of paper, tamhoo-rcus aud one knife
like all other JapaneS,, his IN yenents are
how, but his t1ucn Is light and xact, moth
n having 10 lie done over. At the next
tail yUu % crVa a man hammcrlnG an or-
border "n "A metal p {; next him
Its q native inserting IVORY figures on :,
Il quer pane.
! he p .ple Themselves are yery odd The
o-tGne, are Tar.ei aEd peculiar. Many Of
ne ineH wear black trousers, a. clio @ fitting
l. Fiei N9i;e-' dauc.u. tights and the sEo.i
b! use they wear a u. upper garment i III
"il!e cases adorned across the whole fiat oi
ar back with figures, which suggest, I'M
nea-cEt white eeiS. wriggling every which
way, q anything else horrible The
: men wear the loose, wide-Sleeyei, long
re-sin< gown, tied about the waist
with Il hroai sash, elegantly knottei
,chlnd. When they walk they hold
ire dreSsinS gosn together in front. As
'.er, are ~ buttons, hooks or ted ribbons
o close II. TIE coiiiur- l. very elaborate; I
,rea bows, pulls ard wings OF hair, which
) black aS ehoay and glossy n mirror
ntO this careful erection artificial flower,
mounted on wooden skewers are plentifuily
tuck The poor women are dreS ell in dark
olors AMI carry their babies Indian fashion
N their backs; but the ladies of quality are
most richly in white colored
atnS, ,p!enlily embroidered, it being es-
entail II appears II national fashion that
he>e adorHments should represent the flow
r., fruit and other Accomplishments of the
urrent season.
] he faces OF these queer little eastern
Giles ara painted rel and white and their
veerOws AMI evelaShas darkenel. Their
q r'eanr during thu cold scrutiny of tha
,'wi T visitors on she opening day. was !
clr.pES stuly. Some gig led some hid /
M some seemed on tho roint OF CRYING.
he presence Il several Japaue. ladies'
,uroleaniz ii in laiiur made gowns and
ie@ent bpnnets. was an eNemplifcation of
tie iinpoSsibllity Of concealing race charac-
eriS'ics; for these pleasant tiny creatures
bowed their nationality plainly and unmis-
skably in lite of their garb. The same
emark may Dee made concerning the
apanese men present, who were dressed in
.urOTean costume There was M rristAkiny