The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1888-08-31
LIFE IN YOKOHAMA.
Curious Sights In tho City-Native Char
acter and Customs.

to San Francisco, whence q three weekb'
voyage will land the traveller in the COM
mercial capital of Yokohama. When
Commodore Perry opened this port in
1854 with fleet of the American navy,
it was scarcely more than n fishing vii
lagc, but it has now a population OF
| $50, 900, with well built streets of dwell
ing houses, the thoroughfares broad,
| cleanly and all macadamized. The town
extends along the level shore, but is
backed by half moon of low, wooded
hills, known as the Bluffs, upon which
are the villas of the foreign residents,
built after the European and American
| styles. A deep, broad canal surrounds
the city, passing by the large warehouse
and connected with the bay at each end,
being crossed by several handsome and
substantial bridges. From the Bluffs
| there Is charming and extended view.
In the west, seventy miles away, the
white, cloud like cone of Fujiyama, the
| one volcanic mountain of Japan, can be
| clearly discerned, while all about the
| visitor lie the attractive villas, beautiful
| gardens and groves of ornamental trees
belonging to the foreign settlers.
In looking about Yokohama, every
| thing strikes us as curious; every new
sight is q revelation, while in all direc-
tons tangible representations of the
strange pictures we have seen upon fans,
Satsuma and lacquered ware are pre-
sented to view. One is struck by the
partial nudity of men, women and chill
dren, the extremely simple architecture
of the dwelling houses, the peculiar veg
| citation, the extraordinary salutations be-
tween the common people who meet
each other upon the streets the trading
bazars and the queer, toylike articles
which fill them, children flying kites in
the shape of hideous yellow monsters
each subject becomes fresh study.
Men propelling vehicles, like horses be-
tween the shafts, and trotting off at
| six mile pony gait, is singular sight to
| stranger. So are the naked coolies,
working by tours, bearing heavy bales or
hogsheads swung from their shoulders
upon stout poles, while they shout a
| measured chant by means of which to
keep step. No beggars are seen upon
the streets. The people are neat and
clearly. The houses are special exam
pies of this-very small, seldom over
twenty feet square and one story in
height. All persons, foreigners or natives,
take off their shoes before entering upon
the polished floors. The conviction
forces itself upon us that such universal
neatness and cleanliness must extend
even to the moral character of the people.
A spirit of gentleness, industry and thrift
is observable everywhere, imparting an
Arcadian atmosphere to these surround
| ings.
In the houses which we enter there are
| found neither chairs, tables nor bedsteads;
the people sit, eat and sleep upon the
| floors, which are at all times as clean as q
newly laid table cloth. Here and there
| upon the roadsides moss grown shrines
bearing sacred emblems are observed, be-
| fore which women, but rarely men, are
seen bending The principal religions of
Japan are Shinto and Buddhism, sub
| divided into many sects. The Shinto is
mainly q form of hero worship, success
full warriors being canonized as martyrs
are in the Roman Catholic church.
| Buddhism is another form of idolatry,
borrowed originally from the Chinese.
AS we travel inland, places are pointed
| out to us where populous cities once
stood, but where no ruins mark the spot.
A dead and buried city in Europe or Asia
leaves rNde but almost indistructible re-
mains to mark where great communities
once built temples and monuments, and
| where they lived and thrived, like those
historic examples of mutability, Memphis,
Paestum or Delhi, but it is not so in
Japan. When it is remembered Of what
| ephemeral material the natives build
their dwellings, namely, of light bamboo
| frames and paper, their utter disappear
ance ceases to surprise us. 1t is cuff
GUS fact that this people, contemporary
| with Greece and Rome at their zenith,
who have only reared cities of wood and
temples of lacquer, have outlived the
| classic nations whose half ruined monu-
ments form our choicest models. The
Hellenic and Latin races have passed
away, but Japan still remains, without a
dynastic change and with an inviolate
country. n
In journeying inland, we are struck
with many peculiarities showing how en-
tirely opposite to our own methods are
many Of theirs. At the post stations the
horses arc placed in stalls with their
bSoNo W viz Pe.ooeoS"oyt ohA oiiSiA eoio
show in place of their heads Instead of
iron shoes, the japanese pony is shod
with closely braided rice straw. Carpen-
tiers draw the plane toward them, instead
of pushing it from them. 1t is the same
In using q saw, the teeth being set ac-
cordingly- The tailor sews from him,
not toward his body, and holds his thread
with his toes. The women ride astride,
like the Hawaiians Manufacturing Of
various sorts is carried on to large eK-
tent We have evidence enough of this
in the variety and quantity of native
articles which are imported thence into
this country. Yet the use of mechani-
cal contrivances for the purpose of pro-
duction is little known. Hand work is
nearly the only process employed. The
mode of husking rice which is common
will illustrate this, being performed as
follows: The grain is placed in sort of
mortar, into which pestle falls, it being
attached to horizontal bar of wood sup
ported in the middle by fulcrum. On
the end opposite to the pestle man
takes his position, and by stepping on