Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1889-01-01
A WORD OF WARNING.
SHOPPING IN JAPAN.
A Visit to the Large silk stores of Ech
goya and Dai Mara.

goyn and Dai Mara.
An occupation that appeals to any
woman, and more especially to an
American one, is shopping in tie large
silk stores. Echigoya and Dali Mara,
which are the Louvre and Bon Marche
of this great capital, as regards size
and Importance, are places as full of
entertainment as a theater. Both oc-
cupy corners on great thoroughfares,
the que on the NihOm Bashi, Muro
March, and the other on the Dilemma
Che, and have waving curtains of
| black cloth with the crest and the
name painted in white, hanging as IA
screen on the two open sides. Within
there is the vast open space OF the
first floor revealed in the one glance.
The floor proper Of this great room is
raised foot and half from the stone
walk surrounding it, and is covered
with the usual soft straw mats,
fitting closely together in one clean,
glistening floor covering. The sales
men and accountants sit here and there
over the vast area, the book. keepers
being also cashiers and presiding oyer
low desks whore they keep books, pa
pers, change and writing utensils. The
shoppers make groups on the mats,
aud women with beautiiully-dressed
hair and men in sober silk garments
gain wonderful picturesqueness with
the heaps Of rainbow fabrics heaped
and unrOlled about them. Small boys,
selected chiefly with q view to the
shrillness and piercing qualities of
their voices, one might think, take
something of the place of the "cash''
in our large stores. These boys bring
out the armloa1s aud basketfuls of
silks from the golowns, for none of
the stock OF goods is ever in sight.
The purchaser asks for what he wants,
and the small boy is dispatched to the
godown and brings out successive
loads. 1t is etiquette for these small
boys to hail and cheer the arriving and
departing customer, as they do
it by droning out some
nasal chorus that is rather
when half drowned by other
noises, We lifted the street curtain at
Dali Mara's the other rainy day. and |
found the matted area deserted of all |
but solitary statues in the way of at
tentive clerks. Immediately the bat
TALON of small boys sprang to their
feet and began caterwaullng that |
deafencd us. When the chant was
over they hurried of to one end where
n steaming bronze urn, various tea
and n shelved box full of. tea
sets are kept to provide patrons with u
cheering cup of pale, amber-tinted tea
For an hour the small boys ran to and
fro, baskets were carried back and
'orth, and gold brocades. that 1t takes
4 half hour of description, and con-
.inued calling for better or more, to
evolve from tho gOdowns come in
engths of four yards and II half for
he broad Oils. or sashes that are
.ho points Of Importance and
show in the dress Of japanese
woman. The silk threads are the
lurest, and the broca1cs woven Of silk
llone are as soft, thick and yet pliable
IS leather, and the masses of gold
threads while glistening like plates
md pieces Of chased metal, give stiff
less, but not why hardness, TO the
tufts. The first quality pure gold
bread brocades begin as low as 800 for
he 4l-yard lengths, but mount to $40,
co. and even $l20, as the quality Of
old, the iineness of the thread and
and the thickness and weight
I silk used increase. The Sl2O obs
as in the art loan exhibition, and was
miracle of fineness. the individual
old threads too fine to be noted, aud
ne design the old classic one OF
ragons in the clouds. There were
vo obs mt $72 each that made one
ream of the day when his purse
ould be full enough to my only an
lch and II half. One was on a delicate
ray-green satin ground with dozens !
siX-inch gold dragons writhing up ]
ON conventional spray, and wares in
old and white, to a sky full of con-
entional clouds of the most softly '
nted rainbow colors. The other, |
hen unrolled, was river of sunshine l
nd light across the mats, plate OF
old inlaid with silken threads, that
ould dazzle and blind one in the sun !
ght Its design was geometrical !
le Of mteracing lines and circles, {
Grcol crosses IN some of b
Ie shape, taai Immediately made one )
,mpare II with Russian cloth of gold !
I'd the garments OF priests 10 rich
oman Catholic churches. The modest I
'ocades that were bought after this S
splay OF gorgeousness appeared TO q
tisfy tho establishment. but tantaliz- L