The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-08-06
FROM THE ORIENT.
Interesting Letter from Japan-Cus-
toms. Peculiarities, Attalnments Of
the PeoDle-Cities and Citizens, &c.

Z
The following letter, written by Frank
Winfield, a native OF Rockingham coun-
WA. to his brother, DR.. j. Q. Winfield.
Of Broadway, in that county, we are per-
lnittetl to publish. although not intended
for publication. 1t gives information OF
the japanese, their customs, productions,
occupations, Sc, which viii prove in
teresting to the people generally, and is
remarkable for the graphic and perspicu-
Gus style, in which it presents the facts
that are stated
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN June %, 1891.
Ny Dear Brother:
should have written you sooner ana at
least advised you of our arrival III Japan.
Nv apology is not that my time has been par
ticularly occupied-hut that my ideas and I'M
pressons have been confused that 1t has
seemed difflcult to settle upon anything. Our
"trip to Japan by sea was not characterized by
any incident worthy of relating.
The sea voyage is a long and exceedingly
blank one, as you will realize when | tell you
that the longest stretch of unbroken sea travefs-
ed by Keel of steamship or sailing vessel, lies be-
tween California and Japan.
An unbroken sea of four thousand, eight nun
bred mites from which rises no island reef nor
bdrbor
After passing out of the Golden Gate at San
Francisco, no land living thing Is seen I'M
til this long voyage is ended ana the green
slopes OF the cost of Japan are sighted.
We came over in the fine new steamship chi
ma zone of the finest vessels af1oat She is i'll
indeed magnificent ship and seemed a verita-
BILE Ark as she foated on for days and weeks
guided only by the magnet and the stars-fear-
less of wind and wave, but responsive as child
to the masters hand.
Arriving at Yokohama the boyish belief that
all things on the opposite side of the globe must
OF necessity be upside down, is brought back to
the man in a most startling manner, upon his
first introduction here. If he does not find the
natives quietly standing on their heads, 1t does
reveal them looking at the world from that ec-
centric position. The view they take of every
thing is exactly the opposite OF ours. To talk
backwards, read backwards are but few OF
their seeming eccentrlcitieS and If their ways
seem odd at first, they seem more so on closer
acquaintance. But do not design to make this
letter the subject Of the pecuarties of these
people- this / will endeavor to do at some
future time when Shall feel better entitled to
an opionion this subject l will, however,
tell you something of the city OF Yokohama ana
hope may not tire you with too long a descr1p-
ton of the quaint old Japanese city. Yokohama
is one of the five treaty ports of the Empire, and
was opened to foreign trade ia the year 1859 1t
ia the most freuuented and most important port
| an Janan 1t is situated in latitude So, has
tenn serauure and climate corresponding about
with that OF San Francisco-except that It IS
! much inoister. It has population or ABOUT
| ninety thousand, out OF which number the city
! claims European resident population OF about
fifteen hundred. Notwithstanding this small
percentage OF Europeans as compared with the
native population, many of the institutions char
acteristic of civilization are TO be found here
| as churches schools, newspapers, telegraphs,
/ telephones and railways.
The city may be said to be divided into three
divisions. lst.--Ihe Settlemed which is the bust
| ness portion allotted to European tradesmen.
| 2nd.-Ihe Biuf, where the latter have their
homes, and 3rd-Tile Ndtioe Totea
/ The view from almost any part OF the city is
! charming, but especially so from the Bluff
which overlooks not only the entire but also
presents an unsurpassed view of the Bay and
! the shipping in the harbor. You may also from
some of the more elevated points get fine view
| of FuGi one of the sacred mountains of Japan
/ 1880 TT his snow capped and bearing group of
! ancient and highly venerated temples There Is
a winding driveway, six miles in length around
|
ures of the traveller as well as the resident, to
take this drive daily during the pleasant part of
the season The means of travel in Japan, cut
side of such districts as cannot be visited by
railway, is almost wholly by tlpo lcheeted cart,
called Jia-Rii -Sha. and drawn by single Cooley,
except over the hilly portions, where tloo instead
of one perform the service. These men run like
racers making the average speed of d horse and
| carriage on short distances, and | am told on
/ long ones they come i'll ahead OF the horse-at
least they can make from forty to forty-hve
miles day comfortably by having the regular
relays of the motive power. All Of the public
roads outside of the cities are built with the
view to accommodate this kind of travel, and
/ horses and carriages are never seen driving
upon them. They are very narrow, barely wide
enough TO allow two of these RiIt Shas to pass
| each other, but are Level and smooth as the
| floor and are kept So being under the direct SUI
pervision of the Gout. None of the natives and
! but very few of the foreign residents of Yokoha-
] ma Keep horse and carriage, Notwithstanding
! Japanese horse is a very cheap luxury. Coca
sonaly pony harnessed to trap, las they call
it) may be seen on the street. Accompany
| ing the carriage is always d fnotman, called
! Betto, who trots along by its side and is always
at the horses head when the reins drop from the
drivers hands and he is ready to alight. This
| Betto seems necessity, rs there are no cOnve-
niences for hitchng horses in The streets, as in
other parts of the world. The jim -Rih-Shd, how,
/ ever, is the favorite and really the only comfor-
| table means of getting around, either in city or
| country. Not only is the poor Cooley the motive
| power that carries you to Church or on your ex-
cursion to the country in his Rk -Shd, but he is
the beast of burden that drags the heavy loaded
truck through the street, piled high with the
merchandise that loads the ships sailing to every
part of the world A walk through portions of
the Ndtue IOtrn is quite interesting. The strang-
er finds objects at every step to attract his at
tention. The shops in some of the principal SITS.
contain beautiful specimens Of lacquer ware,
bronZes, porcelain andcurOs. Their brio -a-brac
is the admiration OF every All of the streets
in the Native TOwn are narrow and torturous and
have no provision for pedestrians, and if you
elect to walk through this portion OF Yokohama,
you are obliged to take the street and take the
chances too with Rik-ShGs and rifraf generally.
In the Settlement or European quarter the
streets generally are wider and In a few of them
there is some pretence to have sidewalks The
main street especially contains many substan-
tial buildings, most of which are occupied as
stores and offices. The warehouses, which they
call G0d0l1ns are commodious, fire proof build
ings and are useful for the storage of valuable
merchandise. Among the many business firms
in this street there is number who do a large
export business in Teas, Silk and Rice, the three
principal articles of import of the empire Adj
Joining the offices of these houses they have
large ed-tiriig God0lons-places where the tea is
fired or dried before shipment. You will see in
these places from one thousand to one thousand
five hundred Coolies, of all ages, sexes and con
ditions, ranged along lines Of furnaces. In front
OF each one IS a cast-iron hopper containing
about ten pounds of tea-a slow charcoal fire
burns underneath, and these Coolies stir and
toss this tea about until every particle of mois
ture is evapOrated. The tea is then removed to
another apartment where another army of Coo
lies take it in charge, where it is assorted,
weighed, boxed, marked and is ready for ship
ment- The tea harvest is divided into four sea-
sons and are classified LIST, End, 3rd and 18th
pickings. Tie first which commences the mid
die OF May and has just closed. is considered the
finest favor and commands the highest price
The future pickings follow at intervals of about
thirty days between each, until the season closes.
The average price paid to the grower for the
first picking of tea is about seventeen Go dol
lars per Picul, which by our standard Of weights
is l33 lbs. All of such commodities, such as tea,