Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-08-21
AMONG THE JAPANESE.
WHAT AN AMERICAN SAW At A WATERING
PLACE.
Flirting and Dancing With japanese Bellies
Politsness Without Fine ClOthes-Bathing
With GirlS-Edwin Arnold's
New Drama.

MIYANosHITA. JAPAN, August IA
'If you Americans want TO see nature
and fun and love and sentiment" said
Sir Edwin Arnold as he sat on the We
randa OF the Grand Hotel at Yokohama,
go up to Miyanoshita, the Saratoga OF
Japan"
"Where is it?" asked.
-Four hours from here on the noun
tain-two by tram, an hour with horses,
an hour in kagos and jinrikiShas, ana
there you can sit in that great bird
cage, the Fujiya Hotel and firt with
pretty girls in four languages.
pretty girls in four languages" set
tied II, and we were off for the Japanese
Saratoga. The road lay through rice
fields or through rural villages where
they were pounding rice or weaving
cloth for the japanese kimouo. In many
cases the women were decollete to their
waists, children naked as angels and
men protected only by strip
around the loins. But there was no con-
scious immodesty. A man with tue
sinews Of Hercules would meet a
powerful woman and then would come
a siege Of Japanese poIiteness:
at is a great honor 10 meet your non
orable self" says the woman, smiling
and bending double.
mo; you confer an honor upon me,
and" bowling almost TO the ground, Il
am astonished that one so honorable
should speak TO a pigmy like myself.
"Your politeness," bewing still lower,
''overcOmes me-"
"And your gracious condecenslon,"
bowling almost to the ground, "hlls me
with happiness"
And so these naked Chesterfields on
with a dozen more kind sayings and
polite bows for five minutes.
All the houses we passed were as open
as sheds, and their whole interiors could
be taken in at a glance. There were no
| chairs, no tables, no beds, no stoves,
but always screen, flower vase, and
q bath tub. Sometimes the bath tub,
which is half barrel, was in the back
room and sometimes in front II is
warmed once day by little sheet-iron
stove In the side of the tub, the pipe OF
which runs through the half barrel. a
handful Of charcoal warns the water
for a whole family or hotel. They do
DOL OdLutt Uuk IlN CIV AhNAN eSNR'
Often the members Of several families
will be seen bathing together. Carter
Harrison, who wrote most interesting
book on Japan, says he was once bathing
with two boys when Japanese lady
and gentleman got into the same bath.
"SeeinR we were foreigners, however"
said Mr.. Harrison, "they politely bowed
themselves out" II there had not been
law passed obliging all Japanese TO
wear breechcloths rural Japan would go
naked to-day, and the people would do
IL in utter innocence. These naked peo-
Die are as knightly as bare-legged
Spartan King. In three months in
Japan have not seen drunken nor an
angry man. Neither have l seen a
saloon and rarely meat market. To-
bacco is seldom used and opium never.
The diet OF the people is as innocent as
their costume.
After sitting an hour In tram car,
riding along rice fields where women
were hoeing rice with their hands as
thew walked knee deep In the water, we
struck the kago carriers, who carried US
up the mountain TO Miyanoshita. Now
came test OF manhood. Our party OF
three had very stupidity brought 200
| pound Saratoga trunk Instead OF repack-
ing our things into japanese baskets.
Our kago carriers lookedsat the great
trunk and then looked at the fujiya
Hotel, four miles away on the top OF the
mountain. Then they laughlngly tied
a rope around the trunk, put pole
| through IL and started on fox trot
with the huge weight.
"Here stop!" (Ot clloito) said. Leave
1t. II will kill you"
"Can do" they laughed and on they
went. and when the first jlnrikisba
reached the hotel there stood my two
coolies with the trunk! / could not lift
one end OF this Saratoga. The strongest
hotel porter would have asked 30 cents
| 10 carry ii up one pair OF stairs In
! America, and these athletics had carried
| IL on a run four miles up mountain,
and when l paid them 20 cents apiece,
the regular price, they thanked US over
and over again and bowed three times
TO the ground.
FOR shamew said my tender-hearted
wife with tears In her eyes. "GiVe them
more, double 1t, such brave, grand
men"
"All right" said, patting the men
on their sinewy backs. take more" and
they laughed and cried with JOY as they
took il.
:, The watering place hotels here are
Ike great bird cages, and pretty japan
csc waiter girls dressed In kimonos and
brilliant obs tsashes)h flock through halls
and dining-rooms like birds. Always
laughing like the three little maids from