The Press., 1895-01-31


 that moment ending.
 The aspect of the city is not so very different from that of our American cities, as Japan is so quick to take up the cus- 8 Connecticut need not spurn, and all the officials-police and custom officers and many of the citizens wearing American dress, while both Americans and English street cars we mounted little jinriksha, and little man weighing not much over 100 pounds steps between the shafts and off we go as fast as horse generally trots through our city streets. You travel as easily as if in an easy chair, there being none of that backward and forward mo- tion characteristic of gigs drawn by horses. We rode about the city for an hour. The streets are generally narrow, from fifteen to thirty feet wide-some- times with sidewalks, sometimes without always narrow, not over four feet wide when there are any, except on the grand
 
 we'll built blocks. The government build ings have spacious grounds with beautiful shrubbery. The railroad is very much like ours at home, with signs and notices in English. Men seem to move here to and fro in as great hurry as in New York, Chicago CT Shelton. entered two of the public places of business-the Pa cific Mail Co.'S office and also into MT. Loomis' office, and aside from the Jap servants might have thought myself in Bridgeport or New York.
 The stores differ from any I have ever seen, however. You find no doors to them, being all open with goods displayed very neatly, and with the storekeeper's whole family about. No attempt is made to induce you to buy, and even if you stop and look at articles no attention is given you until you make your wants known. Candy stores abound, fish and fruit are plenty, meat markets rather scarce. Fancy articles are numerous and very gorgeous these appear in the display-I cannot say shop windows, for there are none. There are few horses, and they are all small, not of over 800 pounds weight, and you seldom see carriage drawn by horses, although there are few. The horses are mostly used for draught, and are hitched either to two-wheeled drag or a four wheeled concern that made us think of a portable engine truck, the wheels were so small. The driver of single teams never rides but walks ahead of the horse and sort of drags him along. A very few double teams are to be seen, and in them the driver was riding z
 We started for Hamakma about 10. 90 a. m. The railroads in Japan are owned and controlled by the government, hence there is no necessity for the building of large and expensive stations and the ex- pense incurred for their care, as in our own country. The fares are less than two cents per mile. You purchase tickets as in the United States, take the train the same. There are three classes, as in Eng land, and the class is plainly marked on l ductors, and no means of going from one car to another except by getting off the train. As you go out to the train your ticket is punched, and at your destination your ticket is taken as you leave the train. We did not hear the stations called out but the names are posted in conspicuous places. l like the service very much, what little I have seen of it, and think I am now an advocate of the government own ership of the railroads.
 After arriving at Hamakma our jinrik. shas were ready for us, and after drink of water drawn from faucet as in Amer ica, we rode to shinto temple. From the arched entrance to the grounds it was about twenty rods to the temple. A priest with shaven head smiled on us as we en- tered and accompanied us to the temple There are so many pictures of these tenn pies to be found in books that I need not describe it. The god of war was seated at the left of the entrance of this one, anC was covered with spit-balls from head tC foot, and looked as if the bats and owls had roasted on him for 200 years. The grounds about the temple are beautiful with orange trees full of fruit in the rear The most striking thing about the tenn pies is their number. We ran against them continually. From this place we went over to see the renowned Buddha Old Buddha sits with crossed legs anC partly folded hands, his thumbs touching at the ends. He is 50 feet high as he sits We went inside, which is covered with the initials of visitors. Strike him and the hollow resounds-like God! We ther went to native inn, where we took din. ner in genuine Japanese fashion. At the door a pretty Monsinee met us and sue. ceeded in making us understand that oul shoes must be removed. Bout oh wasn't the house neat and clean-just like wax The table, about 16 inches high, stood ir the midst of the room, had no cloth on it but was covered with very hard varnish We each had little mat about ten inches thick to sit on. The first course was tes no milk, no sugar. Oranges next-nC knives, forks or, spoons. Then soup pickled vegetables, fish and rice came or with only chop sticks to eat with. w went for those chop sticks. When I triet to open them they stuck together, ant when finally pried them apart and go one on each side of a piece of fish close il on, it, those sticks slid every way but tow ard one another. They seemed to have faculty for chasing each other around tha morsel of fish. However, I managed t, devour fair quantity. It was fun to se Mrs. Beard try to eat rice. The stick did not work for cent, and we finall, were obliged to adopt the native custom