The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1896-10-29
Written for The CoAMoHwEALTH]
A LETTER FROM JAPAN,
MANY CURIOUS CUSTOMS,
The Japs Work Backwards.

600 0So w VI \ odCA w dIQSs
There are lots of queer things in ia
pan. The Japanese customs are JUS
the reverse of ours. They hitch theil
horses in the stalls by their tails in
stead of their heads their locks are or
the jamb instead of the door. The
newsboys don't cry "papers," but. have
bells on their girdles to attract the
peoples attention. When they address
letter, they put the country first, the
State or province next, then the city
street, number and the name last oi
all, which when you come to think o1
it, is very sensible thing. A Jap
anese carpenter has the blade of his
plane fastened edge upwards in the top
of his bench and shoves the board OF
plank across it. He pulls his saw to
wards him instead OF showing it from
him.
The women, when sewing, keep the
point of the needle from them all the
time, the eye of the needle being on
the point and the thread is not cut
from the spool until the seam is finish
ed and is drawn along through each
stitch. They use paper thimbles oiled
and waxed, instead of metal ones.
When you buy few yards of cloth
from merchant, he always unrolls the
whole piece and cuts it off of the in
side end in order that you may not
take the part that is faded Or shop
worn. A tailor makes the lining of a
garment first and cuts out the cloth
from it as pattern.
A Japanese book begins at the last
page and reads from right to left and
the lines run up and down the paper.
At nearly every house you will see a
fountain and large basin of water
with gold fish in them. They build
the roof of their houses first upon the
ground, it Is then raised and the walls
are placed under it. The walls are
usually of braided bamboo, plastered
inside and out and are covered with
clap-boards or heavy coating of stucco.
Wooden houses are seldom painted
but the natural color of the wood is
allowed to ripen. The stucco houses
are always painted black and the sur
face is polished so that it shines like a
new stove.
Articles upon the bill of fare in the
hotels and restaurants are numbered
and you order by number instead of
name. This is great advantage to
people who do not understand their
language or know how to pronounce it.
The police and railway officials carry
paper lanters properly marked with
their names and number printed on
them.
There are no eating houses along
the railway lines, but tea is served out
at every station with neat little wood
en- boxes filled with rice and other dish
es with pair of chop sticks slip ped
through card by which they are fast
ened. The tea is very cheap, only two
cash cupful, that is about 2-1O of one
our cents.
Every japanese is required to report
at the police headquarters whenever
he changes his residence or his en-
ployer or occupation. The police is
to know the whereabouts of every per-
son in the empire. All the arrivals
and departures at hotels and tea-houses
are to be reported to the police. No
stranger or native is allowed to travel
through the country unless he has a
passport. Messengers and newsboys
always run at the top of their speed
when on duty. You can get hot or
cold bath for five cents and laundry
work is only fifteen cents dozen.
The little children at the large kin
dergarten and primary schools wear
brass tags, upon which their names and
numbers, and street of their residence
are inscribed.
It is considered by japanese trades
men great advantage to them in seek
ing the patronage of tourists ana curio
hunters to have an American or English
name. will give you few which are
in large print on apiece ofplank which
hangs over their door as sign:
"Whiskey Boy" who is the leading
jeweler of Yokohoma; George Wash
ingtin," who is one of the best pho
tographers in the country; Handy
Andy,"-he is a barber. These are
very rich men and they live on Main
street In the city of Yokohoma. In
going along this street one sees famil-
lar signs like "The Dew Drop Inn,"
"sailors Snug Harbor," ''The Last
Chance" and Happy Hollow" hang
ing over the entrance to japanese
places of business.
There was japanese liquor dealer
once who applied for a sign to hang
over the door of his place and this Is
what the American (whom he asked)
gave him for his sign: "Sln and Sor-
row Sold Here"
Some of their advertisements are
ko;11r onnn,1naoa SSSfVI.