The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-09-25
Many Acres Planted With
Early Vegetables.
Prayers of Rice Planters for
Destruction of Rats i'm
the Fields.
Especial Correspondence.]
Nikko. September 6, 1897.


EDITOR P. C. Awe found it SC
! hot in Yokohama that as soon as we
could we got out of the heat into this
mountain region The air is cool and
bracing; the sky was overcast this
morning, but the mountain-tops stand
out clear. and the thermometer marks
50 deg. During the day it has risen to
II deg.
1t is a long ride from Yokohama to
Nikko, 118 miles, in eight hours. There
are no express trains, and changes are
frequent from one road to another,
with long waits, in order to make con-
nections. We left Yokohama at 12:45,
and arrived at Nikko at 9 p. m. We
had first-class tickets, and these gave
us half a car with three long sofas, all
to ourselves, as there were no other
first-class passengers. At the different
stations where we stopped, we were al
lowed the privilege of crossing the
tracks. The Japanese passengers were
compelled to go up and cross over on
the bridges. Such numbers of them are
travelling in every direction, it is well
that they are looked after with such
paternal care: but American sovereigns
prefer to look out for themselves.
This constant stream of travel on all
the Japanese thoroughfares is largely
owing to the shrewd provision of the
old Shoyums, who compelled the great
Daimios T., live at Tokyo six months
of the ye@I They travelled to and
from thp;. homes in great state, with
hordes 81 retainers. They took pride in
,iav'dg the highways in their own
+ ovinces as smooth and pleasant as
they could be made From Utsonomi-
va, where the main road is left, there is
a straight, broad, graded avenue to
Nikko 27 miles long, lined with huge
tall cryptomeria trees, a species of ce-
dar. From the station to the village, |
at the. head Of which is the Kanoya |
merias. Entering the village in the |
darkness, we found the streets wet with |
recent rain, and the rushing of the |
water in the cutters on either side of |
the road gave assurance of coolness, a
welcome sound TO travellers fleeing |
from the hot glare of YokOhama's mar
row streets.
The railroad runs through the dead |
level of the Tokyo plain, with the |
garden farms. The upper end |
of the route passes through a rolling |
country. more like Iowa, with we'll
wooded ridges, and similar farms" |
bordering the runlets between. We |
could see in the dim distance the pyra-
midal bulk of Nantaisan, the great |
of the Nikko range, lifting
itself into prominence on the horizon.
1t is 5000 feet high, and wooded to the
very summit. That is a popularity of
these japanese mountains. Otherwise,
the country reminded me more of the
Scotch Highlands, with it's glens, than
Of Alpine scenery, with it's lofty
heights and deep-cleft valleys.
We passed acres of Japanese pears,
grown on fiat trelleses. But the fruits
have not much flavor. Japan lacks
sunshine, to judge from our experience. |
Old residents tell us that the latter
half of October and the whole of No
7ember are the best months for visiting
he country, for then there is plenty of
sunshine. We are disappointed in not
finding peaches in this village. They
we're abundant at Karuizawa, anl fine
Favored, four for 3 cents of our cur
'ency. We have salmon trout here, for
he Government has stocked the lake
above us. But the carp do not relish.
The japanese are very fond of fishing.
On the stone wall, in front of the
Grand Hotel at Yokohama, on the boats
n the creek, men and boys stood as