The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-22
IN THE LAND OF THE MIKADO.
H. ID. PLANTS OBSERVATIONS
AMONG THE JAPANESE.

L
tiOns and Progress, as He Saw
Them-The Japanese Mostly Farm
ers-The Products of the Empire.
The Advance of Railroad Enter
prises-DOmestic and Social Gus
toms at Variance With Those of
This Country.
! President H. B. Plant of the Plant sys-
TEN, who is in Savannah to attend the
annual meetings of the Southern Express
| Company and the Savannah, Florida and
| Western railway, is south for the first
time since his visit to Japan. He is in ex-
cellent health and physique, which he at
| tributes to his trip across the Pacific.
Mr.. Plant talks interestingly of what he
saw, and what he thinks of the land of
the mikado The steamer on which he
sailed went to Yokohama, where he dis
! embarked 1t seemed almost a dream to
think that less than half a century ago.
when Mr.. Plant was already a man of
| affairs it was only by the grace of the
! guns of his fleet that Commodore Perry
opened to the world the mysterious and
sealed country of the east. What
changes" Mr.. Plant said, have taken
place in the Land of the Rising Sun
since them"
Mr.. Plants talk about Japan shows that
he is a close observer of other matters
than railroad and express companies. He
first went to Toxic, and then about half
the distance towards the northern end of
Japan, intending to visit Yezo, the far
thest island, but after proceeding that
far, the weather was SO Indictment, with
no promise of improvement, that he re-
traced his journey. 1t would take months
to go over the entire empire, which has
an area about three times that of the
state of Georgia. The population is
over half that of the United States,
though only about one-fourth of the
country is under cultivation, the rest be-
ing mountains and forests.
The Japanese are principally farmers,
and the main product seemed to be rice,
which is cultivated by irrigation.
Mr.. Plant said the banks or
bikes which keep the rivers
and canals in their beds are pieces of en-
cheering work, the like of which he had
never seen. In fact, all pub
lie improvements and the railroads
are of the most substantial character.
Tobacco, cotton, corn, wheat, potatoes
and all the products known in the United
States are grown in Japan. There Is no
good fruit however. What Mr.. Plant
saw was of very poor quality, the plums
not comparing with the Japan fruit grown
in Florida.
There are cotton mills, machine shops
and other manufactures in various parts
of the empire. Though Japan grows cotton,
it is very inferior quality, and the most
n hA fnri mill ic INN
China. Some American cotton, however,
is used, and Is shipped from Savannah.
The island is well provided with rail-
roads, which, excepting the Imperial rail-
way, are owned by private corporations.
The gauge is 312 feet, and the equipment
is on the English style, though improve
ments on such cars and locomotives are
now being introduced. American locomo-
| tiVeS are slowly, but surely Supplanting
those made in England, because they are
better made. At first the railroads were
managed and differed by Europeans but
gradually the natives learned to run the
business in all its details, and have sup
planted the foreigners. Mr. Plant said he
was surprised at the enormous travel. Be-
tween Yokohama and Toxic, passenger
trains run every hour or less, and are
crowded on every trip.
| The people are very civil, though they
| have a very high opinion of themselves
the masses the food is mostly rice and
dried fish and their clothing consists of
| two pieces, breech clout and loose Jacket,
or wrap for the men, and gown and
wrapper, or shawl, for the women. In
| government and official circles the Euro
pean dress is worn and the ladies of that
class wear European dresses also. The
japanese, high and low sit, sleep and eat
on the floor which is COW
cred with soft mats At the
! principal hotels, there are rooms for Japa-
nese and others for Europeans or
Americans. The latter are fin
ished in the usual style, with bed
Japanese have only mats. The native
| traveller brings his pillow and bed cloth
| Ing, something like our comforts
with him, and sleeps on the floor. II he
eats at the hotel he does his own cooking.
which is very simple proceeding. A box
with live Goals, covered with ashes is his
stove and on that he makes his tea and
cooks his rice.
| Mr.. Plant said it is like looking at a
picture to travel through the country and
| see the farms which are cultivated entire
| ly by hand. The fields reminded him of
Well-kept flower gardens at home The
! soil is not naturally fertile but is made
so by the liberal application of fertilizers.
The beautiful valleys and the majestic
| mountains which are always in sight
form magnificent view, such as he never
saw before.
Speaking of the habits of the people he
said the Japanese women have immense
heads of hair and the coiffures are SO
large that when lady goes to bed her
hair has to be supported by block placed
back of The pillow. He remarked that
japanese sleeping beauty cannot
sleep ''all over the bed" as is generally
supposed to be the case with american
maidens.
Mr.. Plant had been deputized by Gov.
Bloxham of Florida to invite japan to
send commissioners to the national fish
| convention to be held at Tampa next year.
He presented the matter to the prime
minister with whom he dined. and who
said 1t would be a pleasure for his gov
eminent to send representatives if the
invitation came through the Secretary of
state. Since his return, Secretary
Sherman has extended a formal invitation
on the part of the United States to japan
TO be represented at the convention Mr..
Plant said that Mr.. Sherman has extend.
ed a similar invitation to all countries
having diplomatic relations with the
United States.
Among the places which Mr. Plant xis