New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-16


Julv opening the whole of Japan to trace Win
couo,onars tbav will bring about sweeping ana
radical changes In the life Of the people VINO
have been called "the Yankees OF the faS''
RECENT in the six ports now permitted TO TRACE
Nth foreign NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Kobe (or
t1iooa, Osaka Nagasaki Hakodate and Nlga'a
ord in thirteen other less important ones
yhora foreign commerce is allowed unuer Sc
yoro restrictions the empire Of Japan Is a'
,rose,, closed TO outsiders so far as traffic Win
tber, is concerned Practically the whole OF the
interior is debarred from business intercourse
with neople of other nations and the result Oh
this is of course a total unfamiliarity on the
part Of the majority of Japanese with the 'raue
customs of the rest of the world
Now that the whole country is to be thrown
OPEN however. there is sudden CURIOSITY anu
eagerness on the part OF its lnhapnah's W
know how these strangers propose 10 carry on
their commercial relations. and while IL VIII
be necessary naturally. for foreigners 10 con-
form in some measure to japanese ways IL Is
more necessary still that the japanese DE III
structed in the more practical and less cere-
nonious business methods and manners Vi
Europeans and Americans. For this purpose
treaty operation committees are being formed
IN all parts Of the empire to explain to the
j
the most important points of difference between
their own and foreign ideas For the guidance
OF the foreigners transations of the more COM
mon Japanese laws also being prepared
Many tourist in former years would have
been grateful for this piece Of work If it had
been performed sooner. for it would have kept
him from various unintentional offences against
jar anese ideas Of correct behavior
POLITENEss IN BUSINESS.
Above all things the subjects of the Mikado
a polite people. polite with patience ana
persistence which know no limit. and the best
efforts Of foreigner to equal them cannot fail
to seem almost like rudeness in comparison.
No European-and certainly no American
could bow. for example. does the japanese
gentleman who meets a business friend in the
street. His inclination is a veritable Eastern
saaam, and it is to be feared that nc will
stare with gentle reproach at the jerky little
nod which his hurrying foreign acquaintance
is likely to give him in return His ceremonious
Inquiries regarding the honorable health OF
the exalted friend and his ustrlous family"
are often destined it is to be feared, to be dis
posed of all too briefly for Japanese notions Of
such things. The idea Of haste and Of business
pure and simple, shorn of social ceremonies
Will come as barbarsm to the native mind.
out II is bound to be manifested wherever the
foreigners obtain a considerable foothold i'm
trade
Many OF the Japanese cities. too will prob
ably see striking changes in their appearance
aiter the foreign traders have become we'll es-
taphshed In them. At present most OF the
towns or the empire are still like wildernesses
Oh nimsy little buildings, scarcely better than
"ooueh sneds-picturesQue IL is true but frail
Inc business portion is small and compact in
one place. but even here there is hardly any
thing to distinguish it from the rest of the CITY
There are no big warehouses; no busy factories
with their whirling machinery. no heavy traffic
IN the streets, no hustle, no noise Even in
Tokyo this state of affairs is to be found There
are some horsecars. which charge the modest
sum OF one sen (half cent? a ride and there
is one electric street railway. Other electric
lines either in process of building or in con-
temptation but there is much opposition to
them among the Japanese.
J THINK CARS A DISFIGUREMENT
our cities are very pretty" said well-edu-
Gated. Americanized Japanese in this city the
other day and the people in them think the
cars Disagreement. l can't help sympathzing
with that feeling to some extent OF course
the electric cars would be great convenience
In many ways, but they do seem out of har-
mony with the japanese surroundings, and,
really, the jinrikisha, which everybody uses
foreigners as much as anyone else-is not at all
bad vehicle. 1t is comfortable, and the coolies
who carry it are quick runners
The jinrikishas also have the advantage of
being cheap the usual charge being 10 sen
Give cents for two-mile trip. One may also
hire them for different lengths of time, at the
rates Of 10 sen an hour, - sen (37H cents a
day, or > yen go so week.
One universal national custom. which the |