Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1899-04-01
TOXIC.
The Capital of Japan. the Coming
Empire of the Far East.

Ewpire of the Far East.
DEAR EEws:-Todsy we boast Of our
hrst railroad ride in JapAn-a ride from
Yokohama to Toxic, IS miles distant
The road 10 . narrow gauge-vsry mar
row--Aud the coaches are ANAL, not
larger than electric street-car coaches.
The Recommendations are for three
Glasses Of passengers, drst, second and
third, but the difference in fittings do
mot justify the diHereAAss In fare rates. |
Third-class passengers, mostly coolies.
are given very lov rates. The coaches
have no heating apparatus other than |
Ars-pans for warming the feet Each |
coach il divided into three compart-
ments accommodating six passengers
each, eighteen in all. There are no
Pullmans nor Wagners to the trains
One noticeable difference in the man.
agement o; American and Japan trains
il: The Japan trains have no eonduc-
tors to collect tickets. Tickets are
punched BY the gate-keeper At the
depot of departure and are taken up by
the keeper At the gate Of arrival.
The run from Yokohama to Toxic Is
through beautiful valley Of gardens
and orchards. The gardens are separa-
ted by evergreen hedges IS artistically
trimmed as ifthey had been in the hands
OF tonsorial experts with the latest
patented ehears. The trees OF the or
chArds are invariably trained in the
most beautiful shapes. We passed one
large pear orchard, the branches of
whose trees were trained to form an
Arbor like some vineyards in our coun-
try. Think Of an arbor covering four
acres and this made Of pear tree limbs
growing not upward but outward, per-
pendicular to the trucks Of the trees.
Toxic is great city. 1t has pop
nlation Of l,475,OOO people and covers
An area of q square miles. The valley
in which it is situated extending on one
side along the bay is Of great beauty.
The other sides are surrounded by
wooded hills, smiling valleys, with ever
luxuriant vegetation, evergreen oaks,
cypress, palm and bamboo. In its parks
are magnificent trees, strange in their
shapes to the foreign eye, and in the
temple gardens and lawn around homes
are shrubbery of the most varied and
richest hues.
Reaching the Toxic depot our first
move was to engage rickshaw' driver
who could talk little English. From
the hundreds present it was easy TO
find the man wanted. We explained
our wants, namely, to see the city in a
day, and in moment we were going al
2:40 gait, first to the Buddhists and
then to the Shinto temples-places o.
interest to all who visit Japan. Oul
''driyer" was spirited trotter. hi.
rapid speed and constant calling, SHE
hie" made pedestrians clear the track
and give the right Of way. Our first visi
was TO the temple at which the Mikadt
worships, building and environment
never to be forgotten, but impossible,
for description ia this letter. Wher
we approached the sacred entrance
the priest in charge insisted that W,
remove our shoes, but as the day wa
damp and cool we protested, and b.
then had an attendant cover them will
white muslin overshoes, and so we en-
tered without any Inconvenience. Tn
interior was rich in metal ornament
and decorations. A few worshipper
present were PROSTATE in their devo
tions. Their offerings were of tn
''widow's mite' yalue-some one-tent
of a cent, some half cent and some
cent. 10 this temple-park are th
tombs Of the rulers Of nine dynasties
What strange looking tombs they are
Near by is famous bell Of wonderful
weight which is sounded twice eac
day. Its weight is 5000 pounds an
is sounded by blows from sort of sui
pended battering ram or beam handle
by nine natives.
Our second place of visit was
Sbinto temple Built on the frustrum {
an earthern cone, 81 stone steps hig
and as nearly perpendicular as on
could we'll climb. On the top of TIL
moggd was tower building four-storie
high and from whose top story we coul
overlook almost the entire city. Wht
picture to take in the homes of mi
lion-and-a-half Of people at a sing
glancel A Shinto temple is the plae
where the natives worship their ance
trial heroes and the distinguished des
of their country.
After drive around the park thl
surrounds the Mikado's palace, to mi
seums Of wonderful things and To oths
places Of note and OF profound iute
est, we drove through the princip
business streets and curio streets unit
the hour came for us to catch the ira
for Yokohama.