Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-19
THE TOILET IN JAPAN.
At Least Once Each Day the Natien Hathes-Pains of the Geisha Girls
 to Look Pretty.

to Look Pretty.
 It must not be supposed that the fascinating little geisha acquires the exquisite prettiness and minute per- lection wzvl which, as we watch the graceful posturings and quaint bow ings, she enthralls us, without trouble. :. No, her toilet IS as serious as it is perfect, from the crepon bows and coral pins that crown her elaborate coiffure to the white tabi socks, with a separate compartment for the great toe, that inclose her little feet, says the Lon don Daily Pictorial. La mode iaponaise'' seems most fttingly con- aeived. To imagine the plumb, child ish faces, youthful figures, and per fect1y turned necks of old Nippon under toupee, or imprisoned m tight garments and high collars is difficult. At one time there was an absolute scare in artistic circles The new Japan arising in the far east, in her haste to adopt western ideas, seemed also about to embrace it's inconvenient garb of constraining
 
 ladies ordered and wore-the fact is really ppalling-costumes from Ber- lin! But fortunately the reaction of 1887 against the occidental included made in Germany garments, and since they are now, happily, only seen at court functions, they will not disfgure the charming geisha. By the bye, this poor little song stress is often cruelty misjudged by European travellers, who, generaliz- ing from scanty experience, sum her up with about as much fairness and accuracy as if Japanese passing through London docks were to de- scribe English women as wearing national costume of shawl and feath- cred hat, spending their days in con- suming the malt beverage of the country, and having limited, but extremely forcihle, vocabulary. The geisha is, in fact, as public entertain CT in much the position of concert singer or feciter. You want your entertainment to go. so you will ap- ply to the geishaya agency, who send you a troupe of hardworking little artistes who will sing, dance and ask conundrums in turn, to the guests delight. That they devote their lives to the art of being charming but proves their capacity and thorough ness.
 In Japan the great unwashed is non- existent. The nation bathes--or rather boils-(for the baths heated by charcoal stoves are usually about no degrees Fahrenheit) at least once daily. Clothes, however, faded and patched, are always clean they are actually unpicked to se- cure thorough cleansing; and finger nails of even working hands are deli cately cared for. The barber plays an important Dart in the geisha's toilet. Few Japanese women do their own hair-the geisha never. But be- fore the coiffure-amazing fact-the razor! No least suggestion is intend ed that the Japanese, though strangely allied to the Ainu, share in any way their most conspicuous characteristic. Quite the contrary; but O-Sada-San has her preference for the removal of the almost in- visible down on her clear yellow cheeks, throat, ears and the backs of her little hands. Tiny razors with oddly-shaped blades are used, and the operation usually lasts an hour. Then her hair, always long and abundant, is brushed with oil and gum; when this has slightly stiffened it is raised into strangely stylish bows affected bygd young Japanese women. The style of coiffure tells s'the honorable age' in the far east.
 After the barber, the ''make-up.' Tn this O-Sada-San is an artist in- deed. Did we not know her extreme fairness racially improbable, even the sunlight would not betray her, so perfectly does the paint lie on her now microscopically smooth face. touch of carmine on the lips-per- haps streak of gold also, line of antimony beneath the bright slant ing eyes, darking oil on 1ashes and brows, q shining hairpin or two, and perhaps flower, are the finishing touches. The geisha studies tires chic'' effect, an artfully artless sim plicity in dress. Her "kimona'' is of dark silk, her 'dogi'' or undergar- ment of some pale colored crepon dove, gray or cream; her stsabi, pur- est white, and only in her huge '.obi," (sash,) which is so large that it needs a small cushion to support it, is there any apparent display. Her silks are often out of all proportion to her income, being heirlooms, the products of old Japan handed down. A dark-colored fan with quiet design "a cloud, poem. or famous sigma ture-is worn in the "obbi." Her hanging sleeves are her pockets, in which she keeps sachets of pow dered perfume store of paper pocket handkerchiefs, and her little "kicero' (pipe). When ready to start she tucks up her kimona. dons black silk wadded jacket or ssrwi- gil" and winds shaped piece of linen over her stiff and shining coif- fure. She slips her ''chamicen," three-stringed guitar, under her arm, takes a stout oiled paper umbrella and swinging paper lantern-it may be dark ere she returns-then she -+fa x7r.s~ I. 1. .z.1- =