The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-03-03
"REMINISCENCES OF
-. J. A TRIP TO JAPAN

sampans as they are called, crowded
with Japs of all ages and sizes and of
both sexes are seen coming from all di-
rections. In an incredibly short time
platforms are lashed one above anoth-
er for standing places and when all is
ready the small baskets are filed and
passed up from hand to hand until
dumped into the weighing box, which
when filed is emptied into the hold of
the ship. The tally-keeper keeps count
of the weighing in with small bamboo
sticks. So rapidly does the endless
stream of baskets come up tie side of
the ship that it is very difficult to fol-
low them and there are any number of
rows OF workers. 1t is on the came
principle as the belt bucket in use in
our wheat elevators except that human
hands and muscles form the belt. It
is remarkable how quickly ship can
be loaded with hundreds of tons of coal
in this primitive manner. Nag6saki is a
typical japanese city, but there is very
little Especial interest there outside
of its curio shops, tea houses and a
few temples.
THE INLAND SEA.
After the ships business had been
transacted we left Nagasaki and pro-
ceeded up the western coast of Japan
for the opening to the Inland Sea
which we were due to reach the next
morning. The captain of our boat, a
genial, jovial old fellow, one of the
Kind who takes fatheIly interest in
his passengers, told me he would pull
me out of my bunk twice on the trip
to Yokohama, if had no objections,
and told him all right, for I had be-
come used to that in Manila. True to
his word, early in the morning he hus-
tied me, half dressed and only half
awake, up on the bridge to see the
boat enter the Inland Sea at sunrise.
Sleep was soon forgotten. My eyes
were feasting on beautiful scenery and
exquisite coloring. The entrance is
very like great river, winding its way
through rocky cliffs until finally the
larger body of water bursts upon the
view. All day long we steamed
through this most beautiful sheet of
water, the shores upon either side pre-
senting the.most delightful panorama
of japanese villages, hamIets, farms,
mountains and valleys. There were
villages situated on little harbors, pic
turesque houses nesting in cosy hooks
in the sides of the hills, and the fields
of many-hued green gave the effect in
the distance Of parallel lines of math-
ematical precision one above the 9TH
er. At different points Notifications
of extensive character were seen. for
Japan has been preparing for war, both
offensive and defensive. for years, as
is evidenced at Nagasaki, the Inland
Sea and Yokohama and also by the
character and number of her warships
which are strictly modern and up to
date.
Kobe, which lies at the extreme east
ern end of the Inland Sea and on the
outlet of the same to the Pacific Ocean
is one of the most important cities of
Japan. Great commercial interests
are here and a railroad connecting Ko-
be, Osaka, Kioto, Yokohama and Tok-
10 adds no little to the immense ship
ping business. Osaka, few miles
away, is a great manufacturing place,
| believe the most important in Japan.
We left Kobe in the evening and the
next morning was once more hustled
up on the bridge by the captains or
ders. He had already told me that it
I is seldom that a good view can be OBJ
tanned of the famous Fusiyama, the
sacred mountain of Japan, on account
of fogs and clouds, and shall never
forget the beauty of that scene. AL
tho seventy miles distant, in the
clear, fresh morning light, there it
stood, snow-capped, II, 600 It. high, no
other mountains or hills at its base to