The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21
House-Hunting in Far Japan
Offers Comical Situations
The Live Japanese Learns Some
Things and Vsriet of Curious Experiences

> or curious Experiences
to be registered at police headquarters, and
| o Yen trudged there with our visiting
cards. In return, a scribe from the police
! Office came, and the two seated on the
floor, talked for an hour over cups OF tea,
while he wrote and wrote as we looked on,
wondering how they could ind so much
to say about US, and eventually paid the
| bill.
Japan, it seemed, took no chances with
| strange visitors.
With the understanding that . Yen was
| to go to police headquarters Thursday Of
| every week and report our dolnSS, we were
| at last settled.
IN SMALL QUARTERS.
With our loose jointed ways of looking
| at things, the japanese utilization of space
| and the extension of its possibilities seem
| like a sixth sense. On half-acre of ground
| there were five houses. each with it's little
| pocket handkerchief of a yard laid out as
| if it were a landscape. Each was surrounded
by high fence of split bamboo. impene-
| trable as to sight. AS for hearing, We might
| all almost have been in the same house.
| Our next neighbOr was young Englishman
with historic name ard a geisha who
strummed her samisen al day long.
But we were easily the most notable
| household. For one thing we had a cook
| ing stove This was the most costly bit
Il L a
/ pipe. whose adjustment proved that stove
| pipes are much the same in every quarter
| of the world. Then We hired piano, which
a convenient partition was taken down TO
| accommodate.
The shoji or windows occupied almost
| one side of the house and slipped on
| grooves. The tiny panes were filled with
| transparent paper. The duty of every
| morning to paste up the holes pushed
| in the paper. where the night before we had
n,ano was the signal for the neighborhood
! to gather outside.
The piano was scarcely installed when
| Yen came in and closed the lid in the
| midst of a tune She explained the act with
| great volubility. o Yen could never un-
| derstand why such accomplished foreigners
| could not comprehend the talk OF a poor
/ Japanese maid. Even when she gossipped
| about us to a neighboring crony, she al
| ways talked in whisper But 1T appeared
| that Prince YaShimlna was dead, and ell
| quette prescribed that for three days the
sound of music must not be heard in the
| land. At the end of this time o Yen raised
| the lid OF the piano with a gfggle and l.
| dashed into 'AIl Coons Look Alike 20 Me"
The earthquake was produced so promptly
that it seemed Japan was eager TO bring
| out her novelties. We were lying wrapped
/ in our futons. the one in a kimona ward
| robe, the other In an honored recess, when
at midnight the dogs began TO bark. the
| corners of the room seemed TO be DOWlng
to one another, and then the room waltzed
around by itself The movement was long
terically enjoying the sensation.
IN THE EARTHQUAKES SHADOW.
1t was surprising to find on the morrow
that the foreigners were busy inspecting
their beams and foundations after fairly
severe shock" They live under this
shadow. Familiarity with earthquakes does
not breed contempt. On the contrary, the
longer a foreigner lives in Japan the more
| these commissions feared. Japanese
houses are safer than foreign houses, for
the reason that the uprights stand in stones
! slightly followed, so that they may yield
/ to the movement. The real danger is from
| the heavy roof tiles flying through the air:
| The foreigner is warned not to run out of
| the house but TO stand in the doorway in
order TO get the protection OF the frame
| work above
| is fire. and this quickly followed the earth
| quake. 'Kadgii Kadgil'' We heard the
| scream, and knew what it meant for there
| Is terror in this cry, which belongs to all
tongues. 1t proved TO be the corner house
| on our little lane.
| O Yen withheld our impetuosity until she
whole area was like day. One of the
| humOrs of Japan is that no one must go
TO fire without a lantern; and the pres
around the blazing house was, indeed
! funny.
| put out a fire. With long hooks they pun
| down the blazing structure. and merely
prevent the flames from spreading. The
neighboring hOuseholders, with buckets OF
water. look out for their own property A
fire in a crowded japanese quarter is a
| serious matter. y few days before LOO
houses were burned in Toxic. Our part in
the fire was TO pay the Waterman VINO
| cried ''kadgi' six yen when he presented
| his bill for waking us up.
These watchmen are a feature of Japan
| Armed with stout sticks, topped by loose
! metal rings. they walk up and down, strik-
| ing their sticks against the ground. Thls
izen that he may sleep on, for the watch
man is doing his duty The thieves are
| alike warned.
night Is the melancholy pipe OF the ANNA
| SAN" These are the blind masseurs look
| ing out for custom. Only the blind are al
| ioWvu 70 PiaCtce HldsSdSe' ms niS an ~ 'iIO
| hot bath are the remedial agents or Japan
| The demand for the masseur among the
| rickshaw men is great. Thus their legs
| are kept In condition
The hot bath helps to keep the nation
| warm. The cold Of a Japanese winter is
| the most disagreeable cold in the habitable
world. charcoal fire is built in the BATH
| and the bather sits to the neck in water
| and parbOilS and screams. But the after
effect is luxurious. We had the first priv
ileges in our own bathhouse. Afterwards
| Yen gave bath parties to our neighbCrs
| which saved their charcoal and made us
| popular
| acquired the English habit of saying dam
| my I'm all emergencies. We disapproved
| and taught her 10 say "hully gee one
! day the noise of a heavy body humping
along. the CHATTER of tin the sound of run
ming water st; startled us and above all. the
| downstairs with the water can, and finding
| the American expletive equal to the occa-
| sion This pleased us.
Such are some of the fragrant novel
| memories of our little Japanese bungalow
| 3I19 Negisha Mura-
MARY GAY HUMPHREYS.
Copyright. 1901
| The Loom of Dreams.