The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-26
IN KYOTO.
Howe and Admiral Togo in
Japanese City
At the Same Time-OceasiOn a
Great Holiday
FOREIGN MANNERS.
Peculiarities Of the Oriental
Fete Days.
Thousands of Umbrellas and
COlOred Lanterns.
'OREIGN MANNERS.

/ fear we are somewhat tickle. We
were in love with Honolulu; tnen we
were in love with Yokohama, and next
with Toxic, but now we think Kyoto,
where we are today, is the most Won
derful place we have seen. KyOto is
! twice as big as Kansas City. Ever hear
/ of it? For eleven hundred years it was
/ the capital of Japan, but 81 years ago
the present AdikadO moved the seat Of
/ government Of Toxic.
We left Toxic last evening ats clock,
/ taking a sleeping car for this place,
I morning. A rickshaW man we had en-
plOyed for two days, accompanied US
/ to the railroad station, and we had no
/ trouble whatever in finding our sleeping
1 car; we felt perfectlv at ease; it is as
/ easy for an American to travel in Jap
an as in America. Indeed, I think it
| is easier; the railway and hotel officials
are potter here tAan in America, and
| pay travellers more attention. Our train
I was the Imperial Express, and carried
/ a dining car. We had two berths in a
| compartment, and our fellow paSSen-
/ ger was a japanese naval officer with
! decorat lions on his breast. When he
came in, he bowed to us politely. In
| a compartment adjoining ours was
! Judge Tracy, with his family, who is
going out to assume his duties as CHIEF
/ justice OF the 8nlllpplI6S- W III MI.
and Mrs. Tracy, we walked through
| the long train to the dining car;
/ through many cars filled With Japa-
/ nese passengers. I think the only
1 Americans on the train were those in
our party, going to rejoin the Siberia"
! at Kobe. Arrived at the dining car
! were served with very good dinner
/ for so cents each. American money, eX-
/ cept that the butter was poor. as 1t Is
| everywhere in Japan. Among those in
| the dining car was a japanese field
/ marshal, and all along the line dis
| tinguished men and women came to
1 the station to present him with cards
and bow to him. At one station, thou-
! sands of people had collected, and ev-
/ cry man, woman and child carried
/ japanese lantern. At another station,
/ there was an electric arch, and we hear
/ that Admiral Toxic is travelling this
4 way, if not on this train, he is on one
following.
/ At the conclusion of dinner. gave
I the waiter a quarter of American mon
| ey, and he nearly doubled himself IN
I bowingl In the sleeping car, when 1
gave the porter, a japanese boy, my
/ tickets, he also bowed. Thinking of a
1 sleeping car porter bowling!
It sounded very pleasant TO again
/ hear the clickety-click of a railroad
| train. and I slept we'll, in spite of the
/ strangeness of my surroundings, know
1 ing that the brakemen would take care
4 of me. The japanese railways have a
! narrower gauge IMAM the kAlAlG4 4CGtAA
railways; between our narrow and
broad gauge, therefore the japanese
cars are somewhat smaller than ours.
/ The cars were electric lighted and yes
I tibuled, though in small merry Jap
| anese way, and the track is double. The
/ sleepers are arranged in compartments,
with very narrow aisle running along
one side; no smoking rooms, and only
/ one lavatory; still, they do very Well.
/ During the night, The train averaged
about % miles an hour.
We arrived at KvOtO at O'Clock this
morning. and, taking rickShas, proceed
1 ed to the Miyako hotel, and our pro"
cessiOn was curious one to the citi-
zens of KyOto, judging from the way
our procession consisted of six rick
shas: Judge Tracy and wife, their
young son Walter. his gOverness, and
Mattel and myself The MyakO hotel
is quite a distance from the station and
the ride of half an hour was extremely
/ interesting as KyotO is very old town,
/ and more typical of Japan than any
other. The streets here are even mar
over than in Toxic and there are no
/ English signs; so far as appearances
went, we were a party of Americans
| discovering the town. A one place we
slxirted a rapidly running stream,
forty feet wide, and walled on either
/ side. At intervals, steps where the
| women went down to the water to do
stream on stone bridge certainly a
thousand years cid; a bridge just wide
/ enough for q rickSha. The supporting
pillars were composed of huge columns
/ of stone, taken from the quarries in
! one piece, and the floor of the bridge
was equally massive. The ride to the
hotel, of itself was enough to pay us
for our visit here. The hotel is a
| great, rambling concern, located on the
side of a mountain. There are so many
different buildings and gardens con-
nected with the hotel that we really
need a guide to find our rooms; and
after we find our rooms. the dining
I room seems a quarter of a mile away.
There are japanese girl walters in the
dining room, and they are very pretty,
and pace about in the quiet easy way
that distinguishes the Japanese maid
ems. Every dining room girl carries
what seems to be a knaDsack on her
back, but my daughter says this KNAPP
sack is really a sash.
Admiral Togo is in Kyoto today and
as a consequence. the town is celebrat-
ing. Talk about lanterns and flags:
you should see this town today! In
certain streets there are thousands OF
! floral umbrellas, and in all of them
there are the big japanese lanterns
and flags.
We employed a guide at the hotel
city. the manager and chief clerk were
And bowl You should have seen them
bowl The further you penetrate the
interior Of Japan, the more the people
l