The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-23
4ua ~ ~A
Howe Quite Quickly Solves the
Financial Problem.
A Yen, Dollar; a Sen, a Cent;
Nickel, ) Cents.
RIFT ONLY HALF VALUE
Strange Meals-Oiled Paper for
Window Lights.
Kansans Receive Bows From
Japanese Royalty.
BUT ONLY HALF VALUE

we stopped at a little seaside re-
uort and ordered tea. An elderly
woman and three girls were I'M
menseIv busy in serving us. and when
we went away their politeness was
something to remember The tea was
served without either sugar or milk
and did not like it. Two kinds of
rice cakes. were served with 1t; one
kind seemed to have been fried in
tat, but it was very palatable.
1t didn't take me long to solve the
financial problem of Japan. Their
ven is the same as our dollar, and
their sen the same as our cent. The
silver coins are much alike in size,
and the Japs even have a nickel an
svering to our five cent piece. But
there is this difference; American
money is worth exactly double. All
over Japan you can use American
bills or gold. and get double for 1t.
For example: You Order halI dol
lars worth of cigars, present a five
dollar bill, and are given nine yen and
fifty sen in change, or $3.50 in Japa-
nese money. At one railroad station
the agent refused American money,
but I found 1t good at every other
place.
am not attempting to write
guide book to Japan; only hurried
notes. I'm an inaccurate way, but it
will be understood, no doubt that
Japan is crowded. Only a twelfth of
the country is cultivated, owing to its
mountainous character, IN spite OF
the industry of It's nearly fifty mil
lion people. who are increasing at the
rate of half a million a year. There
fore room is very valuable, and the
streets of the towns ana cities are
ole
quakes. and with good reason there
fore the houses are small in the main
although modern buildings are going
vi in the cities that remind you of
Chicago. Room being scarce. many
OF the streets of Yokohama wind
around the mountain side On one
side, retaining walls of immense blocks
q volcanic stone; on the other
Houses of the Queerest character YOU
3 can imagine. but all neat and well
kept. Yokohama is very eosmOpol-
Uan, and many of the houses built IN
imitation of famous temples belong
10 American and English residents
Every sign in Yokohama is given In
English as well as in Japanese. At
one place we passed a carpenter
shop, where the carpenter held the
board between his toes while he
worked the saw up ana down with
both hands. Everything is different.
at home we turn the electric light but
ton the right-here they turn it to the
left. The sounds at night are IN
familiar. At home. all through the
night we hear the puhing of IOcomo-
tives switching in the yards. Moth
ing of the kind in Yokohama. al
though I longed to hear it. Yoko-
mama is ship center, rather than
rallroad center; at night, the lights
from the ships in the harbor look like
vast city Bulls are used on the
streets in hauling heavy loads.
We visited greenhouse where a
specially seemed to be maze of dwarf
trees-pines, oaks, ana naples. These
trees We're old and wrinkled, but
were kept in pots, as we keep geran-
tums In winter
Instead Of being lighted by means. of
window glass, in houses of the poorer
sort oiled paper is used instead Of
glass in the windows. Some If the
houses are not much larger than Our
largest dry goods boxes. but very neat
instead OF sleeping on beds. the people
sleep on mats laid on the floor. which
are put away during the day. Their
plliOWs are wooden stools and their
nres are tiny charcoal affairs. This is
the rule, though in Yokohama there
are many modern buildings with steam
neat, baths etc The Oriental Palace
is said to be the best hotel in .Japan
but it has no elevator; no rooms with
baths. But in other respects IT is quite
modern, When we first went to the
dining room. we found flowers at our
plates; this little attention is paid every
new guest. The roast beef was the
best I ever tasted; the butter about the
poorest The coffee was half milk: the
French again. The bill of fare was
printed in English and in another Ian
guage the Board of Education did not
recognize. The dining room. was a fine
apartment, and the walters the sprvest
lot Of little brown men I ever saw in a
similar place Most of the guests were
dressed for dinner. and everything was
genteel and quiet. So many of the
people understand English that Won
find no difficulty in getting about. I
wanted to go to the steamship office
climbed into a ricksha in front of the
hotel, and said: "The Pacific Mail
steamship Office The IfttIe 6-lo47r,,