Alaska sentinel., 1905-04-13
FooToEAR OF THE JAPANESE.
They Make the Feet Hard and the
 Ankles Strong.

larly distinctive features of Japanese life which will strike the observer with wonderment as soon as he sees them looming along the roadway or hears them scraping the gravel with an IT, ritable squeak that makes his very nerves shudder, says the London Chronicle. Nevertheless, awkward though the shoes appear, they are of kind constituted to make feet as hard as sheet Iron and ankles as strong as steel glrders.
 The shoes are divided into two varie- ties: the low shoe is called the "koma- geta" and Is only used when the roads are In good condition. The high shoes, named "ashida," are worn when the wea ther Is rainy and the roads are attached to the surface to secure them to the feet, which are therefore not covered as If they were in shoes, but are left exposed to atmospheric con dltions. The "komageta" resembles somewhat the Lancashir clog, and their construction merely entails the carving of block of wood to the prop CT size. The "ashida," however, are of more complicated design. They have two thin pieces of wood about three inches high at right angles to the soles, and occasionally, In the case of priests or pilgrims. only one bar at- tached.
 Some of the "geta" worn by little girls are painted in many colors, and others have tiny bell hanging from a hollow place at the back. which, as 1t tinkles in a mystic way, heralds the approach of children. The superior makes are covered with mats, made of panama. The highest price amounts to about 10 yen, or s, while the cheapest is less than 10 sen, or few cents; but the 'geta" will not last longer than a month. and once out of repair can never be mended.
 Learning to walk on ''geta" Is an exceedingly difficult process. Indeed, 1t is far easier to acquire skating or stilt walking. The average child in Japan takes about two months before being able to move along on the na- tional footgear, and the little ones re- pea tedly slip from the wooden blocks, falling to the ground. which seems to their miniatur imaglnations a consid- erable distance beneath them. AL nh ,;,. readiness to the customs of Japan, they are absolutely unable to manipu. late the perilous 'geta."
 A curious story is told of San Francisco merchant who was invited to attend fancy dress ball. He thought 1t would be quite the correct thing to attend in Japanese costume, and wrote to friend in Yokohama to send a complete suit of the costume of gentleman of high class. on receipt of the costume he was immensely sur prised at its extensive variety. He mastered all the intricacies of the flow ing robes, but when he unearthed the "geta" he was completely at loss to understand its use. Having only just arrived in the country and not being over observant, he had omitted to mo-
 tee the foot arrangements of the peo- pie. After much earnest considerat ton he was suddenly seized with a brilliant idea. "Ah," he exclaimed in his desire to extol everything Japanese, this wooden block has got a very lovely shape, 1t is very beautifully carved and artistic. Therefore it must be a kind of decoration to be worn on the shoulders like epaulets." And so the merchant went to the ball with a "geta' on each shoulder instead of on each foot!
 Some parents allow their children to play barefoot in the streets, but when going out with their elders or paying visits 1t is essential that every one. from the smallest to the tallest, must mount the wooden clog and propel themselves in this odd fashion. The dislike of the Japanese children for the activity of outdoor games is to be mainly attributed to the awkward in- with which their little feet are loaded. For instance, one sell dom sees Japanese children gamboling in open playgrounds-they have yet to learn the feverlsh pleasures of hide and seek" or "rounders." while such a thing as top-spinning or football never obstructs the roadways.
 Singular superstitions are associated with the ''geta," which at times are useful. When host desires that too attentive caller should de part he induces somebody to burn moxa, which has peculiar odor, upon his shoes, which are outside the door. The guest will immediately take the hint and simultaneously his leave. When thong of "geta" Is accident ally severed on the return from the visit to sick person firm belief ex- ists that the patient must die. The Japanese, however, dearly love the "geta" and although civilization may teach them to win battles 1t will never induce them to wear leather boots.