Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-12-03

on one side and sixteen on the other
which would menace hostile fleet.
The city is picturesquely situated at
the entrance to the ''Inland Sea of
Japan.
1t is the foreign port of the adjoin-
ing town of Hiogo, and the two cities
are incorporated under the title of Ko-
be City. The population is 274, 900.
It's commercial Importance is almost the
same as that of Yokohama which ranks
first, and it is the terminal of the I'm
perial railway system and has large
ship building works and other indus
tries. The foreign settlement is well
laid out and one is at once impressed
with the cleanliness of the streets.
The artistic sense of the Japanese is
noticeable everywhere, and may be
particularly observed in the tidyness of
the shops anu honses. Along the main
street there are attractive silk shops
and curio stores, and the busy thor
oughfare is crowded with jinrickshas
and pedestrians. Only small proper
tion of the natives wear European
clothing. The city is therefore thor
oughly Japanese and here the natives
go about wearing kimonas, the nation
al dress, and the clumsy clogs the
common footgear.
During our stay at Kobe the cherry
blossom season was at hand. 1t is a
national festival that begins at the
blooming of the flower The people
dress in their best and visit the cherry
orchards. Ali sorts of outdoor games
are PLAYED, and in the evening thous-
ands of lanterns are hung on the trees
The value of the Japanese cherry trees
is chiefly in the pinkish flowers with
which the trees are so heavily laden
that not vestige of leaf is visible.
While in bloom (about three weeks
during the month of April) gala sea
son reigns and all the singing girls of
the Empire have a dance that tells OF
the cherry blossoming. The setting of
the dancing stage is changed several
times to suit the meaning of the play.
In a special room set apart for the
purpose, tea and cakes are served by
fair japanese damsels,
April 18th we left Kobe for Yoko
hama, arriving at our destination OF
the 18th. At day break on the nth,
when almost a hundred miles from
Yokohama, we were favored with {
view of Mt. Fuji-san. On a clear day
Mount Fujisan may be seen from the
deck of ship at anchor in Yokoham;
harbor Seventy-five miles to tn,
southwark it rises to an altitude O
10, 800 feet in shape like cone. 4
considerable portion of the peak i
wrapped in snow all the year around
which glows in the morning sunlight
majestic and impressive against dee
blue sky.
The japanese poets never weary il
praise of Fujis and it is regarded
by the natives as sacred mountain
1t is the highest and most famou
mountain in Japan and one of the mos
familiar objects in japanese decorativ
art. In geographical works it i
termed Fuji-yama, but is best know
to the people of the neighboring cOun
try side as Fuii-san. According t
japanese tradition, it was upheaved i
single night from the bottom of tn
sea over two thousand years ago.
The crater is $50 feet deep and i
former times an active volcano, bu
now there are no sulphuric erug tion,
The last eruption was in 1907 whe
the whole summit burst in flames an
ashes fell in Tokyo (about sixty mile
distant).
The city has a population of 305, 0O
inhabitants. 1t is the chief CONNER
cial city of the empire The city
built close down to the waters edg
, and numerous villas of foreign resi
, dents are built on hill known as tn
| bluff over looking the town.
was an insignificant fishing villag
when Commodore Perry anchored O
{ it in 1854
The general view of Yokohama fror
the deck of ship is purely orienti
and does not vary from the usual ca,
tern harbor scenes. As our boats win
! their way among the large vessels {
} anchor in the harbor on the trim I
/ shore, we encounter scores of little fl,
{ bottom sampans, propelled by sing
: oar at the stern handled with a pecr
liar swing by one or more natives. 4
. the landing place we are at once al
, preached by hundreds of riekisha coo
] lies. The first experience in jinricl
ishaw is a novelty. The vehicle HI
l two wheels and is drawn by a cool
who runs between two shafts. The
coolies have wonderful power of 81
/ durance, and the writer knows of il
stances where they have drawn a ricl
ishaw and passenger over many mil
D Of rough streets without the least sho
5 of fatigue. Their stole life has har,
b ened them to toe condition of an att
lete and cold OF warm weather. rain
- or sunny days does not effect then
[ the fare is twrnty sen an hour IL.