Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-27
% GIIE CHILDREN o. JAPAN AT WoRK AND a PLAY 9G9

ger to your little baby sister, and the
children in playing with them often
carry them about on their backs, tying
them on with strings. just as the real
there are all sorts of doll furniture. and
one can get a full housekeeping outfit for
Il very few cents.
Among the queerest playthings in the
way of pets are what might be called
the Teddy Bears of Japan" 7 call them
puppy-cats. They are in reality a sort of
cross between a dog and cat, made OF
papier mache and painted in gorgeous
colors. The Japanese call them "ino hau-
rico and it is not beneath the dignity
of the boys to play with them. They are
as popular here as the Teddy Bears
with us. and they would. / doubt not, he
great favorites with our children if intro
duced at home.
day also. This is May 5. and it is known
the feast of flags or as the festival OF
the god of war. On that day every house
has a pole of bamboo from which to toai
gsudy fish made of tough paper the
wind blows into the mouths of the fish
and initiates them. and they swim about
through the air. Sometimes there will be
a half dozen of these fish on one pole.
There will be big one at the top and
smaller ones below, until the one at the
bottom may be the size of a mnnow.
Each fish represents a son of the family
and not few have six or more. Some
of these fish may be fifty feet long. and
they look like great whales as they swim
in the air. They represent the carp,
which is noted for its strength and darin;:
Every one wants his son to become a
strong man, and this fish means strength.
The japanese boys are great kite fly
ers. 1 have counted a hundred kites in
the air at one time over Japanese vii
lage. The kites are of all sizes, but they
are usually square or Oblong instead of
the shapes known In America. They are
often made like birds with wings, and
sometimes like fish. A favOrite amuse-
ment is fighting kites. In this sport the
strings are first soaked in glue and then
busted with powdered glass. This is done
for dong distance from the kite. and ii
makes that part of tho string a sort OF
flexible file. When two boys fight their
kites they try to make the strings cross
as the kites are flying and by saving
cut one string in two The kite which
breaks away first then becomes the prop
erty of the owner of the one which is Still
flying. The favOrite time for kite flying
is in the winter and it is at its height
about New Year. There are kite stores
in the Japanese cities. whose sign is a
cuttlefish perched on the top of a high
pole. The words for kite and cuttlefish
sound the same in Japanese, and for this
reason the signs.
The toys of Japan are an evidence OF
the love which these people have for their
children. Every family spends money ir
amusing its little ones and a great indus
try is carried on in toy making. There
are toy stores everywhere. Every vii
Iage that is large enough to hold shoT
has one or more. They are to be found ir
the poorest parts of the cities, especially
near the temples, where the streets are
lined with them. Some of the favOrite
toys are made of dough, and there are
bedding cooks who go around selling
them. There are men who carry toy
stoves through the streets and rent then
out to the children at so much per hour
They furnish cakes and other things fol
the little ones to cook, that for two OF
three cents a party of girls can have 4
stove for an hour and cook a whole mea
for themselves.
Some of the toys are made of lacquer
and many of paper. One can buy a very