The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-11-24
LIFE IN YOKOHAMA
Sights In Thoroughfares of City
Interest Strangers.
Oid.Tln1e Courtesy of Little People
Seems TO Be Wearing Away In
I seacoast Citiea-shopper
Needs Full Purse.

Chacago.-Yokahoma Is very Euro
pean. There are stately banks. mar.
BILE office buildings and large hotels
and business houses, and in some
streets you could easily imagine your
self IN any western city were 1t not
for the Whirling jinrikishas and the
natives in kimonos, says a Yokohama
correspondent Of the Chicago Daily
News.
1t Is hard TO believe that only a lit
tie over 80 years ago Commodore
Perry found Yokohama an insignif-
cant fishing village. In those days
hanagaWa across the bay was the
main port, but as 1t was on the main
ROAD, the Tokaido, and meetings be.
tween foreigners and the armed
trains OF the Daimyos passing to and
from the capital were to be appre.
hended, Yokohama was brought into
the foreground.
Much of Yokohama is. of course.
truly Japanese, and we reveled in the
quaint shops on the Motomachi.
where there are no sidewalks and
lie goes on in true native fashion,
There In the silk stores we sat on
matted floors to examine the goods
presented for our inspection with
deep bows or wandered among the
toy shops as delighted as children
over the many quaina contrivances.
One night every other week the
Motomachi is brilliantly lighted with
strange little lanterns and the passing
tnrongs> carry others, so that the eff
rect from the distance is enhancing.
On these nights booths are arranged
all along the street and you can finger
anything without annoying the sales
men. We fell in love with the dwarf
trees and with the tiny urchins hay
ing their mouths stuffed full of spun
sugar by the candymaker. who hris-
tied with pride when we tarried long
beside him. Strange beads and ported
flowers were offered to us by shy lit
tie girls and all around us was a gay
nubbub, every one good natured, every
one out to enjoy life, laughing and
nudging and scraping sandaled feet.
On Benton-dori our hands ran to
our purse strings constantly, so fasci-
mating were the shops there. At
Yamamotos we were shown the most
superb old embroideries, and it was
hard to make selection, as we want
ed all of them Nozawayas is a mod.
ern department store, and the curio
shops drive one distracted. Wonder
full bits of old Inari, cabinet pieces
too precious for nomads like ourselves
and old daggers and Daimyo hats
tempted us on every side.
At big silk store on Honcho-dori
the proprietor and his little wife bow
ed to the ground and offered us 90
cha' (tea). which we drank out of
consideration for them There is
something very charming about the
old~time courtesy Of these little peo-
pie, and one Is sorry to see it wearing
away in the seacoast towns, where we
learned to despise the stamp of mod
er1ism in Japan. Like most people
who spring suddenly into prominence,
they are becoming arrogant and show
ing an overpoWering sense of their
own importance and a vanity not at
all in proportion to their size. Tour
lists are doubtless largely responsible
for this. Their manners shock even
our hardened western sense Of pro-
prietZ and To- the aczEksens gentle