Abilene weekly reflector., 1911-09-28
IN FAR AWAY JAPAN.
o. o. Wick Writes Of Interesting
Things in Foreign Country.
On Board 8. s. Mongolia,
Yellow Sea. June 29.1911

. mind that really know ABOUT -
much about the subject as the Gid
den Tour Motorists know about
Chapman. | spent only "a hours In
Toxic and travelled from Toxic th
Kobe by rail, a distance of S75
miles. However. you know little
about the country and 1t may inter-
est you, even though am not well
posted on any subject. Having spent
i the night on board the ship at Yoka-
homa went ashore Immediately af-
ter breakfast. AS anticipated, my
rickisha man, Squirrel Tooth, was
waiting for me, and spotted me on
the instant. "Take me Pacific mail
office and depot" l instructed him.
stepped In and caught myself start
/ ing to click TO him. Away he went
with the peculiar striding long reach
that is the regular jinrickisha gait.
In about 15 minutes we had covered
the mile and half or so, to the
depot.
The local train which l took, stop
ped at every station, and l was a
whole hour in reaching Shimbashi,
the station Of Toxic. As In any
American city we went through the
usual dingy wholesale region and
freight yards. and over trestles and
through cuts and tunnels. The land
scape was all new, novel and very
interesting, but l will speak Of that
later.
A party from the ship had made
flying visit to Toxic the day be-
fore, but / got little information
from them about what to see except
that the rickisha men could take
me everywhere. went to the lin
quiry office" in the depot and got a
little dope in the form of a list Of
sights, but the list didn't tell me
what they were. The inquiry man
was very courteous, and left his
booth to get me a rickisha. / told
him wanted to see temples, parks,
palaces and the native life. Judging
from the way he talked, my rick
isha man took his course in English
before Sears & Roebuck we're we'll !
established in Japan.
We bowled along through streets
of shops, jammed together like egg
cases in a warehouse, and entered
large park with fine large stately
trees. This is Distressing, but l was
in the Japanese parks.
They serve their purpose excellently
as cool shady restful places, and are
used as such. But as places OF
beauty, adorned with flowers and
shrubs and the triumphs of the gar
dener's skill, they did not impress
me. The long suit in flowers is the
cherry and chrysanthe-
mum. Both being out of season,
here seemed to be nothing else on
.he BILL saw very few flowers,
but they may grow them in their
pack yards, Because ! didn't see
many in two days. Don't argue that
here are very few. ~
My first stop was at the temple
" the Sixth Shotgun. have not
cad up on Japanese affairs, but
rather that a shotgun was q military
governor during the feudal days
ort Of big chief or grand mogul.
they seem to have been as numerous
IS colonels in Kentucky, and there
re quite a number Of temples erect
d by them in the city.
A fee Of twenty sen, ten cents,
Omitted me inside the temple. Cloth
'vershoes were put on my shoes. !
his, think, was not because 1t was
uch a holy place, but because the
loors are highly polished and COW
red with lacquer. The interior was
cry beautiful but seemed trifle
verdone. There was room called
Room Of a hundred birds and .
hundred flowers" In which there =
gas a frieze made Of horizontal :
anels Of birds and flowers, all tri- :
mphs Of the wood carver's and GID "
RS art. The ceiling was beautifully =
ecorated with conventional designs
t gilt and red and black set in :
mall square panels. Scattered :
round were prayer mats and little =
lands upon which we're boxes con- = =
aiming scrolls Of holy writing. =
can't tell you about the sanct- =
ary, but you know how It might =
ook with little pagodas and affairs, :
nd jardinier ~ stands, and vases !
nd candles and hanging censors. ] =
ould not get inside the altar rail, =
OF having the pass word. When we :
ient outside noticed that the walls l'