Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-09-14
THOSE QUEER QCEER JAPs.
Women and Babies Thick ON Streets
Of Yokohoma.

CHdpudu Odlellcs WHEN we IhHu-
ed at Yokohoma there were the mar
row crooked streets, the one and two
story cedar wood buildings with their
warped like roofs, the little shops
and the jinrickishas. All was like
the pictures with which we are so
familiar. The native stores are
mostly mere shops. The whole
front is open to the street and the
family life is back of the shop.
am bit reluctant to write about
conditions, for the average tourist
usually shoots so wide of the mark.
The trades people, as a class. seem
to be merely shop keepers, with one
shop differing but little from an
other in glory. The butcher, the
baker, the candle stick maker, the
grocer, the taylor, the smith and the
nailor all appear to be upon par.
The streets swarm with women and
children, and babies-every women
had one in her arms or on her back.
l wonder If it was not city street
scenes, instead of Japanese military
proves, that started the alarm Of
the Yellow Peril, and had US all
scared a few years ago. You'd
think there would be kid run over
every minute in the Is to 20 foot
STREETS. You must bear In mind that
horses are about as abundant as
steam calliopes in an American city.
One sees very few private carriages
and drays. The drayman leads his
single, fat, pudgy, little horse
through the main thoroughfare. ~
Man power is cheaper than horse
power. When you want to go down
town to get cigar or a spool of
thread, you hitch up a man. That
is, you call a jinrickisha, or rickisha
man, as he is usually called. The
rickisha is very highly specialized
two wheeled cart, drawn by "a man.
1t is as finely finished as carriage
with rubber tire, easy springs,
folding top and full quota of storm
and lap robes. There are three or
four rickishas on every corner, a
score around every hotel and hundred
around the boat landing. You get
in, say where, and off goes Mr.. Rick
isha on a trot, little faster than Tom
McCormick's black pony, not quite
so fast as Tom Scanlan's horses
when they take their regulation spin.
This little taste Of snobbery costs
you 20 sen-1O cents, an hour, and
whatever more the crafty Jap can
gouge out of you. They have
pleasant way of following you
around and soliciting. Three OF us
from the steamer started to walk
around the city. Several rickisha
men followed us and after 20 or 80
minutes all had dropped 7out of the
chase, except one little bamboo leg
ged, squirrel toothed trailer. We
strolled ahead, the rickisha strolled
behind. We stepped into shops,
he waited. We bought post cards
and looked at pictures, then out on
the street. There stood Squirrel
Tooth, bland smiling, soliciting.
One man left us to go to the steam
ship Office, Squirrel Tooth followed
the two of us. My remaining friend
stepped into a barber shop; Squirrel
Tooth followed the one of us. Take
rickisha? Take rickisha? ] know
esely place. Not gotee much mon
ey." The scamp he was getting
warm. | sauntered after, more
serenely. l stepped into bank to-
cash a travellers check. went to
the Foreign Exchange department
signed my check, and was given
what looked like brass trunk which
n presented at the cash department
Here the teller counted out my mon
lev. put it into tray which kid
handed to me-four soft, silky 10
yen bills. The Japanese have deci-
NAL monetary system, 100 sen make
one yen equivalent to so cents. Coin
and currency are stamped in both
Japanese and English, making 1t
very convenient! O.
Like Horatius at the bridge, there
stood Squirrel Tooth, as l stepped
out, his grin a trifle broader.
was quite determined that the little
man would not receive my valuable
patronage, A few more polite re-
quests and / was down at the pier
1t was too early to go to the ship, SC
| decided to take a ride over the city