The Glenwood post., 1912-06-08
Confessions Of
a Tourist

y
dragged at such breakneck speed from
one point of interest to another that
one hasn't time to button ones shoes.
The other half of the time one goes
nearly mad from enforced inactivity.
Our two weeks in Japan was one
frenzied flash of sightseeing, at which
we worked twelve hours day.
Charles was obsessed with a grim de.
termination to do" all that was to be
done. At the end of the third day |
was perfectly willing to take for
granted every other Shinto temple and
cherry tree and stone lantern in Japan
Not until the ninth day did the
worm turn. l had been trying to hint
tactfully for some time that 12 hours
day Of steady sightseeing was no
more enjoyable than IL hours a day
of steady feasting, that one needed
time in between to assimilate impress
sions; but my subtleties fell on deaf
ears.
The eighth night We passed in
Japanese sleeper, a complicated form
of torture not easily described. We
dragged ourselves out at $50 in the
morning after sleepless night of tor
ment, and began our weary round Of
sightseeing. 1t was at $50 that even
ing that the worm, which was l, turn
ed.
| was hungry, tired. cold, wretched.
bedraggled, with every nerve crying
out for shelter; hot bath, clean
clothes and bed. The wind, which at
all times blows bleak and dust laden
in Japan, had been tugging all day at
my hat and hair When Charles said
we would now visit the Sacred Island
/ replied:
'We will do no such thing. We will
now go back to the hotel and have
dinner and go to bed"
And we did.
We are now on shipboard, five days
out from Yokohama, with the usual
contrast of nothing to do except criti-
else our fellow-passengers
>Some time l am going to write a
realistic account Of Japan to offset the
tnnumerable sentimental accounts
that are in circulation. The first reve-
lation l shall make is the fact, which
the Lafcadio Hearn enthusiasts all ig-
more or overlook, that 81 per cent OF
the Japanese populace have colds in
their heads and sniffle.
The usual sentimental gush, as you
know, is this: what wonderful lit
tie people the Japanese are! You
know. they don't heat their houses;
open air, and they wear the same
clothes summer and winter!"
They do. And they all sniffle.
I will try to explain the japanese
Idea of physical comfort. You arrive
at Japanese hotel for luncheon. The
smiling proprietor and his staff greet
you with dozen bows apiece and in
drawing of their breaths. You are
ushered into frigid mausoleum,
which Is the parlor. In half an hour
luncheon will be served. In the
meantime you pace up and down and
wish you might discover a mirror or
washstand or place to powder your
nose.
Is anything lacking to your honor
able comfort and pleasure? All, 1t
shall be at once attended to! Suiting
the action to the word, the proprietor
tremendously bows himself out Soon
a damsel in kimono and wooden san
dals shuHlles into the room. knocks
her forehead three times on the floor,
draws in her breath and triumphantly
places a sprig Of cherry blossoms In
a yellow vase!
The chief difference between home
and Japan seems to be this: When
our old crabapple trees and Thomp-
sons two cherry trees bloom we re-
mark: How nice!" and go out and
sniff at them enjoyably on Sunday
afternoon and bring In spray for the
table. When two cherry trees bloom
in Japan the mikado declares ma
tional holiday, the whole nation goes
en- fete; the schools are dismissed,
professions are held day and night:
Japanese poets with flllets in their
hair charge up and down the land,
, chanting their verses, and 800 Amer
lean tourists photograph the phe-
nomenon.
We landed in Tokyo in the midst OF
one Of these festivals on typically
bleak, raw day while gusts OF chill
rain and wind swept the streets. A
concourse Of mad poets, school chill
dren, runners, wrestlers and other su.
pernumeraries were Juggling a Shinto
temple through the streets, dancing
and chanting around it and inditing
peans of praise. They all looked blue
and half frozen. And they all coughed
or SMILED.
4. In the evening we saw geisha
dance. Lam glad to have seen 1t. I
am sure the first thing every woman
know who has been to Japan will
say when she sees me is: "Oh, my
dear, and did you see the geisha?
Wasn't the dancing perfectly fascinat-
ing? The most charming thing, 1 be-
lieve, in Japan! But then, of course,
all Of Japan is charming, isn't it?"