Omaha daily bee., 1915-06-19
BRANDEIS TELLS
OF VISIT TO JAPAN
Talks Most Entertainingly Of the
Sights Witnessed While in the
Flowery Kingdom.
BRINGS UNIQUE COLLECTION


A unique collection OF oriental
birds will soon be spread before
Omaha people for their inspection as
\ result OF the three months trip to
Japan made by Arthur d. Brandeis,
who has just returned to Omaha, his
son, Ervine, who accompanied him,
having stopped over in Wyoming.
While In Japan Mr.. Brandeis purchased
a great number Of birds. mciuoIng rars
ducks and doves, to be placed
on his country estate. These are now
going through the custom house aud will
next week be placed on exhibition at the
Brendeis stores Many wonderful speri-
mems are among them. including the
'minah bird. which talks. barks Ike
dog and has large vocabulary in the
japanese language: zebra doves. the
smallest doves in the world and large
variety Of finches
Dwarf plants and trees OF a number OF
varieties. together with nine antique bird
cases OF carved ivory and lacquer and
some OF them $50 years old. are also
among the things brought back by tbs
eAHfNtNA W &c iiANAAhNh Ms AAN NFAAbhNASA'
Tells Of His Trip.
Describing his trip Mr. Brandeis made
these observations:
AT Tokyo we saw the largest depart
ment store in Japan. which has been in
existence 300 years. The principal owner
ship always has been in one family. On
the roof In conservatory. and III one
corner Is a shrine which always has been
located in that particular corner The
location Of this store never has been
changed. but II has been rebuilt and i'm
proved a great many times. II il a live
store, very much on the order OF the
Louvre IN Paris, but rot nearly as large.
What struck me particularly strange was
that all native customers must take OFF
their shoes before ent sring. and foreign
ers are abliged TO put on a sort OF
overshoe. spoke TO The manager, COM
plimenting him on his up-to-date meth
DDS, ana he, by the way, has been IN our
New York store many times and knows
Mr.. Louis Stern very well. but criti-
cised the compulsory tsking off OF shoes.
He replied II 1 had lived longer In Japan
] could better appreciate that this was
for sanitary reasons that the natives
did not mind a.. rs thby had become used
10 II. and II enabled them 20 keep the
store so clean. Ths floors are all COW
cred with>Jnattlng. and dust as we know
II Is not known in the store.
Girls sold Outright.
1--WE also visited the section called the
Yoshiwara, which occupies twenty acres.
and is what we would call the red light
district. but these girls are seated.
Twelve 20 fifteen in n row. In cages In
The front OF the buildingH At the end
of the cage IL a man like a barker at
he Midway. who is the business man.
,ger OF tho cage. These girls are sold
outright for three years by their parents,
lyho get frors, $50 20 500 for each girl
'oaned. At the expiration of three years
hey are released. when they go at once
10 a marriage broker and are immedi'
ttely married TO a japanese, and the fact
That they have been inmates Of the
Yoshiwara does not detract in any way
from their social standing with the
Japanese. While they are on exhibition
N the cages. their parents, brothers and
listers may stand there and visit with
hem
sleepers Too small.
cannot ltl llhB opportunity bO ny
without making few remarks regarding
no sleeping cars in japan. These cars
ire built for little people. and with the
narrow gauge they are without doubt
the worst sleeping cars ever saw II
impossible 20 sleep in them Travelling
~ train Is almost a hardship, as they
10 not heat the cars except in the dead
" winter.
I'VE attended a geisha dance nj Kyoto.
before which we had a japanese dinner
with the geisha girls, We were Obliged
70 take off our shoes and eat with chop
sticks, The food consisted OF soup with
nsh floating around IN Il, raw fish and
cooked rice; then humber of other
Farieties OF fish Inothing was seasoned).
1 number Of other dishes which were
astsless. and finished up with japanese
randy II was impossible for a European
% enjoy the meal. They also offered us
lice wine or sake. which TO me was also
sasteless.
No Fins 20 ne Had.
zone OF the women m our party re-
luired some pins one day and we tried
learly every shop In Kyoto. which is a
kity OF over 10000 inhabitants, and
Iound there was not & package of pins
ir even one pin. TO be had The reason