The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-03

As horse drawn vehicles are rare in
any part Of Japan riCkishas Dad Il
with your luggage and tho bags. va
Uses, suitCasCs. cameras and packages
OF Curios show an uninterrupted ten
dency to Increase as YOU travel) tura
the movement to and from the rail-
road station or ST. amer wharf and
your hotel into "A more or .ess ex-
traord!nary Cavalcadc. The packages
In jogging along show a tendency to
get out and walk. as it were. and one
must watch them in pirp!exity all the
way. ] hivc seen many a SIDE spit
ting sp.i In such expeditions and suf-
fered agon.es for my upset belongings
in o hers.
Landing at Yokohama after night
fall, ] had my first glimpse NJ the
sire Is OF Japan in the course OF my
first r!Ik.sha ride. What a new
word: what a mystic r violation II
all seemed. our long : ring o: -lcki-
shas, Of which mine was tie last. each
with .ts dancing vlwco,orcd paper
lantern and its mushroom hated 1T
tie. bent kurumtya figure patter!ng
In front. separa ing themseiv from
the hundreds of similar little vehicles
with bohbir- Lights scattered over the
open space mar the wharf. sooa 20
wind anon the strang looking. dim
III streets with their saunter,ny
crowds Of Or.entals.
SO new. 50 strangely exciting. the
open shop fronts. the silent. mov:n-
Poop. IN" haunting Signs with idco-
graphic inscriptions. tn darkness
falling down over tho curved roofs,
me piercing sound of Il s.ng.c flute
somewhere Playing a pla!nt,ve melody.
the only sound above the patter OF
the feet OF the runner ard an occa-
sional stacrato cry nj III HI" as
they encountered o.I.r r!rk.shas at
crossings. II was Marvel land until
We reached tn serIi-modcrn.;y OF the
railroad station for Toxic.
No, We did not 90 Jus: then to the
Grand Hotel, An automobile on It's
way thlther-only one-shot past US
on the street, its headlights flashing
audaciousiy. But | made a~cauair:-
ance too with another Oris ntal sight
and sound-a japanese crowd moving
out on the Platforms to take the train.
The sober darkness of the raimen: Of
men and women surprised me. re-
iitved. II Is true. by the occa s.onal
very bright colors 49, blue. white.
orange. rtd-worn by children and
growing girls: and, since it was a
night Of muddy streets. the sound Of
their wooden clogs on he hard pave
mtnt. tic. toe, tic, toe. tic. toe. in half
a dozen xylophone notes by hundreds
II brisk little feet, came as a complete
novelty.
| OF other modes of man horne con-
vcyance there are not many surviving
In the cities. I saw an ambulance in
Toxic taking a sick person to a hos
pital. II was carried by two men and
slung from a pole. The dark green
curtains were closely drawn around
the portable cot.
out In the country, however. where
the hills are too steep land where are
they notD the kago, or litter. survives.
This was, with all sorts of modifca-
tions through the centuries. the litter.
or palanquin, in which the great Of the
land, from the Emperor or shotgun or
higher daimlos down. travelled in
olden times through the country or
anywhere that the walking was diff
cult.
II Is simply a short hammock hung
from n bamboo pole as thick as ones
wrist. | sampled one at Myanoshita
and took a violent dislike to it: it
made one feel too much like the ira
ditional God in a pot" for prolonged
comfort. The little Japanese. ladies'
particularly, liked it. To me, despite
its honorable history. II also seemed
humilintingly near the ground.
OF n different kind are the travelling
chairs. This is simply a wicker work
arm chair carried on the shoulders by
four men who keep step but give 1t a
slightly undulant movement. They
change shoulders every quarter mile
or 30, first giving "A shouted signal.
whereat all lift II and change together.
One feels like an Assyrlan king or a
Roman Pope in this chair. very lofty
and stately.
When they carry you in "A path
about three feet wide along the face
Of a cliff with a drop OF several hun
dred feet below you and the mountain
wall above, II may comfort 0 to
calculate what would happen II the
on bearer, front or rear, lost his foot
Ing. Whether you would 20 over the
edge and take the plunge head fore
most or backward would be an inter-
esting speculation. Nevertheless en-
joyed II.
True, as the road ascends the noun
tain or descends IL, In long xigzass
after the manner of mountain roads,
IL was always a bit discOncerting when
the bearers suddenly turned and took
u short cut to clip of h corners. 1t
means a fitting up Of the fore end or
q dropping down thereof which inter-