Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-06-27
A TRIP THROUGH
CENTRAL EASTERN ASIA
A. @. Baker Writes About His Trip
Through Eastern Asia and Its
Many Points of Interest.
ATTENDED PLAY AT
A JAPANESE THEATRE
Visited Manila Bay, and Saw the
Place Where Admiral. Dewey
Made Short Work Of the
Spanish War
Ships.
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Ships.
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can ball>with it's half dressed enter
tanners surely would get tine prize
for immodest appearance. To the
geisha dance there was little but
gestures and courtesies. They were
neatly dressed, going in a circle With
some weird musical instruments.
There il little to japanese music.
The tourist is an interesting stu
dy; often On these trips have won
deredJ why this !wanderlust. with
a small few it is for information, but
only few. Usually you find them
reading some light novel with no
special interest in anything connect
ed with their travel. About one
half may always be found lornging
In the hotel lobby drinking cocktails
and killing time. hardly knowing
whether they are in Europe, Asia, or
Africa. These return and tell of be.
ing abroad, but what advantage it
may have been, other than killing
time and spending wealth not accu-
mulated by their ow. exertion IL
all that the writer could discover.
We arc on our way to the Philip
pines and on our trip only stop at
coast cities, as we are to return la
ter and see Central Japan. On the
morning Of the 14th of March we
sailed for Kobe, 358 miles south; 1t
was a cc'd, rainy day. On the 18th
at A. N. we arrived at Kobe and
as our ship drew too much water,
anchored out in the bay and we're
lightered in. Kobe is a city Of 440,-
600 We take rikshas over the city
and finally go to the Lor Hotel, the
larger Oriental being closed for re-
pairs.
We spent two days in the city and
that same impression of the great
number. of children and the poverty
Of the people with their wooden or
rice shoes and uncomfortable sur
roundings, but these surroundings
to them are not poverty but comfort.
On Saturday the 18th We sail for
Nagasaki, $40 miles distant. Our
route leads us through the inland
sea spoken of as one OF the most
picturesque trips On the sea. 1t re-
minded me much of the surround
ings of the inner passage to Alaska.
This inland sea divides Japan, it Is
from one to ten miles wide and filed
with small islands. Many manufac-
turing towns along the coast. the
mountains coming entirely TO the
water in most places, but terraced to
the very top into rice paddles and
the towns in the little hooks where
the mountains had failed to encom-
pass all the space. / will say right
here that Japan is of volcanic origin;
earthquakes are so common they
have no fear of them. There is but
IL per tSnt of the country that can
be cultivated and the entire area of
the country before they absor bed
Formosa AID Korea only about twice
the size Of Iowa and Iowa cultivated
as is Japan would produce four times
as much as all that country. yet they
support from this mountain island
over 60,0OO,000 people.
One must not blame these proud
little people for asking for territory
where they may expand and earn
living, for none of them shirk work.
At five A. M. we pass through the
lnarrows on the morning OF the 18th.
These narrows are so close We could
throw a stone to either side, pass
by Shimonoseki, the port we will
| land at on our return from Korea,
PASS ont into the sea OF JAPAN about
where the Russian navy lies at the
bottom of the sea, steam cit INTO
the Pacific and at $3.50 land at Ma
gasaki where one OF the most inter
esting processes of coaling ship on
the globe takes place.
| AS we lighter over to the city we
pass by immense ship yards where
ship building is beiIs crowded TO the
utmost extent.
Landing, we go over the city. the
city has about 100000 people. IL
was here that the early discoveries
of Japan disembarked and here
where the early Portuguese mission
aries tried to ingraft their faith, To
only be prosecuted and slaughtered
by the early shotguns who used ev-
cry effort to keep out the foreigner
and 1t was here that those treaties
were made that finally opened UP
this country to the worlds trade.
A riksha ride through its narrow
streets gave the same impressions
of poverty as we before had felt
MANY of the small shops exhibited
lime wares. We rode to large
shinto temple erected ESQ years
Isince, the torif Is the largest ever
erected, of solid bronze, being "a
fleet wide, 33 feet high, posts over
three feet in diameter, all cross barr
being Of bronze. A poor dinner a.
the Belvle hotel AID at 9 we return
ed to our boat to see the eoallnt
process. III ~ 80.
Perhaps nothing In japan has Deer
written Of more than the eoalins
process at Nagasaki, it seemingly t1
make a deeper impression with th'
Tourist than any other surrounding
Our ship had "a portfolios, to eacl
Iof these was located sampai
holding about 25 tons OF coal and U
each boat there were about 20 per
sons, men, women, and children; w
were to load 5000 tons. An impro
yised staging Is hung to the SIDE o
the ship, this staging having plat