Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-08-22
PLEASURE GROUNDS
OF The JAPANESE
A. @. Baker Tells About His Trip to
Nara, Where Half Million
Japanese Tourist Go Each
Year.
OVER 1000 DEER
IN THE PARK
A Trip TO Nagoya Castle Was of Spe-
Cial Interest. Was Built in
1910.
Continued from first page)

caused from shaving the tender scalp.
At seven days old the child has its
head shaved and this is kept up I'M
til he is about five, never letting the
hair get but few days growth; this
makes the children of this age look
like bald race.
One feature of the people that i'm
pressed me was the insane; there are
10000 insane in Japan and no asy-
lums where they can be cared for but
their religion demands that you shall
take care of your own which relieves
the situation from what it would be
in our country with like conditions.
On the morning of April &c, we
take the train for Yamada Ise, 79
miles. The scenery along this route
is very fine but what most interest
ed me was the tea and milk industry.
Here we saw much tea rooted over
with light covering that the leaves
might not be frosted and the sun not
tougher them. The pretty little tea
bushes are about two feet high and
bright green. They pick the first
leaves about the first of June and a
second picking in July.
In the silk culture ] here first
learned the difference between pom
gee and other silk. The polgee is
made from the leaves of the oak tree;
in many Places they place the cater
piller on the oak tree and he spins
his cocoon, hanging it to the stems
on the trees from which il is gather
ed; in other instances they gather
and feed the leaves. II the fine silk
they pick the mulberry leaves, feed
ing in cases where they spin their
cocOons. The mulberry bushes COW
ering large territory are here kept
down so as to not be much larger
than raspberries as they grow here.
Reaching Yamada Ise we are TAX
en- direct to the Gonikai hotel, a
Japanese place on high hill out OF
the town. Our room the door was so
low that we had to stoop to enter,
but was very cozy. Its light sliding
paper doors and braisure was suffi-
Gent notice we were in a full Japan
ese place.
After tifin we riksha to the shin
to shrine Naiku about five miles dis
tant from the hotel. 1t is here the
emperor must come every year and
worship. Here he came both before
the Chinese and Russian wars and
he attributes his great success in
these wars to his having worshiped
at this shrine. This is called the
temple of the mirror. This mirror
is covered with crepe, new every
year and no one allowed to see in
to the mirror. 1t is one Of the three
sacred objects every person in Japan
is supposed to make pilgrimage to
during their life. Over 100000 each
year find their way to this sacred To-
cation. They enter the shrine, kneel
down, slap their hands together and
unfold their desires to the God be-
hind the mirror, whom to them con-
trolls all. They throw their money
over the rail and leave all to this god
of luck.
A large number of shinto priests
are seen in building at the side of
the temple.
The shinto religion is largely the
worship of ancestors; through it all
marriages are made, but at death
they are buried buddhists, so one
must be a shinto and buddhist which
all are.
No one ever enters the room of the
mirror except the Emperor and
priests. This room is torn down each
year and the entire temple every
twenty years, and the material sold
for keepsakes it being considered sa-
cred. 1t sells at fabulous prices. The
temple is situated in a beautiful spot
surrounded by great pine trees. A
little fartner up the walk are iai &c
cannon taken from the Chinese. AS
we pass back we see multitudes OF
Japanese washing out their mouths
at the fount and we are wont TO ex-
claim, How foolish is mortal man."
A ride by ricksha and street car OF
about an hour took us to Futami,
the picturesque sea resort. This Is
the Mecca where the married come
to renew their marriage vows. There
are two rocks out in the bay called
the wife AID husband rocks the
larger called the husband. These
are tied together by an immense rice
straw rope; on this rope are pinned