The mirror., 1918-10-03
FF the beaten track in
Japan, as in all other
lands, there are to be
found by the diligent and

H1NSSTlHU Cdpdu, dO Ill oil OUuOl
INg1gy lands, there are to be
tNGy found by the diligent and
determined seeker curious corners
that remain hidden to the ordinary
tourist. When in Nagasaki / heard
of such spot, situated somewhat
to the east of the center of the
southern island of Kiushiu.
The only way to get there was by
jinrikisha, for at that time there
was no railroad. If YOU want to
make good time by jinrikisha you
should contract for a full days run
of fifty miles. But of course it
will have to be done by relays, as
no man however powerful could
take you at speed more than five
miles, especially over billy roads.
And 1 might add that almost all
roads in Japan are billy.
We started eastward over the
sharp rise of land from which the
splendid harbor of Nagasaki could
be seen almost as if from an aero
plane. It has been said that the
three best harbors in the world are
Sydney, Australia; San Francisco,
California. and Nagasaki, Japan.
Certainly. so far as beauty is con-
cerned, Nagasaki is easily first
After FIVE miles had been covered,
the driver, or l should more prop
erly say the ''puller," turned me
over to the next relay. This sec
ond man paid the first one for the
first lap of the journey, the third
one paid the second for the first
two laps, and so on to the end of
the day, when 1 paid the last man
for the whole days run. This was
strictly according to custom.
As was eating lunch at tiny
wayside inn, an itinerant story
teller came through the village.
Stopping before the inn he began
thriller" l could not under
stand the words but the vigor and
dramatic force with which he re-
lated the tale interested me as
much as the words would have
done. The people focked about
him and showed their appreciation
by frequent applause. Little girls
with babies strapped to their backs,
open-mouthed and open-eared.
pressed through the older people
to get sight of the mobile face of
the wonderful story-teller. In a
country where literature is as
scarce as in Japan, the advent of a
good story-teller creates more stir
than the publication of best
seller" in America.
In passing through a larger
town later in the day, l noticed a
large stone building. Thinking
that it might be some sort of a
museum, l made my man stop at
the door. The first surprise of the
day awaited me. l discovered that
it was the public clearinghouse
There was swimming-pool some
thirty feet long by fifteen wide,
divided equally by a low picket
fence. On one side a dozen men
were bathing; on the other an
equal number of women. To say
that the bathing suits were uncon-
ventional would fall far short o1
the truth, for there were none visi.
bic. klpllng has said that the
East and West will never meet. D
and am convinced that they new.
er will meet comfortably on these
terms. The Japanese Government
has done away with promiscuous
bathing to some extent, but there
is still much to be desired.
Night found us at the populous
inland town of Kumamoto. This
region is made memorable by the
sanguinary Satsuma Rebellion,
when the southern clan considered
itself slighted in the reconstruction
which followed the overthrow o1
feudalism in 1868. The Daimye