Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-04-02
MANCHESTER BOY
AT JAPANESE Dinner
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lAS OlbA lAVAOA O1AVAVAA1
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home is in Traer
After the way / have written about
Tokyo, ! imagine that you will think
that there is nothing about the place
that is either interesting or nice, but
l don't want to leave that impression
at all for there are some things here
that are both. For instance there are
the stalls I mentioned in one of my
other letters, along the Gina. have
not yet gotten tired of going along
them and looking at the things they
have for SALE You can buy yourself
anything from private Budha to
table. There are stalls where they
make Japanese cakes; others have
toys, tooth brushes, coat hangers,
curios of all kinds, shoes, hair orna-
ments, wood carvings, pictures, and
even a wonderful liquid with which
you can transfer pictures from the
newspaper to postal cards and make
the most wonderful things, but / must
say that although I watched one fell
low the other evening for about half
an hour while he spread this liquid
over a picture in the paper and rub
it diligently with the fiat side Of
glass stopper, then take it off and put
it to one side, / suppose to dry, he
~ oh nc "a nj 10
transferred, but instead took roll of
others that he had previously made
and showed us how wonderful they
were. ! may add that did not invest,
so now I can't show you all the nice
things we have in the papers here.
have been in several of the stores
here, and although store may be full
of people, there seems to be very few
of them who are buying. They stand
around certain counters, I suppose
there are bargains there, and push
and crowd just the same as at Holmes
orBamberger's, and usually with the
same result, that they all lose their
tempers, and suppose 60 home and
tell their husbands how rude all the
other women there were.
Feb. 10. l know you will be inter-
ested in last nights doings, which l
must say were very wild and exciting
for the likes OF me. went out to in
spect a Japanese oil plant yesterday
and was invited to have a Japanese
supper, which, Of course, seeing had
never had the experience, accepted.
At five o'clock we were let out of the
auto and I entered my first real Jap
anese house. OF course, I had to take
off my shoes and leave them at the
door. We were met by the hostess
bowed very low, I am not certain but
that she touched her forehead to the
floor as she was seated. We were
taken into small room which con-
tanned very much furniture, consisting
of two pillows and two or three pic
lures. The floor was covered with
thick straw mating, the partitions
We're II PAPER pasted on sliding frames
while the ceilingri had Iaii covering OIL
what appeared to be vanished wood
of very fine granting, supported on
bamboo poles. 1t surely was very
pretty. We seated ourselves on the
pillows and in a few minutes a girl
brought In a box containing a char
coal fire, over which we proceeded to
warm our hands. After time they |
brought in tea and some small thin
cakes. We proceeded to dispose Of
them. Next they brought, in some
soup with pieces Of fish in it and
two chop sticks. saw my
finish right there, but surprised my
self by getting along fine after l saw
how the trick was done. Just after
the soup was served (by the way we
had small table about 12x1S inches
and inches high two girls came in
and sat by US. My host said they were
singing girls and that after we had
finished we would have dancing. He
was just telling me this when the two
dancing girls came in with bright col
pred kimonas. They too sat in the
circle which we all formed. After we
had finished the soup, we had raw
fish, rice cakes, boiled rice, fish cakes,
roast chicken, sweet potatoes, mush-
rooms, and several other things which
can't remember at this minute, serv-
I'd in five or six courses, and all eaten
with chop sticks. was the source
If much amusement to the girls, who
3y the way, knew only a dozen words
If English among them, but they final
y complimented me and said that /
lid very well for my first time. The
ruth Of the matter is that after l
got hold of piece of food / did not
irop it on the way to my mouth, not
once and l claim that is some art.
Well, finally we had finished, the
singing girls tuned up their 3-stringed
Danjos and played and sang while
he Geisha danced. The whole was
yery pretty indeed and / surely enjoy
I'd it, all except sitting on my knees
or by this time it was then about
o'clock. I thought the evening over
,ut my host said no. We would take
he two danna and go to another place
md there we would eat some more
With the girls as guests. At the next
)lace drank tea and occasionally ate
/ little food, but l was too full for ut
erance from the first meal as it was
very rich. Mind you, I had to put my
mac on and toxic than, off oyarv time