Grants Pass daily courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1919-1931, 1919-10-09
TRAVEL IN JAPAN
Hotel Customs Somewhat EN-
barrassing 10 Europeans.
Taking Bath in Public, In Water That
Would Boil Lobster, 10, or
Used TO Be, In the Ma
ture Of Torture.

With the advent Of the modern ho-
tel" In Japan the old inns, or rest.
houses. have been TO large extent rel.
egated TO obscurity, but some still sur
ylve In parts where European travel
'ers seldom penetrate The kind Of
welcome accorded TO visitors In one
OF the village Inns Is very far removed
from western ideas Of hospitality.
Here II the Interesting experience Of
a traveller as related In The Caterer
and HOtelkeepeTs' Gazette:
AS soon as ! arrived was con
Quoted by the polite hostess into the
chief gueslroom, which looked out
upon the cool orchard Of temple.
"CushiOns were brOaght In, and
bright klmOnos. took or my dusty
English clothes. and put on first the
lower kimona. made OF cotton; and
then gaudy silk one, bright with the
colors Of the hotel.
i"The room. like all Japanese rooms.
was bare except for single decora-
tiOn. There Is always a special corner
for the rooms ornament, which IL
sometimes vase Of flowers, some
times piece Of china. sometimes sim
ply painting upon silk or woodcut.
The subjects are not seldom such as
bring blush 10 the European check.
hut they have no such effect on the
japanese. who seem more concerned
with the arrangement than the sub
iect Of the ornaments. There are
strict rules for decoration; II Is laid
down. for example. that flowers Of diff
ferent cOlors should not be mixed In
one vase.
AT length because was furnishing.
low table and a brazler were brought
IN and set In front of me and my
cushions
Every time thought had finished.
the hostess or one Of the maids would
trip In with another tray Of dishes
and put them before me on the table.
Had not been able Ia use chopsticks
before. should certainly have become
expert by the end Of that meal.
"a little while after the meal-for
~ did end at last-I was told that the
bath was ready. ] was taken TO the
open courtyard and introduced to the
arrangements there.
1.-TWO huge barrels were sunk In the
earth. one filed with hot. the other
with cold water. There was thin
screen on two sides-nnf against pry-
Ing eyes. hut simply IN keep oT the
wind Indeed. rs began 10 take nfi
my kimonos an interested audience
of both sexes turned to watch me- This
was unpleasant. and ia my best to
dodge thclr gaze behind the screen.
~ might have saved myself the
trouble. moment later. IN reply Ia
the calls ~ the lnnkeeper and MS
wife their daughter came up hastily
20 battle me. aS her duty was. She
was not iH the least embarrassed-and
7 soon l'pd other things 10 worry me
for when, NJ The Young ladv's direction
lci myself down into the hot tuh
discovered that, in the usual IapaneSr
fashion. the heat of the water in II
was not less than 1l5 degrees Fahrcn-
heit.
"Tp to my neck in that hot bath
suffered exquisite torture. which turned
To the most exquisite agony when
steppcd on the still hotter kettle Ivin"
on the bottom of the tub. The inn
keeper's daughter pulled me out, rod
rs lobster and very nearly hoil"l
She dropped me. more dead than alive
into the cold tub, pulled me out again
and dried me.
"rhrn she bowed politely, and left
me 20 return tn my room."