Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-29

JAPANESE. HOTELS.
by the use Of concrete. which best
Withgtsnds EARTHQUAKES,

Dy Ine use Oh CONCRETE, WHICH pe8t
withstands earthquakes.
One hundred and fifty rooms
makes q large hotel' in Japan.
Placed beside New York's Pennsyl-
vania with 200 rooms, the Jap
anese variety would suggest = flea
beside an elephant. Up to now, ho-
tells Of this moderate size have been
adequate, but accompany is plan
ming . $5,0e0, 900 hotel in Tokyo,
which will be conspicuous for both
size and completeness.
The European plan hotel with
its marble Hobbies, Turkish baths,
and roof gardens is frequented al
most entirely by foreigners. Jap
anese Of the middle and higher
classes prefer q wholly native at
mosphere.
"Once," Mr.. Yamaguchi says, I'VE
thought that everything from
America was good-and for the
most part it. was. But American
ways were not all suitable for us,
and now we return to the japanese
ideal" So Japs who travel about
their islands stop at the native
inns. =.
| Westerners who visit the interior
and countryside also sample jap
anese hospitality in its native state.
The experiment is interesting as a
novelty, but most travellers decide
! that ono dose of unadulterated Jan
life is enough.
Japanese inns serve native food
| with an occasional egg or steak as
concession to the foreign ap-
| petite. The Japanese chef left
alone, evidently believes that the
whole world is his kitchen garden,
and that anything that grows can
be digested. This harnesses the
traveller until he views each mix
ture with gloomy suspicion, usually
undeserved.
I; The guest is further reminded
that he is in q foreign land by the
dining apparatus which in a native
inn is always true to type. The
would-be diner is handicapped by
having to eat seated cross-legged
/ before q lacquer tray, while chop
sticks are offered as a natural
means of conveyance for soup, rice,
and slippery fish. The bobbing,
cheerful little Japanese maid might
be appealed to for a spoon, but sign
language would convey no idea to
her, as she probably never saw a
tablespoon in her life, A request
in English is equally futile, as her
mastery Of that tongue consists OF
'Istrange words reputed to mean
good morning." what will the
honorable guest" and hot water"
So, the chop stick lesson continues
to the end of the meal, unless the
guest has warily provided himself
with more modern implements be-
forehand.
A feature of the native inn is the
> Japanese bed, made up of quits
and head rest, which is arranged
on the floor every night by the
maid.
Then in the native inn there is
the bath ceremony to which few
; foreigners ever grow altogether &C.
customed. The typical inn boasts
one bath. for the household, and
this tub is filled with water heated
to around lis degrees Fahrenheit
into which guests have the privilege
of plunging. Only one tub of wat.
, er is drawn each day, and the
guests use that in the order of he'll
rank, if there is any great distinc.
ton, or more often in the order Of
their arrival. The latter plan, as
various westerners have comment.
ed, is certainly a fair arrange. ent
: The japanese bath is impossible
in any case to the European mind
but it is only fair to the Japs tc
explain that they really battle out,
side the tub, and then dive into it,
sizzling depths to enjoy the luxury
of being parboiled for a few min.
: utes.
: These are the native ways Of
t feeding the honorable guest and
1 making him happy. When he de.
parts he pays the bill which is
}, quite small compared with tie hote,
rates of the cities, but he is ex.
J. pected almost to double the amount
e by making a gift of tea money tt
|, the proprietor. This takes the place
J. Of the American tip.
The Japanese inn is one of the
= sights Of the islands, but like Flu.
Y jiyama Or the Great Buddha of Ka
n makura, it is usually done" but
e once.