The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1923-01-18
"C|TY OF ROOFS
Description That Aptk chafae-
terizes Japan's Capital
TssVe. Win its Architectural Peculiar.
his$ hss Alec Been LIksnsd to q
Collection Of hsneeopa


Tokyo. the capital OF Japan, which
not long ago gave q right royal well
come to the prince OF Wales, covers
Larger space In proportion to its
reputation than any other capital city
In the world. except. perhaps. Peking
The reason Is the same as that
which makes London. and American
cities. too. In proportion to their num-
Der OF Inhabitants, incomparably vast
er than Paris. or Berlin. or Vienna
the tendency for each family TO live
Under his own roof tree. But as the
average japanese family II much poor
er than the average Londoner. and as
IN any case japanese houses are mi
mute creations OF wood and paper. this
city OF hardly more than 100000
souls occupies 4 space hardly less than
that Of Greater London.
Some years ago a Japanese painter
exhibited In the annual Academy OF
Tokyo picture OF the capital az seen
from one OF iH northern hills. He
entitled 1t "A City Of Roofs" and the
title was an apt one. Each roof meas
ures only few square yards. and of
the myriads Of houses the vast major
lily are only one or two stories high.
Even 80, the buildings are so tiny by
European standards that one can al
most touch the caves with ones hand
without stretching. and 30 frail that
one could effect burglarious entry with
q pair Of pocket-scissors.
Were II not for the exquisite taste
Of japanese architecture. even In mean
houses, and the exquisite cleanliness
Of japanese personal habits. one might
not unfairly compare Tokyo to q city
Of hsncoops.
Save for one main street, the world
famous Gina, which Is the Broadway
Of Tokyo. the city's streets are quite
unpaved. In the wet season the sur
face mud IL 20 deep and sticky that
1t will suck a pair OF low shoes of
a Europeans feet. The Japanese do
not mind the mud. because they wear
wooden patterns or geta in the wet sea-
SON. The deeper the mud, the bigger
the Geta.
The streets are merely narrow lanes
between the hencoops. SO narrow that
one can almost touch either side by
stretching the arms. Right and left
Of the street are deep bitches OF I'M
speakable filth bridged by stone flags
ut the entrance to each house or shop.
After all, medieval London was
hardly better. And the truth about
Japan IS that stitl today Il Is medic
val, both in It's absence Of sanitation
and its morality
AT the very first glance European
arriving In Yokohama or Tokyo recog-
nixes this medieTalism. The coolies,
the dckshawmen, the working class,
are clad In Jerkin and blue tights
they might. but for their Mongol faces,
be ''supers" In the conventional stage
setting Of Henry w."
To imagine Tokyo or any other Jap
ansse city properly one might hrst
imagine London In the Fourteenth CEN
fury. and then imagine that London
equipped with every modern appliance
save paving and sanitation, with
trans. electric railways, the tele-
phone and electric lights. But to
complete the picture one must imagine
q decorative. graphic and architectural
art a. living and spontaneous and era.
cious as that Of London Of the -Four
teenth century.