Evening star., 1923-09-11
adoption of Modern Buildings
Is Costly to Quake-Ridden Toxic
FeaUer LiUes Lost in Frai Bamboo Con-
StructiOn--BGnk BurrOaUs Under
ground to Safeguard Money.

ITO get. mental picture of Toxic
o1,e mustthold clearly in mind that
Jspan's capital was not really a city,
but collection of towns and vii
iages, grown together says a bull
letin from the National Geographic
Society.
These settlements preserved their
entity in the fifteen wards so fire.
uuently mentioned in dispatches of
the last few days.
Toxic had peculiar. sentimental
tie with our own National Capital,
because the Japanese cherry blossom
trees in Potomac Park. in Washing
ton. constituted a gift to us, which
was recognized by sending to Toxic
consignment of American dogwood
trees. There they formed an annual
magnet for thousands of Japanese
residents at the time of their bloom
Ing.
What Railway Ticket Tells.
when one sailed up the Bay OF
Toxic to Yokohama. and bought
railroad ticket to Toxic. he sensed
the distinctive flavor of Japan's capi-
tai. For the ticket would read Shina
gawa or Shinbasi, rot TOXIC.
The imperial palace was in the
2ristocratic ward or 'ku, known as
kojimochi-Nu. In this palace. origi-
mated by Ota DolsWan in 1856, former
" lived the TokUgawa shoSuns. This
palace bears witness 10 the frequent
casualties of Toxic; it often was
burned. the last time in 1873. 1t is
not accessible to the public. A Jap
anese guide-bood naively says. Ordi-
nary people are allowed to approach
only as far as the end OF the first
bridge outside the outer gate The
palace grounds are surrounded by two
moats: the perimeter of the outer one
is about five miles.
an this ward also is the central
station with buildings occupying two
acres. One of four entrances was re-
served for the use of the Imperial
family.
Busy Latin Quarter.
The Latin quarter OF Toxic, which
suffered severely. lies in Kanda -ku.
Here was the Toxic Higher Com
mercial School, the first school of that
Kind established by the government
when ii launched upon q policy of
adopting western business methods.
Upon the grounds of this school
grow pine trees. which are survivors
Of the grove standing there when the
school tract was part OF the shoguns
pleasure park.
This ward also was famous for
willow tree thoroughfare. its second
hand clothes stores, and Shlnto
Shrine which dates TO the eighth CEN
tury
While each ward retains distinc-
tive characteristics of the time when
IL was a separate town, and each has
It's own business section, Toxic as
n whole has distinctive individuali-
~. 1t is a official city; and frankly
SO.
Life Highly FOrmaIized.
Official hours. official guides, Of
ficial guide books, and official sea-
sons for various sights and scenes
are officially proclaimed You come
away with sense of having been
officially conducted through a fairy
land of cherry blossoms, of noisy
lotus flowers that bloom with de-
tonation, of dolls festivals, of Geisha
girl dances, and the Temple of Knot
ty Timber where lies buried Kolzu-
mi Yakkuno, native name taken by
Lafcadio Hearn when he became
Japanese citizen.
One understands why members of
a Japanese commission which visited
Washington some years ago We're
frankly impressed most deeply by
our Capital Rock Creek Park which
is left as nature made it safe for
motor roads and bride paths.
What Geisha Girl Did
THE old survived alongside the
new. The Geisha girl continued to
perform though the cafetria had
made its advent in Toxic.
The Geisha girl was an institution
hard for the western mind to com
prehend. Her most comparable func-
tionary in the western world was the
court jester-long since passed away.
She was a modern type of the private
entertainers of wealthy MEDIEVAL no
bles She was of a class different
from the woman of Japan who chung
to their semi Seclusion amid the IN
ll1tf Ga q
not of the type which westerners
class as the demi-monde.
Restaurants and tea houses IN
Toxic still had their Geisha girls. The
cial or visiting farmer were the
patrons More often it was party
Of men friends whom the Cessna girl
entertained with song. dance ana
nonologue and for whom she acted
as sort of hostess.
Custom did not fill these restaur-
ants with husbands and wives. men
and their fiancees, or friends of op-
posite sexes, as In America. But the
wish to have members of the other
sex present was just as strong in
Japan as elsewhere. Hence the
Geisha girl.
japanese "Press Agent"
Frequently Tokio's adaptation of
western ways was amusing. The ill
fated Imperial Hotel, which catered
to western visitors to Japan, just as
one Of the most beautiful hostelries
of San Francisco does to oriental
travellers, engaged press agent
Only a few days before the disaster
he wrote the following naive letter
to an American editor:
81 take much pleasure in sending
you the photographs OF the new I'm
perial Hotel with story. When last
old Imperial was burned to ashes, the
hotel managers held a meeting for the
reconstructing of it, ten men had
ten opinions and seemed never TO
come to one point; but after consider
able investigation they decided to put
all affairs of reconstruction in the