The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-01-05

contained. A fellow is tempt
room wall and settle down for
mes up over the horizon, first
ousand junks glinting in the
with pushcarts and the thousands
Of bicycles on the streets gave way
before our furious onslaught. We
did arrive at the electric station.
thou to us 1t seemed nothing short
of miraculous.
Cars Travel Past
There is nothing like the help
less feeling of being in a city of
several million. e9es Of whom do
not understand your native tongue.
The ticket boy did succeed in
grasping the idea of round "trip
Tokyo", after unremitting use of
sign language on our part; all this
to the huge delight OF crowd
which had rapidly gathered around
his booth.
The electric car system. which
links Yokohama with Tokyo pro-
per. Ia indeed admirable. Thirty
four kilomcters In 80 minutes!
Blast furnaces, shipyards. great
factories. and squeezed in between.
below and through II all, countless
thousands of frail wooden dwell
ings-this was the panorama which
flashed past our windows.
And then Tokyo; a great city of
super functionalism in architec-
ture mingling with typically jap
anese. "jcrrybuilt" structures.
Order Sukiyak
We walked for miles through
teeming streets. past fascinating
windows, containing world OF
varied products.
Still quite safely within our
American dollar. we entered a
quaint Japanese restaurant, re-
moved our shoes and coats and
stepped onto the immaculate bam-
hoo mats. We squatted In front
of the tiny blsck-lacquered tables
In the midst of several parties of
Japanese middle class business
men, all engaged In lively CONVEX
sation over their leisurely MONDAY
meal.
A little Japanese girl--she might
have been taken from one of the
which adorned the walls,
slipping neatly out Of the thengs
OF her wooden shoes. shuffled In
on the smooth bamboo, and took
our order--"Sukiyaki." This Hter-
ally meant hot grill" or food
on hot grill In front of
the guest.
She returned bearing wooden
bowl heaped with raw becfsteak
cut thin and lean. soya-bean curd
in little cubes. onions and Jap
anese celery. and long strings of
gclatinous processed rice.
Taking a tiny gas burner from
beneath our table, she lit 1t, greas-
ed 1t well with chicken fat. then
placed slices Of beef, bcan-curd,
celery and rice, one upon the 9TH
err, topped with onions. and, be-
fore our eyes. proceeded to con-
coct a dish the very aroma of
which tantalized.
While she prepared our "suki-
yaki." glanced around at these
businessmen, clothed in typical
European fashion. yet eating in
stylized and formal manner. the
origin of which Is lost In the mys-
terry we call Oriental history.
What did these people think
about? What were their prob
lens. trials. worries? A guess
maybe. but I hazarded the opinion
their minds dwelt on the universal
problems which beset the world
Of today--how to keep clothed and
fed above sll-and next the future
Of their children and the welfare
Of their nation.
See Amy On Duty
But all these weiehty consid-
erations were soon dissipated by
the SAVIOUR coming from the steam
ing. enticing hot grill in front of
us. We sat to with a will. weld
ing our chopsticks with great
vigor. If not a complete accuracy
and finesse.
After lunch we strolled back to-
ward our train depot Right off
Genza street (Tokyos main ar
terry chemical squads drilled for
mock air raids.
Crowds OF business people paus-
ed In their pursuit Of affairs to
watch q moment, silently. Down
the street farther a band blared
past, in its wake hundreds OF uni
formed Japanese girl and boy
scouts, all armed with rising sun
flags.
And then we went to the office
of the Japan Advertiser, Tokyo's
leading English speaking daily.
Our forthcoming bike trip through
Bali and Java in the Dutch East
Indies was the source of great in
terest there. and maps were
brought out and scanned. wilfred
Fleisher. publisher of the Japan
Advertiser. and Japanese CORE
spondent for the New York Herald
Tribune, wished us luck and took
notes of local interest for q story
in the Advertiser.
Then back to Yokohama we