Glimpses of many lands

Foreword

I have not written a book. At the urgent request of some of our friends, I have collected the letters I wrote to them during the year we were traveling in many lands, and with the help of the quite copious notes which I never failed to record in my diary I have been able to reproduce at least a general idea of where we have been and what we have seen, and a faint glimpse only of the much we have learned.

If this story of our journeyings gives one half the pleasure to those who read it, that it has given to me in the writing, it will not have been written in vain; for in rewriting these letters, and in the frequent references to my notebooks, I have lived over again much of the interesting and valuable part of our trip, without any of our discomforts and weariness.

If our experience and notes can be a help to anyone contemplating a similar trip, I shall be glad I have written this. S. R. C.

Contents

LeUer Page

I. On the Pacific 7

II. Japan 18

II MiYANosHiTA, Japan, Octobcr 29, 191 3

We have been in Japan for more than a week, and this is my first chance to even begin a letter. But we have been in this lovely place long enough to get well rested, and I have a whole long evening in our room with a nice fire in an open grate; so I will recount some of our experiences since leaving the steamer.

I keep a diary of every day's doings, and have all the places and facts in order, so you can depend upon them as correct, — as nearly as we can get them. We have a native guide with our party, who met us in Yokohama and will be with us during our entire tour of Japan. He is an educated man, and seems to be well informed as to his country, and is my authority in most of my statements. I am taking four carbon copies of this as I write, so will send the same letter to several of you.

On the morning after I finished my last letter, we were at our cabin window as soon as it was light, to look for land, and found we were right among the islands off the coast of Japan. We were soon on deck, that we might not miss any of the sights of the approach to the harbor of Yokohama. Quite a while before we reached the harbor proper, we passed three strongly fortified forts, on high points of three different islands a little way apart. Outside of the entrance stood a number of warships: two German, one English, and a small one flying the Stars and Stripes. Just after we passed them the usual "doctor" came on board, and we were lined up in the dining saloon for his inspection; then on deck again as we came into the harbor. We had breakfast before the doctor arrived, however.

The "Mongolia" anchored a little way from the pier, and we came ashore in the Grand Hotel launch, — the different hotels send their own launches to meet passengers, just as they send a bus in most cities.

At the dock each got into a jinrikisha for the ride to the hotel. The riksha — as I shall call it for short — is a little two-wheeled carriage drawn by a man, and one feels very foolish and conspicuous in it for the first ride. But we soon got used to them, — except seeing the man doing the work of a horse.

After getting settled at the hotel we went out for a walk, and after tiffin we all started out in rikshas for an afternoon of sight-seeing. The riksha is about the only way of getting about in Yokohama, except in street cars, — and tourists are not expected to ride with the common people. There are a few automobiles in the city also.

Yokohama is not a beautiful city, but it is a very important commercial city, being the port of Tokyo, which is only an hour's ride to the north. It is the most important port, Kobe being a close second, near the southern end of the island. But the bay and harbor are beautiful. We were interested in the myriads of little fishing boats out in the bay, — more little sailboats in sight at one time than I had seen in all the rest of my life, — funny little flatboats with a large, oblong, upright sail in the middle, and a smaller square one toward each end.

We found the city gaily decorated for their great Industrial Exposition, which is held once in twenty years. Theater Street was alive with people, and gorgeous with decorations. The people, all on foot, seemed to be mostly women and children. There were literally swarms of them all over the street, as they do not have many sidewalks, and do not seem to use what they have. The women — and many little boys and girls — carry the babies on their backs, fastened there by a sort of scarf wound around. It was pitiful to see the poor little things hanging on to their forlorn position so patiently, — for we never heard one cry, — not one, I think. Some were asleep, with their heads hanging over most uncomfortably.

The chief thing of interest at the exposition was the elaborate exhibit of such wonderfully beautiful embroideries, — beautiful and intricate beyond comprehension. Another interesting thing was the exhibit of shoes, such as the people wear, — a flat piece of wood with two little flat pieces underneath to keep them up off the ground, and a cord or strap across the front through which the toes are stuck. Of course, there are many different colors and kinds of wood, with different prices and degrees of elegance. One of the funniest things is the clattering noise made by a whole streetful of people wearing them. The admission to the exposition was only ten sen, or five cents of our money.

The next morning we began the task of visiting Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and ancestral halls. I say ta^k, for it has already become monotonous, and is likely to be genuine hard work before we are through with it. I will not take the time here to speak particularly of those in Yokohama, as those seen later were much more interesting. But we learned a lot of new things — for us — about Buddhism, — among them, that there are 80 million images for Buddhists to worship.

Our trip took us through many closely built up residence streets of the middle-class people, and some good business streets. We stopped at some fine stores, full of beautiful things, and made a few purchases. In the afternoon we took another long ride, through the best residence part up on the bluff, where the Americans and English all live; then farther on, to the bluff overlooking Mississippi Bay, where Commodore Perry landed in 1853, — ^which caused the opening of Japan to the world, and made it what it now is. Then back by a different route, through a fishing village. Had our white suits fitted after we got back to the hotel; and after dinner all went out again in rikshas, to see the town at night. I mention all these particulars that you may see how almost every minute of our time is occupied, and what a really strenuous life it is, after three weeks of idleness on a steamer.

The following day we did numerous unimportant things in the morning, and at 10:30 all left for Tokyo, where we arrived in about an hour. Automobiles were waiting for our party, and we were soon comfortably settled at the Imperial Hotel, and after tiffin all went out in rikshas for a most interesting afternoon.

The first part of the trip was through a very broad, well-paved, modern street, with double car-tracks and wide space on each side; with electric cars of up-to-date style whirring along in each direction, so that we had to think hard to realize we were not in an American city. Presently we left this street, and were soon at Shiba Park and the temple grounds. The park used to be all included in the temple grounds; but now the larger part is a public park, free to all, just as our parks are.

We left the rikshas and walked up a long hill, then up a series of flights of high stone steps, to the first Shogun temple. (The Shoguns were the real rulers of Japan for several hundred years, while the emperor was only a figurehead.) We were supposed to take off our shoes when we entered a temple; but to save the trouble they allowed us to slip on covers which were provided. Up on this high place to which we had climbed, were several Shogun temples, tombs, and ancestral halls which we went through most faithfully, and had much of the ancestral and Buddhist worship explained to us by our guide. He had a priest open and show us "the holy book"; saw people kneel and pray to a stone that had dogs, cats, insects, a dead

Buddha, and all sorts of figures carved on it; and other strange and heathenish things.

The temples were once very beautiful specimens of Japanese art, no doubt, — elaborately carved and highly colored, — but they are now, like the religions they stand for, going to decay. The government has not the money to keep them up — even if they would — and the priests have not the power over the people that they used to have. So the temples are fast becoming a relic of the past.

After the temples, the rikshas took us to the Maple Leaf Tea House, a very large and beautiful one, on a high bluff, overlooking a lovely lake in Shiba Park, where we were served with tea and confections, by three pretty little Japanese girls dressed in bright colored kimonos.

From there we went through several good business streets with fine modern buildings, and were made to feel that Tokyo, the capital of the nation, a city of over a million people, is really a great city. Its government buildings are all fine and quite modern.

Continuing our ride, we came to the Imperial palace grounds, which are surrounded by three moats, and inside the second moat a high stone wall with double gates. We were allowed to cross the bridge over the second moat, and go through the first gate, which is 310 years old, having been built in 1603. The public is not admitted beyond the wall, nor allowed to see the palace. After a ride through another large public park, which used to be a part of the palace grounds, we reached the hotel tired and hungry. Had dinner at 7 o'clock, and at 8:15 started out in open carriages, with our conductor and guide, for a trip to the night city of Yoshiwara, — the indescribable city of indescribable evil. Got back at 10:30, with eyes too wide open, and nerves too unstrung, to go to sleep very soon.

The next morning we went first to a Shinto shrine where the emperor worships, and which is now dedicated to the spirits of the soldiers who died in the last war. It was a great holiday, as the emperor was expected to return — after an absence of a week! Everything was gaily decorated, and the streets were alive with marching soldiers and sailors and swarms of school children, — and a general good time on. Next we went to the University of Tokyo, and through the grounds. It has 300 acres of ground and 20 buildings; and has over 3000 students registered this fall.

From there to Uyeno Park, where one object of interest was a cedar tree planted by our General U. S. Grant, in 1879; ^^so a magnolia tree planted by Mrs. Grant at the same time. They are both fenced and labeled, and look very thrifty. Finished the morning by going through a great military museum, full of trophies from the Russians in the last war.

When we started out in the afternoon we joined the multitude on the street corner, and saw the Emperor of Japan, as he came from the depot in his carriage, on his way to the palace. Soldiers were lined up on both sides of the whole route, and as his carriage passed they all stood at " attention," other men took off their hats, and there was not a word spoken or a sound made. I don't think the soldiers even winked.

Then we went to the largest Buddhist temple we had yet seen, but there was nothing pretty or even interesting about it. Crowds of people kept coming all the time, and, after going through some bowing and forms of prayer, would throw their money into the receptacle provided for it, and go away, having done their duty. There is no regular service for the people in a Buddhist temple, — it is come, and go, and worship, when you choose.

Our last event of the afternoon was a visit to a chrysanthemum show. It was interesting, but nothing specially good except the floral designs.

From Tokyo we went north about 100 miles, to Nikko, an interesting railroad ride through rice fields and gardens, the first half of the way, then climbing and winding up among the mountains the rest of the time; — for Nikko is a mountain resort, and the emperor's favorite summer palace is there. It is also the "head" of the church — if Buddhism can be called a church.

The temples here are many and wonderful, and many million dollars have been spent on them and the tombs and images and all that pertains to them. The temple grounds are vast and beautiful, and the avenues of great cryptomerias, hundreds of years old, awe one with their grandeur.

As I said, Nikko is among the mountains, and it is climbing everywhere. But as the temple grounds are all hills, we climbed stone steps until we could go no longer; and even a "thunder god" or a "wind god" could not move us any farther.

The second day there we spent in an excursion to Lake Chuzenji, — about three miles in a straight line, but nine miles by the zigzig route one has to take. We went in rikshas with three men for each — one "pullee" and two "pushee" for each person. It was a great ride, — and climb, — the lake being 2500 feet higher than Nikko, and the scenery was fine. We had to stop often for the men to rest, and at three tea-houses for them — and us — to have tea. Had tiffin at a resort hotel at the lake, and made an all-day trip of it. The next day did more temples, and in the afternoon returned to Yokohama.

The next day was Sunday, and we went to the union church service in the morning. There we met a Mr. McKenzie — cousin of some people in our church at home — and took him to the hotel to tiffin with us, then went home with him to dinner that evening. Had an elaborate nine-course dinner, with coffee served after, in the living-room.

Monday morning we went to Mr. McKenzie's office, and from a dozen or more samples selected a pattern for a forty-two-piece tea set, which he will have made and sent home for us.

Left Yokohama at 10 a. m. by rail, for Kamakura, a summer resort on the coast, about sixteen miles south. There we took rikshas to all places of interest. Kamakura was the capital of Japan and a city of a

I million people, in the days of the first Shoguns; now it is simply a rather interesting summer resort, with about 15,000 inhabitants and some old relics. The chief object of interest is the Dia Butsu, or Great Buddha — an immense bronze figure out among the shrubbery and trees, without any temple or covering whatever. The temple in which it once stood was washed away by the great tidal wave which swept the coast in 1494. Later, another temple was built over the Dia Butsu, and that was destroyed by a hurricane. Then the people said, "The Great Buddha is angry. He wishes no covering save the heavens." So they never attempted another temple. The figure of bronze is a massive head and bust, 49^^ feet high, and was made in 1252. The grounds in which it stands are very beautiful and well kept. On the gate-pillar, where we entered, are these words, in English: "Stranger, whosoever thou art, and whatsoever be thy creed, when thou enterest this sanctuary, remember thou treadest upon holy ground, hallowed by the worship of ages. This is the temple of Buddha, and the gate of the Eternal, and should therefore be entered with reverence." A very good lesson for us irreverent Americans, we thought.

After tiffin we had a stroll on the beach and picked up a few shells, and at 3 p. m. boarded the train for Miyanoshita.

The railroad runs within sight of the ocean most of the way for the first hour, through tiny fields and garden patches, and to the right, in the distance, the mountains. At Kodzu we left the train, and found two automobiles waiting to take us up the mountains to this place — about 2000 feet altitude. And here began the most thrilling, hair-raising ride it has ever been our privilege to enjoy. The first half-hour, winding along the base of the hills, was through closely built villages — one after another — along one narrow, crooked, winding street, full of men, women, children, babies, and vehicles of all sorts. It had -begun to rain, and the road was getting slippery; but we flew along, turning, twisting, and climbing, with two horns tooting. Then the engine took a spell of some kind, and began pounding, and finally refused to go any farther. But the driver got out and worked with it a little while, and it started again all right. We left the main road and the villages, and then began the real climb, — up, and up, and still up, — climbing, winding, and doubling, with great gorges and chasms yawning below, with the rain still falling, the horn tooting continuously, and it growing dark! We had no ray of light for the last half-hour except that given from the lamps of the machine, and that was not much. But we finally reached the Fujiya Hotel, and found it most beautiful and comfortable: the table the best we have had yet, — the cooking almost like home. The service is fine, too, the waiters being pretty Japanese maidens dressed in dainty kimonos and bright-colored obis. This is the first time we have had girls, as there were men in all the city hotels. The garden of the hotel is full of many kinds of flowers, — more varieties and colors of dahlias than I ever saw before in all my life, put together. They were on all the dining tables, and massed in all the living-rooms. Miyanoshita is called the beauty spot of Japan, and it certainly deserves the name. This hotel, the Fujiya, is said to be the finest in Japan, and it certainly is all right.

Yesterday we took a trip to Lake Hakone, a mountain lake about 1300 feet higher than this place. The mode of conveyance was a novelty again. Each rode in a Sedan chair carried on the shoulders of four men — thirty- two men to take a party of eight! It was a funny sight, and a novel experience. But the trip was a good deal of a disappointment, as it rained a little, and coming back we were above the clouds most of the time and could not see anything. Going over, the sun shone a part of the time and the clouds lifted so that we could enjoy the near-by scenery, but we were disappointed in not getting a view of Fujiyama, as we had expected. The trip took all day, and we had tiffin at a hotel at the lake. Hakone is another famous resort. To-day has been bright and beautiful, and just warm enough to be perfect. In the forenoon we took an on-foot climb up a mountain called Fuji-view. On the summit we had a glorious view of the valleys on both sides, with the ocean on one side, and Fujiyama on the other. It was very clear, and we had a fine view of Fuji all the last half of the climb. It is just as symmetrical and beautiful as it is always pictured. It is twenty miles distant, but did not seem more than two or three. Climbed down the mountain, and reached the hotel just in time to hear the bell calling to the dining-room — a most welcome sound, for we were hungry as bears.

After tiffin our guide went with us to a public school. We visited a number of rooms in which were both girls and boys, seated on benches with desks similar to our old-style ones. The thing which impressed us most was the excellent order and respectful attention. Education is compulsory in Japan, and they say that over 90 per cent of the children of school age are in school. Later we took a riksha ride up the course of a rugged stream, where the maple foliage was gorgeous.

We leave here to-morrow morning, but we will take Miyanoshita and the Fujiya Hotel with us as one of our pleasantest memories.

I

Ill

Kyoto, Japan, November 9, 191 3.

This is our sixth day in Kyoto, and as we have seen it pretty thoroughly, I will devote this last evening here to my carbon-copy letter of events up to date.

The morning after my last letters were mailed, we left Miyanoshita for the same ride down the mountain which we had taken up it; but this was not nearly so thrilling, as it was daylight and the sun shone. But we had a much better opportunity to enjoy the scenery, which was fine. At Kodzu we went aboard "the limited" — the best train in Japan — and had tiffin in the diner. It was an interesting six-hours' ride through the country, and in full view of Fuji for several hours. Arrived at Nagoya at four o'clock, and as soon as we were settled at the hotel, all went out in the usual rikshas, to the chrysanthemum show, which was better than the one in Tokyo. These "shows" are different from ours in our park conservatories, as they not only have the displays of choice varieties in groups, but they also have growing plants trained into all manner of shapes, — people, automobiles, jinrikshas, boats, bicycles, etc., — all in growing plants covered with hundreds of blooms. They were most wonderful, as showing the artistic skill with which the Japanese handle and arrange flowers. This is one of the arts taught in their schools.

The next morning we went out early to see the town, as we were to have only one day there. Nagoya is a city of 400,000 people, and they seemed to all be on the street, so that our riksha men had to push their way through the throng, in some places. We soon learned that it was a very great holiday, — the emperor*s birthday, — and everybody was going to the parade ground to see a review of 12,000 soldiers, — they are very proud of their military since they made big Russia bow to little Japan. We allowed ourselves to be carried along with the crowd, and we also witnessed the review. It was a fine and most impressive sight. But even more impressive was the sight of the 150,000 people gathered to witness it. The quietness, respectful obedience to law, and general good order of the immense throng, was worthy of imitation by nations which call themselves great powers. It took only a comparatively few police to handle them, while the same sized crowd in America would have needed a thousand police, — and even then they would often be a howling mob. Yes, there are many things that even great America might learn from courteous Japan.

But the thing of chief interest in Nagoya — the one which took us there — is the castle of the golden dolphins. It was built in 1610, — walled, with heavy gates, and two deep moats which are dry now and grown full of vegetation. It is a five-story, pagodashaped thing, and we climbed the stairs to the top, for the view. It was supposed to be impregnable in its day, but would not withstand much of the presentday instruments of warfare. The golden dolphins ornament the two ends of the "comb," or ridge of the roof. They are of bronze, and in the days of its glory were covered with gold a quarter of an inch thick, and weigh 360 pounds each, — there are two of them. The imperial palace is near by, in the same enclosure, and used to be one of the favorite palaces of the emperors, but is not used now. It is chiefly interesting from the very old paintings decorating the walls. They are said to be very artistic and wonderful, but am afraid I did not fully appreciate them. All the outer halls of this palace have bare floors which squeak when stepped upon, and were made so that no one could approach the emperor's apartments without being heard. It is called "the nightingale floor."

From the palace we rode, through streets swarming with people, to a very large Buddhist temple where many candles were burning, and a priest was making noises, — presumably worship. This was the nearest like the Roman Catholics of anything we had seen. I mention all these things to show how we are studying the country, as our guide is very well informed, and explains things very intelligently, and one gets much of the history of a country through its temples and palaces; and the condition of them all shows conclusively that a new era has dawned on Japan.

On our way back to the hotel the crowd was not so dense, and we had a chance to observe that there were not so many babies carried on backs, and that baby buggies were quite the fashion there. In nearly every buggy there were two babies, sometimes three — not twins, but near-twins, the baby and the next older. We also noted more bicycles there than in all other cities together.

The latter part of the afternoon we continued our journey, going a four-hours' ride to the south to Yamada. Yamada-in-Ise, it is called, but please do not ask me what that means, for I was not able to grasp the meaning; only to guess that it had something to do with a very sacred shrine nearby, in the name of which the "Ise" appears. It is called the most sacred spot in Japan, — the shrine of the very sacred sun-goddess, the ancestress of the present line of emperors. Shintoism teaches that the sun-goddess actually begat the first emperor, and that the line of succession has never been broken, and for this reason the emperor is regarded as a deity by the devout Shinto. Our guide said, "Oh, yes! we believe it, but I don't."

Yamada is of no importance except to furnish a stopping place for the many pilgrims who visit this shrine. The hotel — the Gonikai — is the first real Japanese hotel we have been in, and even it is furnished a little to conform to the customs of foreign travel. For instance, we had bedsteads and chairs in our rooms, — real Japanese homes have not. Our only heat was from some coals brought into the room in a sort of pot, or stone jar.

Our trip to the sacred shrine took us out a beautiful, well-kept road, as fine as any city boulevard, but the vehicles on it are not in keeping with its modern aspect. For instance, we saw two loaded rice-carts, each drawn by a man and two dogs, and pushed by a woman with a baby on her back.

On our return trip we took a long ride in the country, through narrow paths among the rice fields, where we saw the country people right in the midst of their work and their homes. It was just the rice harvest, and we saw hundreds of men, women, and boys, standing in water and mud, and cutting it all with tiny sickles, by hand. Then it is threshed and winnowed by hand, and drawn to market in two-wheeled carts, by hand — usually by men, but often by boys, and sometimes by women, — or by a combination such as already described.

The next day was Sunday, and there was no place to attend church in Yamada, so we sat out in the sunshine the most of the forenoon, and about noon took a train for Nara. It was a four-hours' ride, through mountains, valleys, and rice fields, and gave us more of a sight of the country. The Nara Hotel belongs to the railroad, and is a beautiful new building. The inside woodwork is all of ivory cedar, — the natural wood rubbed to the most exquisite soft finish. The mantel in the lobby is in the form of a Shinto gate, with a most perfect finish of red lacquer. We had a lovely room, with a fireplace and a bath.