of the poor people begin early in the year to save all the money they can, so as to be able to purchase new garments for this holiday.

Japanese merchants make every effort to finish all business with the close of the year, and all accounts with storekeepers are settled at that time. The houses and shops are gaily decorated, and everywhere are to be seen the signs of festivity. This festival lasts a whole week, and the people give much of the time to visiting each other.

But the festival best loved by every Japanese girl is the "Feast of Dolls." On the day appointed, dolls of every kind both new and old - are brought together in the homes; and even the poorest people make an effort to provide a few simple toys for the celebration of the day.

Another great festival is called the "Feast of Flags"; this is of special interest to the boys. On this day tall poles, from which float banners of curious shapes and gorgeous colors, are erected in front of every house. Many of these banners are paper bags, made in the shape of a fish, and are often four or five feet long. They soon become filled with air, and present a very lifelike appearance as they wriggle in the breeze. The fish represented is the carp, which is able to swim against the swift current and to leap over waterfalls. This is a symbol of courage which it is hoped will mark the character of every boy.

CHAPTER XIX.

OLD CITIES OF JAPAN.

FOR more than a thousand years Kioto, once known as the "City of Pleasure," was the home of the mikados. During all this time it was the center of art and fashion, of learning and religion.

The Japanese poets love to sing its praises, and its annals tell us much of the history of this wonderful country. It is a beautiful city, situated on a plain walled in by high mountains. On the mountain sides, in the most picturesque places, are hundreds of temples and shrines.

Kioto is noted for its temples, and there are many in the city shaded by groves of patriarchal trees. Since Tokio has been made the capital, Kioto has lost its former greatness, but it still possesses much of interest to every visitor to the Land of the Rising Sun.

The street scenes are in many ways a repetition of much that we have seen in Tokio. The streets are narrow and are kept very clean. The shops are small and all are open in front. The brilliant signboards and the paper lanterns, like those seen in Tokio, swing before each shop. The streets are crowded, but nowhere do we see quarrelsome or noisy people.

Kioto has long been noted for the weaving of silk. Here are to be seen silks of the most delicate texture, and of every color. The silk manufacture is, perhaps, the most important business in Kioto, and a large number of the people are engaged in the work.

A large part of the silk made here is exported, and the demand for it increases year by year as foreign peoples become better acquainted with the beautiful designs made by the ingenious Japanese weavers.

We shall be much interested in a visit to one of the places in Kioto where silk is made. There are no large factories, but the work is all done in small rooms. Women and girls reel the silk from the cocoons, and the weaving is done by men. The weavers are all artists, and many of the patterns designed by them look like beautiful pictures, they are so perfect.

Many of the weavers in and near the city are engaged in weaving silk for sashes or girdles.

These sashes are called obi by the Japanese. They are made of a piece of silk two feet wide and more than ten feet long. This piece is woven the desired length, and no other is made with the same pattern. The size and elegance of the obi are the great points of rivalry among wealthy ladies, and it is the most becoming as well as conspicuous part of their dress. When tied in an immense bow, the obi looks very much like a gigantic butterfly.

The old castle of the mikado, built in the fifteenth century by the first shogun, is one of the places of interest to the visitor to Kioto. The palace is far from being an imposing structure, like the great European palaces, and does not impress us by its size. It consists of a rambling collection of wooden buildings, all connected and inclosing many courts and gardens.

The grounds surrounding the palace are very exten

sive and, like all the Japanese gardens, are beautifully laid out. Here and there are small ponds crossed by miniature bridges, and at intervals we see dwarfed trees and masses of flowers and ferns, all arranged with the artistic skill which we have learned to expect from Japanese gardeners.

In many of the larger cities the people of the upper classes have adopted European dress. The emperor and the empress always wear it, and on all state occasions the ladies attending the empress are required to Outside of the capital, however, women still

do so.

retain their national dress.

It is a mistake to suppose that the beautifully embroidered garments we sometimes see exhibited in

our country are like those worn by the majority of Japanese women. These showy garments are worn only by the singing and dancing girls, who are to be seen at the tea houses and places of entertainment. The usual dress worn by Japanese ladies is quite plain and of a dark color. Only little girls wear bright colored gowns. In all their ways these little girls remind us of older people, and, as we see them bowing politely to the strangers they meet, we realize how carefully they have been trained in the art of politeness.

Japanese women bestow great care on the dressing of their hair. Their combs and hairpins are made of tortoise shell, and of other costly materials, and are tipped with coral or gold. Such ornaments are always in fashion, and are handed down as heirlooms from mother to daughter.

Among the wealthier people the professional hairdresser, who goes from house to house, is a very important person. A preparation is first put on the hair which makes it as glossy as lacquer, and enables the hairdresser to arrange it in puffs and coils of every description. It is then fastened with fancy pins and tortoise shell combs; and for young girls, bright beads and pieces of gay colored silk are intertwined. This elaborate hairdressing is done only two or three times a week, and in order not to disarrange it the women always sleep on the small wooden pillow which is placed under the neck.

It is the custom not to wear any covering on the head, but, provided with an umbrella to shield them from the sun, and carrying the fan, without which