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Yokohama presents many pictures of native life. We see hundreds of paper lanterns hanging before the stores and theaters, and we hear the confused cries of the men in the bazaars or shops calling attention to their wares. Not many miles from Yokohama is the now small village of Kamakura, and it is an interesting place to visit.

In the middle ages this small village was a great city. Kamakura was the ancient capital of Japan and the home of the shoguns. In the time of its greatest glory it is said to have had a population of more than one million, and it must have been a busy, prosperous city. Several hundred years ago a tidal wave swept over the great plain on which Kamakura was built, and the city was completely destroyed. Looking at this plain to-day one can hardly believe it was ever the site of so great a city. All that is now to be seen as a proof of the existence of this once proud capital is a huge bronze figure of Buddha, called Dai Butsu. The figure is fifty feet in height, and is a most impressive witness to the skill of the Japanese artisans of the ancient times.

As visitors to England rarely spend much time in Liverpool, so is it with Yokohama in Japan. It is the gateway to the beautiful country which lies before us, and as soon as possible we leave the seaport town for Tokio, the great capital.

CHAPTER XVII.

FROM YOKOHAMA TO TOKIO.

AMONG the presents which Commodore Perry carried from the President of the United States to the mikado was a model of a locomotive and a miniature telegraph line. The telegraph was set to work and the little steam engine puffed to and fro over its mile of track. These new toys were regarded with much interest, and the people came from far and near to see them.

To-day railroads and telegraph lines connect the most important cities of Japan, and are being rapidly extended throughout the empire.

The first railroad built in Japan was the one we shall pass over on our journey from Yokohama to Tokio, a distance of eighteen miles. When this railroad was opened, it was managed by foreigners; but the Japanese soon bought it, took it into their own charge, and proved at once their ability to manage such an enterprise.

The road from Yokohama to Tokio passes through many small villages of thatched cottages. All the low land is carefully cultivated and planted with rice, the great food crop of Japan.

The young rice plants must be set out in the wet season. At this time we may see both men and women standing in mud and water, busy at their work in the rice fields. They wear large hats, which look like inverted bowls, and rain coats made of straw or oiled paper.

On the hillsides are groves of the beautiful bamboo. We soon discover that in Japan the bamboo is used in an endless variety of ways, and as a feature of Japanese life is quite as important as it is in India and China.

Here and there we catch glimpses of shrines and temples, always situated in the most picturesque places.

The cars in use on the Japanese railroads are made after the English pattern, having first-class, secondclass, and third-class compartments. The third-class compartments are the most popular and are always crowded with the happy and polite natives of the Sunrise Land. Many of these people come from the country districts, where modern ideas and inventions are not yet known.

Strange as it may seem, window glass is a luxury about which the country people of Japan know little. For this reason it has been found necessary to paint white lines upon the glass in the car windows, as certain natives have been known to put their heads through the glass, supposing there was nothing in the

way.

Quick to learn all about improved ways of living, it will not be a long time before all the Japanese are acquainted not only with window glass but with many more modern inventions.

The picturesque native costumes of the Japanese are gradually being discarded. We see some of the natives, especially in the cities, dressed in the European fashion, appearing and doubtless feeling very awkward.

In many other ways we realize that a change is taking

place in Japan and that not all of these changes are improvements.

In less than an hour after leaving Yokohama we are in Tokio, the London of this Island Empire. Situated on the Gulf of Yeddo, it has all the advantages of a great metropolis. High walls and moats surround the old city, showing how strongly it was once fortified.

Tokio is the great political and educational center of the empire. Here the emperor has his palace, and here is the Imperial University.

As we go about the city we are more and more impressed with its enormous size. It covers a great area, and contains a population of more than a million people. One reason for its great size is the fact that it was originally a collection of villages which have been united to form the city. The hills, groves, and gardens, by which these villages were separated, now form the many beautiful parks for which the city is famous. The capital of the United States has long been called "a city of magnificent distances," but in comparison with Tokio it has little claim to this distinction.

Many of the streets in Tokio are broad and well kept. There are very few sidewalks and, horses being so little used, it is safe to walk in any part of the streets.

There is one line of street cars, and it is certain that other lines will soon be in operation; but up to this time, 1897, the jinrikisha is the favorite mode of conveyance.

Let us call two of these quaint carriages, always to be found waiting for passengers at every street cross

ing, and visit some of the interesting places in this great city. Our jinrikisha men start off at a brisk trot, and this they will keep up for any distance we wish to go.

The main business thoroughfare extends through the heart of the city. Here are many of the largest shops, where Japanese silks and other beautiful wares are to be bought. The hanging signs before these shops are among the most picturesque sights in the city, and many of them are real works of art, so skillfully are they painted.

We cross many bridges, as Tokio is situated just where several streams empty into the bay. One of the most interesting and picturesque is the Nihonbashi Bridge. It was, in days gone by, called the center of the empire, and from it all distances were measured. On a signboard near one end of this bridge are posted all government notices.

The extensive parks, streets lighted by electricity, street cars, schools, libraries, large shops, and modern hotels make plain to us why Tokio is regarded as the center of civilization in the distant Orient.

As we pass along the streets, we are constantly attracted by the quaint shops and houses into which we can look. The ordinary Japanese shop is a small, low building, with overhanging eaves, and the floor is raised several inches above the ground. Except in cold weather the whole front is open to the street, and customers are to be seen sitting on the floor examining goods and making their purchases.

As we ride about in our jinrikisha, we see many

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