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AN ENGLISH GIRL IN JAPAN
[Illustration: (_Page_ 24.
A LITTLE NASAN APPEARED.
]
AN ENGLISH GIRL
IN JAPAN
BY
ELLA M. HART BENNETT
_SECOND EDITION_
=Illustrated=
LONDON
WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO., LTD.
3, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C.
[Illustration]
_First Edition, May, 1904_
_Second Edition, June, 1906_
TO
MY FRIEND MARY
A SOUVENIR
OF MANY PLEASANT DAYS
‘Though wide the ocean now dividing us,
Ne’er let its waters separate our souls.’
(_Japanese quotation._)
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
The following sketches of life in Japan and the voyage there and back
are taken from a diary which I kept during my travels.
Since writing my little book of personal reminiscences, which, thanks to
indulgent readers and kind friends, is now republished in a second
edition, many and great changes have taken place in the Far East.
Japan has now become a great Power--not only in the East, but also in
the West. It is _little_ Japan no longer; or, rather, its greatness is
now understood and acknowledged by all the world. Western civilization
has taken a firm hold on the Japanese people. They have been rapidly
adopting, and, in fact, improving on, Western methods, customs, and
manners. The fear of the globe-trotter of to-day is whether he will be
in time to see the Japan of his dreams and of romance, before this great
Western wave of progress and reform has divested the Land of the Rising
Sun of its quaint originality and fascinating charm.
E. H. B.
1906.
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
The following sketches of life in Japan and the voyage there and back
are taken from a diary which I kept during my travels.
As Japan and its wonderful little people have come so much before the
world during the last few years, and especially at this time are one of
the chief factors in the crisis in the Far East, I thought that these
reminiscences and anecdotes taken from real life might be of interest.
I am indebted to the editors of the _Cornhill_, _Sketch_, _Sunday_, and
the _Buenos Aires Standard_ for the reproduction of some of the
following sketches.
ELLA HART BENNETT.
1904.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
ON THE WAY
PAGE
I start on my travels--A fair Theosophist--Life on an 1–12
American liner--Arrival at New York--Delmonico’s---The
Hotel Waldorf--Niagara Falls--Across the Lakes--The
prairies--A quiet Sunday
CHAPTER II
IN THE ROCKIES
First sight of the Rockies--Stay at Banff--Indians and 13–22
salmon--Arrival at Vancouver--The _Empress of
India_--Chinese passengers--The missing day--A
court-martial--First sight of Japan
CHAPTER III
EARLY DAYS IN JAPAN
A new friend--A Japanese dinner--Japanese temples--An 23–32
earthquake--A fire in Yokohama
CHAPTER IV
A JAPANESE HARROGATE
A trip to the Japanese Harrogate--A curious travelling 33–50
companion--A Japanese inn--A mountain ride--At the sulphur
springs--A sulphur bath--A night in a tea-house--Sad news
CHAPTER V
AN IMPERIAL GARDEN-PARTY
Silk dresses and frock-coats--A disappointed Colonel--The 51–65
Royal procession--The chrysanthemums--I am presented--A
Japanese play--Japanese royal sport--The Mikado and his
subjects
CHAPTER VI
JAPANESE LADIES
Their habits and ways--Home life--The Honourable Bath--Count 66–82
Ito and his wife--Old Japan--Loyalty to husbands--A mixed
marriage--Curious customs--Japanese sayings
CHAPTER VII
JAPANESE CHILDREN
Boys and girls--Games--The Feast of Dolls--School life--The 83–97
‘Hina Matsuri’--The Feast of the Carp--The ‘Bon Matsuri,’
the festival for dead children
CHAPTER VIII
SERVANTS IN JAPAN
Their politeness--Frequency of their baths--Always ready for 98–108
a nap--Mrs. Peter Potts
CHAPTER IX
SOME FESTIVALS AND A FUNERAL
The Imperial Silver Wedding--Parade of the troops--The 109–123
wedding feast--The Chinese ball in Tokio--A gay
assembly--A Royal funeral--Strange customs
CHAPTER X
CHANG, MY CHOW
His first appearance--Adventures and mishaps--Companions in 124–140
the Hospital--Chang goes to church--Facing the enemy
CHAPTER XI
FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CHANG
The tale of a tub--Sayonara--Board-ship acquaintance--Queer 141–163
company
CHAPTER XII
PAUL AND VIRGINIA
Life on a tea-estate--My animal friends--Two brown 164–176
bears--Brutus, the monkey--Always in mischief--The
Brazilian macaw
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A little Nasan appeared _Frontispiece_
In the Heart of the Rockies 15
‘Tum adain soone! sayonara!’ 26
One of the Shinto Temples 27
The Great Bronze Buddha 28
We start for Kodzu 35
Idaka, the Guide 39
Prepared for the Night 47
Our Invitation-cards were very large and thick 53
The Gardens are very beautiful 57
Quaint Signboards in some of the Streets, Tokio: Butcher’s, 63
Umbrella Shop
Quaint Signboards in some of the Streets, Tokio: Poultry 64
and Egg Shop, Japanese Tailor
‘Many are distinctly pretty when young’ 68
A Japanese Lady of the Upper Class 69
A Tea-house Veranda 72
‘How picturesque they looked!’ 84
Japanese Children 87
Japanese Servants 99
That Delightful Hotel in the Hills 102
Three Friends 125
The Garden of the Little Tea-house 129
The Kind Old ‘Isha-san’ 133
The Little House in the Forest 137
Chang’s First Appearance 140
Yum-Yum and Dodo 141
The Monastery in the Rock 143
Mystical ‘Fuji-Yama’ 151
The Lotus Flower of Japan 154
Arara 173
Initials, Tailpieces, etc.
[Illustration]
An English Girl in Japan
CHAPTER I
ON THE WAY
I start on my travels--A fair Theosophist--Life on an American
liner--Arrival at New York--Delmonico’s--The Hotel Waldorf--Niagara
Falls--Across the Lakes--The prairies--A quiet Sunday.
The visit to the Far East, where my father had business in Japan, was
taken when I was only eighteen. Being an only child, I had been his
constant companion since the death of my mother nine years previously. I
was never sent to school, and, after a succession of governesses, my
education was put into the hands of the old bachelor Rector of our
parish, whose ideas as to what a girl ought to know were somewhat
peculiar. However, in other ways I had more practical knowledge of life
than was usual for one of my age, as my father discussed subjects of all
kinds with me freely; and I grew up to take interest in topics of the
day, in animal life of all kinds, and in my garden, of which I was very
proud.
Until the last moment I feared something might occur to prevent our
going; and it seemed almost too good to be true to think I was actually
to see the country from where my father had brought so many beautiful
curios on his former visit, and which I had always heard spoken of as an
earthly paradise.
However, the day of departure came at last, and after many preparations
and tearful farewells from the two old servants, who were to keep house
for us during our absence, we started--two planet pilgrims bound for the
Land of the Rising Sun.
I have always disliked books of travel with dates describing the day and
hour when the writer did this or that, and giving minute descriptions of
food, climate, feelings, etc. I don’t think it is in the least amusing
to read that on Monday, the 26th, the heroine was seasick, and on the
30th, at 6 p.m., was able to enjoy roast mutton and pudding. Or that she
landed on such a day at such a place, and exactly how she spent each
hour. I have decided only to write about the events and experiences
which have most impressed me during my travels, and to describe as well
as I can the characteristics of the people that I came across.
We sailed from Southampton in the _Paris_, a huge American liner of
12,000 tons, more like a floating hotel than a ship. My first
impressions of life on board were not altogether enjoyable, as we
started in a gale, and I own to more than once wishing myself back again
in Old England. However, in a couple of days the weather calmed down,
and I soon recovered my sea-legs, and was able once again to enjoy life.
There were a good number of passengers of every description and
nationality on board--a theatrical company, Mr. Carnegie (the
millionaire), the late Dr. Barnardo, Mrs. Annie Besant, a foreign
Ambassador and a Colonial Governor, besides many other well-known
people. Mrs. Besant was accompanied by two Indian Mahatmas, who were the
objects of much interest. They spent the greater part of their time
together, reclining in long deck-chairs, with pillows behind their
heads, and covered up to their chins with thick rugs. Sometimes they lay
for hours, hand in hand, with closed eyes; at other times they talked
earnestly in low tones. One Indian was very short and fat, the other
long and thin, with snake-like movements and curious piercing eyes. They
had thick black hair down to their shoulders, little red caps with
tassels on their heads, and long, rusty black frock-coats and white
trousers--a truly remarkable pair. I overheard the fat one remark to
Mrs. Besant that before they could disintegrate and assume their astral
shapes it was necessary to abstain from food for twelve hours, when
their bodies would be in a fit state to soar. The fat little man must
evidently have made up for his abstinence at other times, judging from
his portly appearance. We were told that the trio were going to lecture
on Theosophy in Chicago, and, after some little persuasion, Mrs. Besant
consented to give a lecture on board. Over three hundred of the
passengers assembled in the saloon, and the fair Theosophist held us
fascinated for more than an hour. She spoke very quietly, but with
intense earnestness, in a rich, deep voice, with hardly a moment’s
pause. The subject was evolution, and the manner in which the soul
passes from one body to another, either getting higher and more
spiritual, or deteriorating and becoming more animal.
One of the audience got up and asked for the proofs of Buddhism being
superior to other religions, others followed suit, and the discussion
became somewhat heated, until the chairman, Mr. Carnegie, restored order
by saying that we were not at a debating society, but that Mrs. Besant
having been persuaded to speak for our pleasure and entertainment, he
thought the least we could do was to listen with respectful attention,
if not agreeing with the subject in question. (Loud applause.)
The remainder of the voyage passed in the usual way--sports,
tournaments, concerts, the daily lottery on the run--the prize number
being sometimes worth between thirty and forty pounds. Various other
amusements were arranged by enterprising passengers and officers of the
ship.
We were fortunate in arriving at New York up to time--in five days and a
half--as the week before the mails had been delayed by a severe cyclone,
from the effects of which New York was still suffering. On landing at
the Custom House the scene of confusion baffled description. We luckily
possessed a pass, so had not to open our trunks, but it seemed hours
before our thirty-five boxes and packages were collected together.
Meanwhile, I sat waiting on one of my boxes until my patience was quite
exhausted.
My father had engaged rooms at the Hotel Waldorf, where we found a most
charming suite had been reserved for us. Each set of rooms in the hotel
is furnished in a different style--one Indian, one Japanese, another
Egyptian, and a special honeymoon suite, all pink, blue, and Cupids.
This hotel--probably the most luxurious in the world--was built by Mr.
Astor, the millionaire, costing £400,000, and £200,000 to furnish. The
State-rooms, fitted up for the Prince of Wales, who never went there
after all, are magnificent. The walls are hung with Gobelin tapestry,
and all the dinner-service is of solid silver. I was particularly
fascinated with the winter garden, which resembles a huge conservatory,
with fountains, palms, and little tables dotted about. A string band
played there every evening, and I saw a number of smartly-dressed
American women and girls, as well as men, enjoying their favourite
American drinks. I was not content until I had sampled a ‘corpse
reviver,’ drinking it through a long straw, but I cannot say the result
was altogether satisfactory.
Everything about New York interested me immensely after the quiet
country life I had led at home. The crowds in the streets, the bustle,
the electric-cars and overhead railways, were at first bewildering. We
were given a box at the Opera Comique to see ‘Panjandrum,’ and there I
saw several American society beauties. The girls reminded me much of
Dana Gibson’s charming drawings. The men seemed insignificant in
comparison; but it is said they make ideal husbands, which is an
important consideration.
After the theatre we went to a ‘roof garden,’ going up by lift to the
top of a large building, and through a door on to the roof. This had
been converted into a Café Chantant--plants, chairs, a small stage, and
a restaurant, all lit up with little coloured lamps. It was very
amusing, and a delightful way of spending a hot evening, as, although
the end of September, the weather in New York was still sultry.
Before returning to the hotel, my father took me to Delmonico’s, the
famous New York restaurant, where we had an excellent supper, beginning
with hot, soft-shell crabs--a very favourite dish in America. They are
just like our crabs, but the shells are quite soft and crisp, and one
eats shell, legs, and all. Mrs. Besant and her two Mahatmas were sitting
at a table near us. They had evidently no immediate intention of
assuming their astral shapes, to judge by the number of dishes which
were placed before them and were carried away empty. A precocious little
American girl of about ten was having supper with her ‘poppa’ and
‘momma’ at the table next to us. Between the intervals of eating she
placed her elbows on the table, brandishing aloft her knife and fork,
and made comments on the people round in a loud, nasal voice. After some
especially indiscreet remark about the long, thin Indian, who turned and
looked at her with a melancholy gleam in his snake-like eye, ‘momma’
exclaimed in equally strident tones: ‘I guess, Jemima, you had better
keep your remarks to your own _in_side, and not make them public, or
you’ll get yourself _dis_liked--say?’ For a few moments Jemima remained
silent, but soon began again.
The next morning I was awakened to find a negro standing by my bedside
with a tray in his hands. He stood motionless in an attitude of
attention, his feet well turned out, a broad grin showing his white
teeth, apparently awaiting my commands. After receiving my orders, he
departed with another low bow, still smiling. Most of the house-work is
done in America by negroes, who are very quick and willing.
After three delightful but most fatiguing days in New York, spent in
sight-seeing, we left by the night train for Niagara. I shall never
forget my first impressions of those wonderful Falls, which even
exceeded my expectations, they are so indescribably beautiful and
impressive.
After lunch at the hotel where we were to stay the night, we walked to
various points on the American side, and at each the view seemed more
beautiful than the last. The Niagara River divides and forms three
islands. On one side are the American Falls; on the other, over a large
suspension-bridge, are the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. I persuaded my
father to take me down under the latter. We were first both arrayed in a
complete set of oilskins--coat, long boots, and pointed hood--and
presented most comical figures. A guide led the way, as the path in
places was very steep and slippery. At one spot the water poured down on
us like a shower-bath, and it required some strength of mind not to turn
back; but when we had once started we were determined to see all. We
came to a tunnel, lighted by lanterns, where the water dripped from the
roof and walls, forming deep puddles, through which we plunged; and I
was glad to find myself in the daylight again, safe and sound. The
sunshine on the water produced a rainbow at both Falls--a most beautiful
sight on the white foam.
Almost more impressive, if possible, than the Falls are the whirlpool
rapids, which we visited next morning--the place where Captain Webb was
drowned, and where only lately a foolhardy woman lost her life
attempting to cross in a cask. The cask reached its destination safely,
after some hours’ buffeting with the current, but when opened, the woman
was found dead.
I can only liken the scene to a tremendous storm on a rocky coast, as
the waves dashed over the rocks, throwing up foam and spray high into
the air, whilst the thunder of the water was deafening. The cliffs on
either side of the river were covered with grass and trees growing to
the water’s edge, calm and peaceful--a striking contrast to the Rapids
and their ceaseless tumult.
From Niagara we went by train and boat to Toronto. On our arrival at the
hotel we found five reporters sitting in the hall awaiting us, ready to
pounce on my father, who, being well known in the literary world, was
doomed to be victimized. In vain did my unfortunate parent remind them
it was past nine o’clock, that we had had no dinner, and having only
that evening made our first acquaintance with the delights of Canada, it
was impossible fully to do justice either to himself or the country. All
was of no avail; a long string of questions had to be answered before we
were permitted to depart in peace, and the next morning in all the
leading papers appeared wonderful and totally untrue accounts of our
family history, appearance, and sentiments.
From Owen Sound we went by steamboat across Lake Huron and Lake Superior
to Port William, which is in connection with the Canadian-Pacific
Railway. The lake scenery is very beautiful, and was a pleasant change
after the dusty train. We were three hours passing through the lock
which divides the two lakes. As the steamboats are run on strictly
temperance principles, and no wine or spirit of any description allowed
on board--although we were fed with such dainties as frogs’ legs and
soft-shell crab--the excitement was great on seeing a little shanty by
the lock where home-brewed beer could be obtained. There was a frantic
rush on shore, and the little inn must have reaped a harvest that day.
Whilst waiting at the lock I was much interested in seeing large
quantities of timber floating over the rapids, having come downstream
hundreds of miles from the Canadian forests. The wood is caught by huge
nets made of chains, and just by the side of the lock is a storage
depot, where the timber is collected and cut into planks. We had some
excellent lake trout for dinner, and in the evening watched the northern
lights, which illuminated the sky far into the night.
The next morning we left Port William, a quaint little town which had
only been in existence three years, but already boasted of a church and
good shops and houses, and started westward on our four days’ train
journey to Vancouver. During the first twenty-four hours we passed
through the prairies, a vast stretch of yellow plain, with its deep
purple shadows, looking terribly desolate, but yet fascinating in its
loneliness. Here and there were prairie fires--some still smouldering,
others which had left only their charred and blackened marks behind
them. We passed many little settlements and farms--one farm was a
hundred miles in size--and an immense quantity of wheat is grown in this
district. At each station are huge elevators, and the grain is sucked up
into them through tubes by means of compressed air at marvellous
rapidity. It was harvest-time when we passed, but, being Sunday, none of
the men were at work. It seemed quite pathetic to see lines of buggies
and cars waiting outside some of the little settlement churches, and as
we passed we saw many of the settlers riding and driving to and from
service. Some must have come very long distances. At one place, far away
from any dwelling, there was a little cemetery--just a dozen white
stones and one little cross standing out against the sky--only divided
by a rough wooden rail from the rest of the prairie. In winter the
country is covered with snow to a depth of from twenty to thirty feet,
and the occupants of the farms have to dig their way out, leaving only
the front-door exposed. We saw large herds of cattle and horses, but the
buffalo is almost extinct. He, as well as the Indian, seems to disappear
as civilization advances.
There are still some Indians left, however, and we passed several
encampments. Their wigwams looked more picturesque than comfortable,
composed of mud and sticks. The few specimens we saw were
miserable-looking creatures. The women’s cheeks were painted a bright
brick-red, long matted hair hung over their shoulders, and their
costumes consisted of the most extraordinary collection of old rags and
finery imaginable. They seemed quite harmless, but were much alarmed
when I attempted to snap-shot them, and slunk away, evidently warning
the others against us. The papooses, fastened like little mummies to
their mothers’ backs, had some of them quaint, almost pretty, faces, but
looked horribly dirty and uncomfortable, swathed tightly in their filthy
rags.
The violent rocking of the train, the dust, the heat of the cars, all
combined to give me a bad attack of car-sickness, added to which I
knocked my head violently against the door of our car, and was almost
stunned. At each station the one thought of everyone on board was to get
out for some fresh air and to stretch one’s limbs, and I was almost left
behind at a little wayside station, where I had quite forgotten my
troubles looking at the glorious sunset lighting up the prairie.
Suddenly, to my horror, I saw the train slowly gliding off; had not the
guard cleverly caught me up in his arms as the end carriage was leaving
the platform, I should have been left to the tender mercies of the
station-master and signalman in the middle of the prairie until the next
train passed, twenty-four hours later.
After this adventure and fright I became so thoroughly upset that my
father decided to break our journey at Banff for a couple of days.