FROM YOKOHAMA TO TOKIO.
One of the innovations in Japan since the arrival of the foreigners is
the railway. Among the presents carried to the country by Commodore
Perry were a miniature locomotive and some cars, and several miles of
railway track. The track was set up, and the new toy was regarded with
much interest by the Japanese. For some years after the country was
opened there was considerable opposition to the introduction of the new
mode of travel, but by degrees all hostility vanished, and the
government entered into contracts for the construction of a line from
Yokohama to Tokio. The distance is about seventeen miles, and the route
follows the shore of the bay, where there are no engineering
difficulties of consequence. In spite of the ease of construction and
the low price of labor in Japan, the cost of the work was very great,
and would have astonished a railway engineer in America. The work was
done under English supervision and by English contractors, and from all
accounts there is no reason to suppose that they lost anything by the
operation.
Doctor Bronson and our young friends went from Yokohama to the capital
by the railway, and found the ride a pleasant one of about an hour's
duration. They found that the conductors, ticket-sellers, brake-men, and
all others with whom they came in contact were Japanese. For some time
after the line was opened the management was in the hands of foreigners;
but by degrees they were removed, and the Japanese took charge of the
business, for which they had paid a liberal price. They have shown
themselves fully competent to manage it, and the new system of travel is
quite popular with the people. Three kinds of carriages are run on most
of the trains; the first class is patronized by the high officials and
the foreigners who have plenty of money; the second by the middle-class
natives--official and otherwise--and foreigners whose purses are not
plethorie; and the third class by the peasantry, and common people
generally. Frank observed that there were few passengers in the
first-class carriages, more in the second, and that the third class
attracted a crowd, and was evidently popular. The Doctor told him that
the railway had been well patronized since the day it was first opened,
and that the facilities of steam locomotion have not been confined to
the eastern end of the empire. The experiment on the shores of Yeddo Bay
proved so satisfactory that a line has since been opened from Kobe to
Osaka and Kioto, in the West--a distance of a little more than fifty
miles. The people take to it as kindly as did those of the East, and the
third-class carriages are generally well filled.
[Illustration: THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS.]
At the station in Yokohama the boys found a news-stand, the same as they
might find one in a station in America, but with the difference against
them that they were unable to read the papers that were sold there. They
bought some, however, to send home as curiosities, and found them very
cheap. Newspapers existed in Japan before the foreigners went there; but
since the advent of the latter the number of publications has increased,
as the Japanese can hardly fail to observe the great influence on public
opinion which is exercised by the daily press. They have introduced
metal types after the foreign system, instead of printing from wooden
blocks, as they formerly did, and, but for the difference in the
character, one of their sheets might be taken for a paper printed in
Europe or America. Some of the papers have large circulations, and the
newsboys sell them in the streets, in the same way as the urchins of
New York engage in the kindred business. There is this difference,
however, that the Japanese newsboys are generally men, and as they walk
along they read in a monotonous tone the news which the paper they are
selling contains.
[Illustration: JAPANESE PLOUGHING.]
The train started promptly on the advertised time, and the boys found
that there were half a dozen trains each way daily, some of them running
through, like express trains in other countries, while others were
slower, and halted at every station. The line ran through a succession
of fields and villages, the former bearing evidence of careful
cultivation, while the latter were thickly populated, and gave
indications of a good deal of taste in their arrangement. Shade-trees
were numerous, and Frank readily accepted as correct the statement he
had somewhere read, that a Japanese would rather move his house than cut
down a tree in case the one interfered with the other. The rice harvest
was nearly at hand, and the fields were thickly burdened with the waving
rice-plants. Men were working in the fields, and moving slowly to and
fro, and everywhere there was an activity that did not betoken a lazy
people. The Doctor explained that if they had been there a month
earlier, they would have witnessed the process of hoeing the rice-plants
to keep down the weeds, but that now the hoeing was over, and there was
little to do beyond keeping the fields properly flooded with water, so
that the ripening plants should have the necessary nourishment. He
pointed out an irrigating-machine, which was in operation close to the
railway, and the boys looked at it with much interest. A wheel was so
fixed in a small trough that when it was turned the water was raised
from a little pool, and flowed over the land it was desirable to
irrigate. The turning process was performed by a man who stood above the
wheel, and stepped from one float to another. The machinery was very
simple, and had the merit of cheapness, as its cost could not have been
large at the price of labor in Japan.
[Illustration: JAPANESE ROLLER.]
In another place a man was engaged in ploughing. He had a
primitive-looking instrument with a blade like that of a large hatchet,
a beam set at right angles, and a single handle which he grasped with
both hands. It was propelled by a horse which required some one to lead
him, but he did not seem to regard the labor of dragging the plough as
anything serious, as he walked off very much as though nothing were
behind him. Just beyond the ploughman there was a man with a roller,
engaged in covering some seed that had been put in for a late crop. He
was using a common roller, which closely resembled the one we employ for
smoothing our garden walks and beds, with the exception that it was
rougher in construction, and did not appear as round as one naturally
expects a roller to be.
[Illustration: MANURING PROCESS.]
Fred saw a man dipping something from a hole in the ground, and asked
the Doctor what he was doing.
[Illustration: HOW THEY USE MANURE.]
The Doctor explained that the hole was a cask set in the ground, and
that it probably contained liquid manure. The Japanese use it for
enriching their fields. They keep it in these holes, covered with a
slight roof to prevent its evaporation as much as possible, and they
spread it around where wanted by means of buckets. The great drawback to
a walk in a Japanese field is the frequency of the manure deposits, as
the odor arising from them is anything but agreeable. Particularly is
this so in the early part of the season, when the young plants require a
great deal of attention and nourishment. A nose at such times is an
organ of great inconvenience.
[Illustration: MODE OF PROTECTING LAND FROM BIRDS.]
The Doctor went on to explain that the Japanese farmers were very
watchful of their crops, and that men were employed to scare away the
birds, that sometimes dug up the seed after it was planted, and also ate
the grain while it was ripening. The watchmen had pieces of board which
they put on frames suspended in the air, and so arranged that they
rattled in the wind, and performed a service similar to that of the
scare-crow in America. In addition to this mode of making a noise, the
watchmen had whistles and clappers, and sometimes they carried small
bells which they rang as they walked about. It was the duty of a
watchman to keep constantly on the alert, as the birds were full of
mischief, and, from being rarely shot at, their boldness and impudence
were quite astonishing to one freshly arrived from America, where the
use of fire-arms is so general.
While Doctor Bronson was explaining about the birds, Fred suddenly gave
an exclamation of delight.
"Look, look!" said he; "what are those beautiful white birds?"
"Oh, I know," answered Frank; "they are storks. I recognize them from
the pictures I have seen on fans and screens. I'm sure they are storks."
[Illustration: STORKS, DRAWN BY A NATIVE ARTIST.]
The decision was appealed to Doctor Bronson, who decided that the birds
in question were storks, and nothing else. There was no mistaking their
beautiful figures; whether standing in the fields or flying in the air,
the stork is one of the handsomest birds known to the ornithologist.
"You see," said Doctor Bronson, "that the stork justifies the homage
that is paid to him so far as a graceful figure is concerned, and the
Japanese have shown an eye for beauty when they selected him for a
prominent place in their pictures. You see him everywhere in Japanese
art--in bronzes, on costly paintings, embroidered on silk, printed on
fans, and on nearly every article of household use. He has a sacred
character, and it would not be easy to find a Japanese who would
willingly inflict an injury upon one of these birds."
[Illustration: FLOCK OF GEESE.]
There are probably no other artists in the world who can equal the
Japanese in drawing the stork in all the ways and attitudes he assumes.
These are almost countless; but, not satisfied with this, there are some
of the native artists who are accused of representing him in attitudes
he was never known to take. Admitting this to be the case, it cannot be
disputed that the Japanese are masters of their profession in
delineating this bird, and that one is never weary of looking at his
portrait as they draw it. They have nearly equal skill in drawing other
birds, and a few strokes of the brush or pencil will accomplish marvels
in the way of pictorial representation. A flock of geese, some on the
ground and others in flight, can be drawn in a few moments by a native
designer, and the most exacting critic will not find anything wanting.
[Illustration: FORTS OF SHINAGAWA.]
The train sped onward, and in an hour from the time of leaving the
station at Yokohama it was nearing Tokio. It passed in full view of the
forts of Shinagawa, which were made memorable during the days of Perry
and Lord Elgin, as the foreign ships were not allowed to pass them,
and there was at one time a prospect that they would open fire upon
the intruders. Near one of the forts, a boat containing three fishermen
was pulling slowly along, one man handling the oar, while the other two
were lifting a net. Whether any fish were contained in it the boys did
not ascertain, as the train would not stop long enough to permit an
investigation. The fort rose from the water like a huge warehouse; it
might resist a Chinese junk, or a whole fleet of the rude craft of the
East, but could not hold out an hour against the artillery of the
Western nations. In recent years the forts of Tokio have been
strengthened, but they are yet far from what an American or English
admiral would hold in high respect. The Japanese have made commendable
progress in army organization; but, so far as one can learn generally,
they have not done much in the way of constructing and manning
fortifications.
[Illustration: A JIN-RIKI-SHA.]
On their arrival in Tokio, our young friends looked around to discover
in what the city differed from Yokohama. They saw the same kind of
people at the station that they had left in Yokohama, and heard pretty
nearly the same sounds. Porters, and others who hoped to serve them and
thereby earn something, gathered around; and they found in the open
space in front of the station a liberal number of conveyances ready to
take them wherever they wanted to go. There were carriages and
jin-riki-shas from which they could choose, and it did not take them
long to decide in favor of the jin-riki-sha. It was a novelty to them,
though not altogether so, as they had seen it in Yokohama, and had tried
its qualities in their journey from the hotel to the station in the
morning.
"What is the jin-riki-sha?" the reader naturally asks.
Its name comes from three words, "jin," meaning man; "riki," power; and
"sha," carriage: altogether it amounts to "man-power-carriage." It is a
little vehicle like an exaggerated baby-cart or diminutive one-horse
chaise, and has comfortable seating capacity for only one person, though
it will hold two if they are not too large. It was introduced into Japan
in 1870, and is said to have been the invention of an American. At all
events, the first of them came from San Francisco; but the Japanese soon
set about making them, and now there are none imported. It is said that
there are nearly a hundred thousand of them in use, and, judging by the
abundance of them everywhere, it is easy to believe that the estimate is
not too high. The streets are full of them, and, no matter where you go,
you are rarely at a loss to find one. As their name indicates, they are
carriages drawn by men. For a short distance, or where it is not
required to keep up a high speed, one man is sufficient; but otherwise
two, or even three, men are needed. They go at a good trot, except when
ascending a hill or where the roads are bad. They easily make four and a
half or five miles an hour, and in emergencies can do better than the
last-named rate.
Frank and Fred were of opinion that the jin-riki-sha would be a slow
vehicle to travel in, but asked the Doctor for his experience of one in
his previous visit to the country.
"On my first visit to Japan," replied Doctor Bronson, "this little
carriage was not in use. We went around on foot or on horseback, or in
norimons and cangos."
"And what are norimons and cangos?"
"They are the vehicles in which the Japanese used to travel, and which
are still much employed in various parts of the country. We shall see
them before long, and then we shall have an excellent opportunity to
know what they are. We shall probably be travelling in them in a few
days, and I will then have your opinion concerning them.
"As to the jin-riki-sha," he continued, "my experience with it in my
last visit to Japan since its introduction gives me a high opinion of
the Japanese power of endurance. A few days after my arrival, I had
occasion to go a distance of about forty miles on the great road along
the coast, from Yokohama to Odiwara. I had three men to draw the
carriage, and the journey was made in twelve hours, with three halts of
fifteen minutes each. You could not have done better than this with a
horse and carriage in place of the man-power vehicle. On another
occasion I went from Osaka to Nara, a distance of thirty miles, between
ten in the morning and five in the afternoon, and halted an hour for
lunch at a Japanese inn on the road. Part of the way the road was
through fields, where it was necessary to go slowly, and quite
frequently the men were obliged to lift the vehicle over water-courses
and gullies, and a good deal of time was lost by these detentions."
Both the boys declared that the travel under such circumstances was
excellent, and that it was fully up to what the average horse could
accomplish in America.
[Illustration: JAPANESE ON FOOT.]
"The next day," said the Doctor, "I went on from Nara to Kioto, which
was another thirty miles, in about the same time and with a similar halt
for dinner. I had the same men as on the day before, and they raced
merrily along without the least sign of fatigue, although there was a
pouring rain all day that made the roads very heavy. Frequently there
were steep little hills to ascend where the road passed over the
water-courses or canals. You will find, as you travel in Japan, that the
canals are above the general level of the country, in order to afford
the proper fall for irrigation. Where the road crosses one of these
canals, there is a sharp rise on one side, and an equally sharp descent
on the other. You can manage the descent, but the rise is difficult. In
the present instance the rain had softened the road, and made the
pulling very hard indeed; and, to add to the trouble, I had injured my
foot and was unable to walk, so that I could not lighten the burden of
the men by getting out of the carriage at the bad places.
"I was able on this journey, and partly in consequence of my lameness,
to have an opportunity to see the great kindness of the Japanese to each
other. I had my servant with me (a Japanese boy who spoke English), and
he was in a jin-riki-sha with two men to pull it, the same as mine. When
we came to a bad spot in the road, the men with his carriage dropped it
and came to the aid of mine; and as soon as they had brought it through
its troubles, the whole four went back to bring up the other. I did not
hear a single expression of anger during the whole day, but everything
was done with the utmost good-nature. In some other countries it is
quite possible that the men with the lighter burden would adhere to the
principle that everybody should look out for himself, and decline to
assist unless paid extra for their trouble.
"You will find, the more you know the Japanese, that they cannot be
excelled in their kindnesses to each other. They have great reverence
and respect for their parents; and their affection for brothers and
sisters, cousins, aunts, and all relatives, is worthy of admiration. If
you inquire into the circumstances of the laboring-men, whose daily
earnings are very small, and with whom life is a most earnest struggle,
you will find that nearly every one of them is supporting somebody
besides himself, and that many of their families are inconveniently
large. Yet they accept all their burdens cheerfully, and are always
smiling, and apparently happy. Whether they are really so has been
doubted; but I see no good reason to call their cheerfulness in
question.
[Illustration: AN EXPRESS RUNNER.]
"But I will tell you a still more remarkable story of the endurance of
these Japanese runners. While I was at Kioto, an English clergyman came
there with his wife; and after they had seen the city, they were very
anxious to go to Nara. They had only a day to spare, as they were
obliged to be at Kobe at a certain date to meet the steamer for
Shanghai. They made arrangements to be taken to Nara and back in that
time--a distance, going and coming, of sixty miles. They had three men
to each jin-riki-sha, and they kept the same men through the entire
trip. They left the hotel at Kioto at four o'clock in the morning, and
were back again at half-past eight in the evening. You couldn't do
better than this with a horse, unless he were an exceptionally good
one."
Frank thought that he should not enjoy the jin-riki-sha, as he would be
constantly thinking of the poor fellows who were pulling him, and of how
much they were suffering on his account. He could not bear to see them
tugging away and perspiring while he was reclining in a comfortable
seat.
[Illustration: A JAPANESE COOLIE.]
"I readily understand you," Doctor Bronson answered, "as I had the same
feeling myself, and every American has it when he first comes to the
country. He has a great deal of sympathy for the men, and I have known
some strangers to refuse to ride in a jin-riki-sha on that account. But
if you will apply reason to the matter, you will soon get over the
feeling. Remember that the man gets his living by pulling his little
carriage, and that he regards it as a great favor when you patronize
him. You do him a kindness when you employ him; and the more you employ
him, the more will he regard you as his friend. He was born to toil, and
expects to toil as long as he lives. He does not regard it as a
hardship, but cheerfully accepts his lot; and the more work he obtains,
the better is he satisfied. And when you pay him for his services, you
will win his most heart-felt affection if you add a trifle by way of
gratuity. If you give only the exact wages prescribed by law, he does
not complain, and you have only to add a few cents to make his eyes
glisten with gratitude. In my experience of laboring-men in all parts of
the world, I have found that the Japanese coolie is the most patient,
and has the warmest heart, the most thankful for honest pay for honest
work, and the most appreciative of the trifles that his employer gives
him in the way of presents."
When the Doctor had finished his eulogy upon the Japanese, the boys
clapped their hands, and were evidently touched with his enthusiasm.
From the little they had seen since their arrival in the country, they
coincided with him in opinion, and were ready to endorse what he said.
And if they had been in any doubt, they had only to refer to the great
majority of foreigners who reside in Japan for the confirmation of what
the Doctor had declared. Testimony in this matter is as nearly unanimous
as it is generally possible to find it on any subject, and some of the
foreign residents are ready to go much further in their laudations of
the kindly spirit of the natives than did Doctor Bronson.
[Illustration: PITY FOR THE BLIND.]