FROM YOKOHAMA TO KOBE AND OSAKA.
Time was going on, and it became necessary that our travellers should
follow its example. The Doctor engaged places for them by the steamer
for Kobe, the port for the western capital of Japan, and at the
appointed time they went on board. Before their departure, they had an
opportunity to visit one of the tea-packing establishments for which
Yokohama is famous, and the process they witnessed there was of special
interest to the boys. Here is the account that Frank gave of it in his
next letter home:
[Illustration: A VILLAGE IN THE TEA DISTRICT.]
"The Japanese tea is brought from the country to the seaports in large
boxes. It is partially dried when it is picked, but not enough to
preserve it for a long sea-voyage. When it gets here, it is delivered to
the large establishments that make a business of shipping teas to
America; and let me say, by the way, that nearly all the tea of Japan
that is exported goes to America, and hardly any of it to any other
country. When we went into the warehouse--they call it a 'go-down,' from
a Hindostanee word--they showed us a room where there were probably a
hundred bushels of tea in a great pile on the floor. Men were at work
mixing it up with shovels, and the clerk who showed us around said that
they spread all the tea out in layers, one over the other, and then
mixed them up. He said it was a very difficult job to have the teas
properly mixed, so that the samples should be perfectly even.
"We saw lots of tea in another room where the same kind of work was
going on; and then they took us to the firing-room, and it was a
firing-room, you may believe.
[Illustration: TEA-MERCHANTS IN THE INTERIOR.]
"It was like a great shed, and it had the solid ground for a floor. On
this floor there were kettles, or pans, set in brickwork, and each one
of them had a little furnace under it, in which there was a charcoal
fire. There must have been two hundred of these pans, and the heat from
them was so great that it almost took away my breath. I don't believe I
could exist there a day, and yet there were people who had to spend the
entire day in the firing-room, and go there day after day besides. Many
of them were women, and some of them had little children strapped to
their backs, and there was a whole lot of children in a little room at
one side of the shed, where a couple of women were looking after them.
How I did pity the poor things! Fred and I just emptied our pockets of
all the small change we could find in them for the benefit of the
babies, and I wish we could have given them more. But there was hardly a
cry from any of them, and they seemed as happy and contented as though
their mothers were queens, instead of toiling over the firing-pan in
that hot room for ten or fifteen cents a day.
[Illustration: THE TEA-PLANT.]
"They put a pound and a half of tea into each pan, and with it they put
a teaspoonful of some coloring substance that they keep a secret. People
say that this coloring matter is Prussian blue, and others say it is
indigo, and that a little gypsum is put with it, so as to give the tea a
bright appearance. The clerk told us it was indigo and gypsum that his
house used, and declared that it was all false that any poisonous
material was ever put in. He said they only used a teaspoonful of their
mixture to a charge of tea, and the most of that little quantity was
left in the pan in the shape of dust. When I asked him why they put
anything in, he said it was to make the tea sell better in the American
market. It looked so much better when it had been 'doctored' that their
customers in New York and other cities would pay more for it, though
they knew perfectly well what had been done. Then he showed me some of
the tea that had been fired and put side by side with some that had not.
I must say that the fired tea had a polished appearance that the other
had not, and I could readily understand why it sells better.
"As I have said, they put a charge of a pound and a half of tea into the
pan with a teaspoonful of the mixture, and they have a fire of charcoal
beneath it. The man or woman that does the firing stands in front of the
pan and keeps the tea in constant motion. It must be kept moving all the
time, so that it will not be scorched, and it must be gently rubbed
between the fingers in order to polish it. It is kept in the pan eighty
minutes, and then is considered dry enough for the packing-cases.
[Illustration: FIRING TEA.]
"You know how a tea-chest looks, so I need not describe it any more than
to say that the chest is lined with tin, and that the tin is carefully
soldered, so that not a single particle of dampness can get in while the
tea is on the ocean. If it should, the tea would be spoiled, as the
least dampness will injure it, and a great deal will make it quite
useless. They always try to hurry the new crop of tea as rapidly as they
can, since it is the best, and has more and better flavor than the crop
of the previous year. When a ship sails with new tea, she races for home
as hard as she can go, and the quickest voyages ever made from this part
of the world to Europe and America have been made by ships with cargoes
of new tea."
When the party sailed from Yokohama, they found themselves on board a
steamer which was, and was not, Japanese. She was built in New York, and
formerly ran between that city and Aspinwall. Subsequently she was sent
to Japan in the service of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and was
sold, along with several other American steamers, to a Japanese company.
This company was formed with Japanese capital, and its management was
Japanese; but the ships were foreign, and the officers and engineers
were mostly English or American.
The Doctor told the boys that the Mitsu Bishi Company, as this Japanese
organization was called, was increasing every year the number of its
ships. It received assistance from the government in the form of a mail
contract, and was evidently doing very well. The steamers ran once a
week each way between Yokohama and Shanghai, touching at Kobe and
Nagasaki, and there were lines to other ports of Japan. The Japanese
were studying naval architecture and making good progress, and they
hoped before many years to construct their own ships. Every year they
reduced the number of foreigners in their service, and some of their
establishments were entirely under native management.
[Illustration: HIOGO (KOBE).]
The second morning after leaving Yokohama, they were at Kobe, and the
steamer anchored off the town. Kobe and Hiogo are practically one and
the same place. The Japanese city that stands there was formerly known
as Hiogo, and still retains that name, while the name of Kobe was
applied to that portion where the foreigners reside. The view from the
water is quite pretty, as there is a line of mountains just back of the
city; and as the boys looked intently they could see that the mountains
were inhabited. There are several neat little houses on the side of the
hills, some of them the residences of the foreigners who go there to get
the cool air, while the rest are the homes of the Japanese. There is a
liberal allowance of tea-houses where the public can go to be refreshed,
and there is a waterfall where a mountain stream comes rattling down
from the rocks to a deep pool, where groups of bathers are sure to
congregate in fine weather. The town stands on a level plain, where a
point juts into the water, and there is nothing remarkable about it. If
they had not seen Yokohama and Tokio, they might have found it
interesting; but after those cities the boys were not long in agreeing
that a short time in Kobe would be all they would wish.
But they were at the port of Osaka and Kioto, and their thoughts were
turned towards those important cities. There was no difficulty in going
there, as the railway was in operation to Osaka, twenty miles, and to
Kioto, thirty miles farther on. But Frank was seized with an idea, which
he lost no time in communicating to his friends. It was this:
"We can travel by rail almost anywhere," said he, "and needn't come away
from America to do so. Now, instead of going to Osaka by rail, which
wouldn't be anything remarkable, suppose we go by a Japanese junk. I
have been asking the hotel-keeper about it, and he says it is perfectly
easy to do so, and that we can sail there with a fair wind in a few
hours."
Fred was in favor of the junk voyage on account of its novelty. Of
course, the Doctor was not likely to oppose any reasonable scheme that
would give his young companions an opportunity to learn something,
provided it did not consume too much time. Inquiry showed that the
voyage could be made there with a fair wind, as Frank had suggested;
and, as the wind happened to be all right and promised to continue, it
was agreed to go by junk on the following morning, provided there were
no change.
[Illustration: THE JUNK AT ANCHOR.]
A Japanese servant, who spoke English, was engaged from the hotel to
accompany the party during their journey. He was sent to find a junk
that was about to leave for Osaka, and in half an hour he returned with
the captain of one. It was soon settled that he was to bring his craft
to the anchorage near the hotel during the afternoon, and be ready to
receive his passengers and their luggage at daylight if the wind held
good. The servant, who said he was named "John" by the first European
that ever employed him, and had stuck to it ever since, was kept busy
during the afternoon in making preparations for the journey, as it was
necessary to take a stock of provisions very much as the party had
equipped themselves when they went to ascend Fusiyama. Everything was
arranged in time, and the trio went to bed early, as it would be
necessary to rise before the sun, and they wanted to lay in a good
supply of sleep.
The junk was all ready in the morning; and as soon as the passengers
were on board, her sail was lifted, and she slowly worked her way
through the water. The wind was all right for the voyage to the mouth of
the river where Osaka lay; and if they had been on a sail-boat such as
all New-Yorkers are familiar with, the journey would have been over in
three or four hours. But the junk was not built for racing purposes, and
the most that could be hoped for from her was a speed of about three
miles an hour. This was no detriment, as they could thus make the mouth
of the river by noon; and if the bar could be easily crossed, they would
be at the city long before sunset. Life on a junk was a novelty, and
therefore they were not annoyed to think that their craft was not a
swift one.
[Illustration: THE HELMSMAN AT HIS POST.]
Fred thought that the stern of the junk was about the funniest thing in
the way of a steering-place he had ever seen; and to make sure of
remembering it, he made a sketch of the helmsman at his post. Frank
insisted that he was not there at all, as his post was evidently the
rudder-post, and it was at least ten feet off, owing to the length of
the tiller. The deck where the man stood had a slope like that of a
house-roof, and it was a mystery to the boys how the sailors could
stand there when the planks were wet by the spray, or the sea was at all
rough. But there was no denying that they did stay there, and so the
boys concluded that the men must have claws on their feet like those
with which a tiger is equipped. Fred remarked that the steep incline
reminded him of a conundrum he had somewhere heard, which was as
follows:
"Why is a dog with a broken leg like the space between the eaves and the
ridge of a house?"
Frank could not answer, and the question was propounded to Dr. Bronson;
the latter shook his head, and then Fred responded, in triumph, "Because
he is a slow pup." It was three seconds at least before Frank could see
the point of the joke.
[Illustration: JAPANESE SAILORS AT DINNER.]
The boys had too much to do in the way of sight-seeing to spend more
time over conundrums. They proceeded to explore the interior of the
junk, and to look about the decks in the hope of finding something new
in the way of navigation. They discovered that there was considerable
space for the stowage of cargo, in consequence of the great width of the
craft in proportion to her length. The accommodations of the crew were
not extensive; but as they did not expect much, they were not likely to
complain. As the boys were near the bow of the junk, they came upon two
of the sailors at dinner; the meal consisting of rice and fish, which
they ate with the aid of chopsticks. The men were squatted on the deck
in front of their food, or rather they had the food in front of
themselves, and they evidently were the possessors of good appetites, to
judge by the eagerness with which they attended to business and paid no
heed to the strangers.
The Japanese are excellent sailors, both on their junks and on the
foreign ships that have been introduced to their service since the
opening of the country to other nations. But the Japanese landsman has a
horror of the water, and cannot be induced to venture upon it. In this
respect the Japanese are not unlike the Italians, who are naturally a
maritime nation, and have covered themselves with marine glory in times
that are past. But the Italian landsman is ready to suffer any
inconvenience rather than risk himself on the ocean, and not a more
woe-begone being can be found in the world than a sea-sick Italian
unless it be a sea-sick Japanese.
[Illustration: JUNK SAILORS ON DUTY.]
The sailors on the junk were very prompt in obeying orders, but they
went about everything with an air of coolness which one does not always
see on an American vessel. Ordinarily they pulled at ropes as though
they would not hurt either the ropes or themselves; but it was observed
that when the captain gave an order for anything, there was no attempt
at shirking. One of the sailors stood at the sheet of the mainsail, and
while he held on and waited for directions his mate was quietly smoking
and seated on the deck. When the order came for changing the position of
the sail, the pipe was instantly dropped and the work was attended to;
when the work was over, the pipe was resumed as if nothing had happened.
Evidently the sailors were not much affected by the fashions that the
foreigners had introduced, for they were all dressed in the costume that
prevailed previous to the treaty of Commodore Perry, and before a single
innovation had been made in the way of navigation. The captain of the
junk looked with disdain upon a steamer that was at anchor not far from
where his craft was obliged to pass, and evidently he had no very high
opinion of the barbarian invention. He was content with things as they
were, and the ship that had borne his ancestors in safety was quite good
enough for him and his comrades.
[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE HOTEL.]
About six hours after the departure from Kobe, the junk reached the bar
of the river on which Osaka is situated. The bar was passed, and then
the unwieldy concern came to anchor to wait for a stronger breeze; at
the advice of John a row-boat was engaged to finish the journey as far
as the hotel where they were to stop. The row-boat was rapidly propelled
by the strong arms of half a dozen men; and in less than two hours from
the time they said "Sayonara" to the captain of their transport, the
Doctor and his young friends were safely lodged in the house where their
rooms had been previously engaged by letter. In a short time dinner was
ready, and they had it served on a little balcony which overlooked the
water, and gave them an opportunity to study the river life of the city
while they devoured the stewed chicken and juicy steaks that the host
had provided for them. Boats passed and repassed, and there was a good
deal of animation on the stream. Just beyond the hotel there was a
bridge which curved like a quarter of a circle, as Fred thought, and
beyond it was another of similar construction. Crowds of people were
coming and going over these bridges, and Frank ventured to ask the
Doctor if there were any more bridges and any more people in Osaka.
"Certainly, my boy," the Doctor answered, "there are thirteen rivers and
canals in Osaka, so that the city has an abundance of water
communication. The streets are generally at right angles, and there are
more than a hundred bridges over the water-ways. From this circumstance
Osaka has received the name of the Venice of Japan, and she certainly
deserves it. Formerly her commerce by water was very great, and you
would see a large fleet of junks in the river below the town. The
opening of the railway to Kobe has somewhat diminished the traffic by
water; but it is still quite extensive, and employs a goodly amount of
capital.
"Osaka is one of the most important cities of Japan," Dr. Bronson
continued, "and has long been celebrated for its commercial greatness.
If you look at its position on the map, you will see that it is
admirably situated to command trade both by land and by water; and when
I tell you that it contains half a million of inhabitants, you will
understand that it must have had prosperity to make it so great. The
streets are of good width, and they are kept cleaner than those of most
other cities in Japan. The people are very proud of Osaka, and are as
tender of its reputation as the inhabitants of any Western city in
America are tender of theirs. There are not so many temples as in Tokio,
and not so many palaces, but there is a fair number of both; and, what
is better in a practical way, there are many establishments where
cotton, iron, copper, bronze, and other goods are manufactured. As a
commercial and manufacturing centre, Osaka is at the head, and without a
rival so far as Japan is concerned."
Towards sunset the party took a stroll through the city, stopping in
front of several shops, and entering one or two of the larger. The boys
were of opinion that the shops of Osaka were larger than those of Tokio,
and there was one silk-store that was twice the size of any they had
seen in the eastern capital. The goods that were displayed were not
materially different from what they had already seen, and consequently
they were not disposed to linger long on the way. They extended their
walk to the upper part of the city, where several temples are situated,
and they finally reached the famous Castle of Osaka, whence there is a
line view from the walls. There was some difficulty in entering the
castle, but through the explanations of John the matter was arranged and
they went inside.
[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF OSAKA.]
One of the wonders of Japan is the wall of the Castle of Osaka, or
rather of a portion of it. During the sixteenth century Osaka was the
capital of the empire, and remained so for many years; while it was the
capital the emperor commanded the tributary princes to assist in
building the walls of the imperial residence, and each was to send a
stone for that purpose. The stones are there, and it would be no small
matter to remove them. Our friends had no means of measurement at hand,
but they estimated that some of the stones were twenty feet long by half
that width, and six feet in depth. They were as large as an ordinary
street-car, and some of them were larger; and how they could have been
transported over the roads of Japan and hoisted into their places was a
mystery no one could explain.
The view from the top of the castle walls is magnificent, and well
repays the trouble of making the ascent. In front is the city like a
broad map, and there is no difficulty in tracing the lines of the
streets and the sinuosities of the rivers and canals. Beyond the city,
on the right, is the water of the bay, which opens into the Pacific,
while on the left is the plain that stretches away to Kobe and Hiogo.
Beyond the plain is the range of sharp hills and mountains; and as one
turns slowly to the west and north he can sweep the landscape almost to
the gates of Kioto and the shores of Lake Biwa. To the east, again,
there are mountains rising sharply from the fertile plain, so that one
seems to be standing in a basin of low land with a curving rim of
mountains. The sun was about setting as our party reached the top of the
high wall, and they remained there in full enjoyment of the scene until
the shadows began to fall and the light to fade out from the sky. It was
the most delightful landscape view that had fallen to the lot of the
youths since their ascent of Fusiyama.
They regretted the necessity of departing from the castle, but regrets
were of no use, and they descended to the streets just as the lamps were
getting into full blaze.