CHAPTER XII.

My first Walk in Japan--A Paradise after China--Clean Streets--Clean Houses--Hard Beds--Policemen--A Temple--Queer Worship--Chanting and Drumming--The exhorting Gong--English much goodee--Kanagawa--Hospitable Population--The Baths and Dress--On Shore at Yeddo--The Tycoon’s Palace--Water-Nymphs--Sandalled Horses--Bakers--Cheap Fare and Fruit--Hakodadi--Stoned Roofs--Fish caught by Noise--Huckster Boats--Custom-house Officers--The Governor’s Visit--The State Barge--A Party for the Burial-ground--The Sacred Fire--The ancient Fireman--Pack-horses--A grateful Kiss--Flagstaff and Salute.

If I looked eagerly and inquisitively about me upon first going ashore in China, much more so did I on my first walk in Japan. The large number of well-dressed people wearing swords were the first things that attracted my attention. These, I understood, were gentlemen. They appeared very clean--a pleasing contrast to the Chinese; and they did not wear talons instead of nails. The streets of Nagasaki are not paved, neither is there any attempt at gutters or drains or spouts for the house-roofs. But the people do at least keep their houses clean, and, not being in the habit of throwing all refuse and dirt out at their front doors, the streets are clean and passable also--quite a paradise after a Chinese town; as some of our crew said, “’Twas like going into heaven” after China.

I liked the appearance of their houses, which seemed to me to be mostly built of wood, two stories in height. Suppose we have a look at the inside. There is a small space of earth, perfectly smooth and flat, just within the doorway; beyond this the floor is raised and boarded, and covered with grass mats, very clean, and, as Bob Brady said once, “white as a hound’s tooth; he wouldn’t mind having his dinner off of ’em.” To reach this raised portion you must take off your shoes. No decoration beyond a few simple carvings, so far as I saw, adorned the rooms. The beds are raised above the floor, and are covered with mats, which serve for mattress or bed. Hard lying is, perhaps, no hardship at Nagasaki.

Instead of glass for the windows, a beautiful kind of paper is used, which admits a subdued and mellow light, and is less liable than glass to be fractured by earthquakes. Their shops are open, and very similar to those of the Chinese; but I thought the shopkeepers seemed very obliging, and that they did not exhibit such anxiety and desire for money as do their less estimable neighbours the Chinese. I saw many policemen in the streets, whose staff of office is a long rod, with three iron rings on the top, which jangle together as they walk along. The people seemed to be very much frightened at them. I fancy it is a rare thing among them to hear of a lark with the “shiners,” as Jack called the policemen.

One day I passed close to a large and gaudily decorated temple: inside it was finely ornamented with devices, carvings, and richly-worked hangings; in the centre of the floor, and under a showy silk canopy, stood the god they worship--gigantic in height, big-faced, goggle-eyed, and with a stomach decidedly corpulent. In one hand he held a large club, and in the other a quiver of arrows, which he, no doubt, was prepared to hurl at those “as didn’t choose to make fools of themselves,” whispered Charley Cane to me. A little to the right, and near the door, hung a bunch of low-toned, musical, tinkling bells, which worshippers shook as they entered, to attract, as we thought, the god’s attention. Then they fell upon their knees, and commenced a monotonous chant, which was kept up about ten minutes; the priest, with shaven crown, long black robe, and sandalled feet, walking meanwhile round the edifice, bearing a stick of incense in his hand, as if to make the petitioners’ prayers acceptable. A little boy in attendance on the priest kept time to the low chant with a small drum, which, nevertheless, made a great noise. The walls inside and outside were covered with inscriptions in native characters, resembling somewhat those of the Chinese. In nooks and corners of the court-yard were figures of the god set back in little stone niches; and I saw various offerings, such as flowers, trinkets, and money, strewed on the ground before these dwarfish effigies. When the priest thinks the god is impatient, and stands in need of homage, he strikes a loud and melodiously-sounding gong, to call worshippers to a sense of their short-comings.

I do not think that the Japanese have been at all rightly represented as to their coolness and reserve towards strangers; for when we dropped anchor in the harbour many boats, with two-sworded gentlemen in them, came about the ship, inquiring in broken English who we were; and as soon as we said “English,” they were very pleased, and exclaimed, “English much goodee--very goodee English!” From which I infer that although such a short time has elapsed since England was admitted to intercourse with them, a favourable impression has yet been made. On shore, also, it appeared to me that Englishmen had the precedence, and are looked on with far more respect than others. I heard, also, that among the Imperial family a good feeling for the English predominates.

On September 14th we steamed out of Nagasaki harbour, having on board the English Consul for Hakodadi. Nothing of note occurred during the run, till our arrival and anchorage in Kanagawa Bay, Strait of Yedo. In our route up the Strait the scenery was pleasant; but the characteristics before noticed prevail--hills and hollows, bluffs and cliffs, forest and field, and tall pinnacled crags, which shoot up into the depth of blue sky, like solitary watchers of these wave-washed shores. Between these we got pleasant glimpses of fertile country and little scattered hamlets. Kanagawa Bay suddenly opens from the Strait, revealing the town, seated on a pretty wooded hollow, at the foot of a range of bold hills, with the lofty snow-capped summit of Fusyama towering up into the clouds.

The town is small, the houses are built of wood, the streets are clean and wide, but not paved; shops are numerous, with a good supply of native goods. The people here were very hospitable and friendly, making signs to us to enter their houses; in fact, their looks seemed to say, “Come in and sit down;” and they appeared hurt at a refusal. We were not slow to avail ourselves of this hospitality; some would say, “Come on, chaps, let’s go in here and have a feed on the cheap!”

I looked one day into the public baths and saw there the people of both sexes bathing away very merrily together, and apparently without the slightest sense of indecorum.

The dress of the working men is very simple; it consists of a white cotton wrapper passing between the legs and secured behind, leaving the chest, legs, and arms entirely bare and free for work. The dress of the women is more becoming to their sex: they wear loose silk trousers, blue generally, or white cotton, and a graceful and flowing robe above of the same material, which reaches to the knee. The married women have black teeth, and all of them have comely features and persons, and fair skins. Not moony; or, as some of our crew said, “as if they’d had a dingbat across the bows with a deal board like the Chinese.”

On the 22nd we lifted our anchor and steamed fifteen miles farther up the Strait, and anchored about six miles from the city of Yeddo; the shallowness of the water preventing our getting nearer. However, as our boats were going to and fro every day, I luckily had the opportunity to go on shore, and saw something of the famous capital of Japan. It stands upon a very fertile eminence overlooking the Strait and the surrounding country, which is flat and well cultivated.

The houses, as in other places, are low, and mostly built of wood; the streets are very long, tolerably well paved with rough stone, and exceedingly clean; and, as it appears, sanitary matters are not forgotten. The Tycoon, as the Emperor is called, has a very fine palace. I only saw it at a distance. I should have liked a peep at the Hall of Audience, which has golden pillars, and three towers, each nine stories high, plated with gold.

I noticed the same indifference as to appearance or sense of impropriety here as at Kanagawa. While rowing to shore one morning early, we saw upon the beach a crowd of both sexes bathing, most of them stark naked and frolicking in the water. They appeared in no way disconcerted by the arrival of our boats; in fact, some of these nymphs swam after us; but as we pulled with a will, they soon gave up the chase. Old Dan, our coxswain, said, “Fine gals, them; shouldn’t mind one like them for my wife; not afraid of the water.” It was well for the damsels they did not understand other remarks that were made upon them.

I did not observe any horses in Nagasaki, but in Yeddo I saw plenty: a small, spirited little breed. They are shod with a kind of sandal tied to their feet by thongs. In driving no whip is used, but a word or a nod from the driver seems quite sufficient to make the brisk little creatures put out their speed.

Here also I noticed a difference in the dress of the men: the scantiness which struck me in other places does not prevail in Yeddo to the same extent; the upper class wear loose flowing breeches, and an elegant silk wrapper fastened in front by a fanciful pin, and with loose and ample sleeves. Sandals are worn fastened to the feet by neat leathern thongs. I saw in some of the shops beautiful specimens of these sandals exposed for sale, mostly in the lacquer-ware shops, not laid out for show, but placed on shelves around the walls. It would not do, however, to stand looking into shops on a rainy day, for with spoutless houses, gutterless streets, and no raised footways, a fellow might stand a chance of being washed away.

The bakers place their bread on a kind of sloping board at their door, and cakes and gingerbread are kept in little tins and boxes; but the great bulk of the trade appears to be done by out-door dealers with baskets and stalls, who sell oftentimes a better thing than the shopkeepers. I saw no flowers in the houses, nor singing-birds in cages.

Here and at Kanagawa everything is very cheap: we could get eight loaves of bread, each about the size of a twopenny one at home, for half an itzeboe, a couple of ten-pound salmon for an itzeboe, sugar, twelve pounds for two itzeboes, a couple of fat plump fowls for half an itzeboe, and I dare say other things, such as clothing, paper, and the like, although I never bought any, are in proportion. A basket of beautiful grapes, such rich, luscious, black, thumping berries, that their very look is tempting, can be bought for an itzeboe, or tenpence.

We left Yeddo on the 9th of October, taking with us the Consul and his family for Hakodadi, and the Consul-General from Yeddo; and after calling in at Kanagawa for fresh beef, bore away to the northward, with a fair wind and sparkling sea. The distance from Yeddo to Hakodadi is about three hundred and fifty miles.

The entrance to Hakodadi from the Strait of Sangar is narrow, overhung by high, gloomy-looking hills, frequently shrouded in mists, which, rolling away from their sides, obscures the entrance of the harbour. But, these passed, the harbour opens to view, girdled on two sides by high land, and at the inner extremity by low flats, beyond which we got a glimpse of the blue ocean, and a stretch of flat country scenery.

The town extends itself upon the right-hand going in, on the rise of a bluff and wooded hill, which extends far in the rear of the town, covered with patches of fir and heath about half way up. The houses are, as usual, of wood, but more strongly built, and less like shanties than in other towns; the roofs are loaded with enormous stones, and smaller stones fill the intervening spaces, a precaution against the violent gales which sweep this part of the coast with tremendous fury. The streets are broad, but in wretched condition; hence in wet weather the mud is distressing.

In the early morning the harbour presents a curious spectacle, numerous fishing-boats pulling away to their daily toil, and the strange chant of the crews as their oars rise and fall, is borne not unmelodiously upon the breeze. They use a curious practice to entice the fish to their nets; pulling out well into the bay, where they know the fish resort, they strike with staves a sounding-board in the boat, which gives out a peculiar hollow sound. The finny community flock towards the place of the sound, and are of course caught.

The huckster-boats, also laden with provisions, row out from the shore and come alongside, their occupants seeming ready to welcome the stranger. In most of these boats there sat a Dutchman who did all the selling, or at least took the money, and saw that the seamen did not try to ‘do’ the Japanese; but many of the men used to go down and come back with fish, bread, or grapes, all on the ‘cheap,’ having been too smart for the boatmen to detect them.

Soon after our arrival, which seemed to excite much surprise, the ship was frequented by two-sworded custom-house officers, each well dressed, and with a peculiar mark on his back to indicate his profession. Though very polite they were also very inquisitive about our guns, their number and capabilities, and seemed greatly astonished when we fired one for their amusement.

Our having the British Consul on board for this port brought us an unusual number of visitors, among whom came his Excellency the Governor, who was mightily pleased with our ship, and the attentions he received. The questions which he asked on different subjects showed great intelligence and ability; and, as we understood, his tendencies in common with those of many of his countrymen lean towards the English.

His Excellency was dressed in the simplest style of Japanese fashion: loose silk trousers, and a fine flowered silk mantle without sleeves, and fitting like a cloak. He carried one sword, and was bareheaded. His hands looked as if he were not unused to work for himself, although he was a governor. Our men all said of him, “What a fine man!”

We thought his state-barge a model of Japanese boat-building; in shape it was like a Venetian gondola, with cabin richly decorated, and was emblazoned with the illustrious man’s arms, while on the roof were displayed silken banners, and emblems of his authority. There were numerous rowers, who sat on finely carved and polished benches, which were covered with well padded and showy-looking cushions.

Going ashore one day with a funeral party from our own ship, one of the men having suddenly died, and arriving at the burial-ground for Europeans, upon the top of a wooded and pleasant hill, whence a splendid prospect of the bay and surrounding country is obtained, we came upon an old Japanese man, who was very busy attending to two large fires, from which a disagreeable odour arose.

On coming nearer, prompted by curiosity, we halted, full of remarks one to another upon the evident pleasure with which the ancient fellow kept the fire going, and some of our party, with “Here’s for a draw,” took the opportunity to light their pipes at the, as we afterwards learned, sacred fire. One of our officers looking on and hearing our conjectures on the subject, told us that it was the custom of the higher class of Japanese to burn their dead, collect the ashes, and bury them enclosed in an urn.

No wonder there was a bad smell; the venerable was burning a corpse, and we noticed how carefully he picked out the small bones, and laid them aside on a cloth, and fanned the ashes from them with the broad brim of his straw hat. While looking at him I thought he might not inaptly have been likened to the old toll-man of Styx who once punted across the souls of mortals. Our party now held their noses, and some said, “Wouldn’t be in his shoes and do that if they’d pay me for it.” The custom among the lower orders, on the occurrence of a death, is to dress the body carefully in clean white linen, and bury it in a sitting position.

The graves of the noble and rich are, as is the case often in other countries, in some instances beautifully built. At times a miniature temple is erected over the grave, in which the survivors may offer up prayers for the soul of the departed. After the prayers, offerings of freshly-gathered flowers, coins, and perfumes are deposited. These appear never to be taken away, so sacred are they esteemed. Many of the offerings which we saw withered and weather-stained had doubtless lain undisturbed on the tomb for years.

So far as I could observe, a Japanese funeral, instead of being a scene of mournful instruction, is one of great gaiety and dissipation. The procession is quite a gaudy affair; banners and flags of many kinds displaying inscriptions, some with native green dragons, and the figure of a deity, the latter surrounded by a haze, and looking anything but benevolent, are borne by men wearing their ordinary dress, for it does not appear to be the custom to exhibit mourning by a change of dress. Behind these the body is borne by a number of bearers, according to the rank of the deceased, covered by a gaudily worked pall, either of velvet or silk; and relatives, and the idle and gaping public, bring up the rear. There is but little appearance of sorrow, and less silence; and when they come to the grave they place offerings on the ground, and set up a kind of subdued howl, and soon after hurry away.

Whether the same practice prevails in other places is more than I can tell; but such was the scene I witnessed at Hakodadi.

I saw also that for riding and conveyance there were, as at the South, numbers of little horses, and the streets are quite lively with strings of them, loaded with vegetables and other things, which are thus brought from the interior of the country. Many of the drivers of these ponies are pretty native girls, and I once caught a refractory pony and held it for its mistress, and I was repaid by a smacking kiss, and a grateful look from her dark eyes; nevertheless, I was not captivated by her, nor did I forget a certain little somebody else far away.

One of our duties here was to rig and plant a flagstaff for the Consul in front of his house, on a fine slope overlooking the bay. We made a natty job of it, and when finished, up went the Union Jack; and the thunder and smoke of a salute of twenty-one guns from H.M.S. _Highflyer_ announced to the Hakodadians the important fact that a British Consul had taken up his residence among them.