RAMBLING NOTES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2803, 4 September 1903, Page 2

RAMBLING NOTES.

(ByG. J. B.)

(Continued),

From a tower 260 feet high you can look down on the city, which is perfectly flat, One of the show spots, and, to my mind, the most Interesting, is the Osaka Castle. It covers some 40 acres of ground and ia surrounded by a moat with stone walls on both sides. Some of these stones are enormous. One, I measured, was 41 feet long, 20 feet high and about 12 feet thick. I should say it would weigh from 80 to 100 tons. Aβ all these angles are built up with these large etones, and they had to be brought 80 miles by water, it must have taken thousands ot men many years to complete such extensive works. It in now used as a military barracks in which 10,000 sold iers are located. The entrance doors are of solid iron, about 20ft high and six inches thick. There are some very large temples in Osaka, beautifully carved and gilded. In fact, it would take columns to describe all is to be seen here, so I will skip on to our next stopping place, which was Naru, a small village of 30,000 inhabitants It is one of the prettiest places in Japan, and is a favourite resort for tourists. There is a national park here of 1200 acres, beauti fully kept, in which are 400 tame deer that come up to you in groups and take biscuits out of yonr hands. Many old women make a living by selling these. There is a lake here full of beautiful gold fish that come when you clap your hands to get a feed of cake. The largest temple i have seen is here in which ia the great Buddha, 156 feet high. There is four hundreds pounds weight of gold in the head alone. It is a wonderful casting. This temple has been burned dowu . three timee, and the present one is 600 years old. The massive timbers and the beautiful j carvings are far beyond my powers of describing Close to it is an immense bronze bell some 30ft long, which you have the privilege of etrikiDg by paying a few cents with a log hung ac a battering ram which you pull backwards and forwards by a rope and then lot go, and certainly the noise is

worth the muuoy. A trea flourishes here juat liko cv- lotari, with a b<uk and leaves just the same. Some were stvsn and eight r'eer in diamtter, ard are strictly preserved. Prom Naru we went to Kyoto, the ancient capful of Japan, a most interesting city, with a population cf 350 000. The hotels 'it nil the principle cities mre ahead of New Zealand. The dining rrom of th Miyako, at which we are staying, ia as large as the Oddfellows' Hall, Akaroa. Thie is the centre of the silk industry, acd there are some very large firms liete wh eh export silk to all parts ot the world. A f ivcurite trip for tourists is to go to Beva lake by rail and then take boat and come back by a canal, seven miles long, which goes through a tunnel two milee Ycu come down in 50 minutes ; but it takes the Coolies four hours to haul the boats back agiinst the stream—three men on to each boat, with long ropes round their chefts—and through the tunnel by a cah!e wire. For thie billlocking work they are paid Is 3d per day, Another favourite trip is to go by rail Borne 10 miles cut aud come back by shooting the Rapids. Thia is very exciting and a bit dangerous, and inclined to muke your hair stand at first; but you soon get used to it. Everything depends on the steersman, with hie hig oar, for, if the boat got broadside on she wouH be smashed to chip?. The boats «re 50fb l>nj>. 3ft deep aud 6ft wide and diAu aboui 3 inches. The floor of the boat wnka like a piece of india rubber and gives wheii ehe touches a boulier. New bottomi have to be put in once a year. There are 50 boats employed in'the service, and the fare for natives is only 2£d. For 6s we chartered a special bo*t ; but the boat following U9 had about 40 passengers. These boats are pulled b.ck by the (Jooliea with long ropee, and you can notice grooves worn in the solid rock with the friction of the repe going; round the cornets. It is a day's work for four men tog t a boat back. Left Kyoto aad pulled up at Shidzwok*, a small vfllage of 20,000 inhabitants. This place is celebrated for paper lanterns and paper serviettes (Is will purchase 1000), also for lacquer work and bamboo baskets. Stayed at Gifu one night to see the cormorant fishing. This is the only place in Japan where that method of fishing is carried on. The cormorant is larger than our black shag, and they are trained to the work, It is trout they catch about 9 inches long Each boat has 16 birds with a long string tied to them. Four men to each boat —one poles her her along, two hold the birds, and one keeps stirring the fire np which is hung over the side. The fire attracts the fish. When a bird catches a fish he swallows it, but owing to the etring tied round the neck it can only get it a certain distance. It is then hauled on board and squeezed and out cornea the fish. We had some for breakfast next morning, and they were fine. This was a purely Japanese hotel, but although they could not epeak English, they made us very comfortable, and in the morning at our departure, the whole family (about a dozen) came out, and on their knees bowed us off with their heads touch , ing the floor. Went on to Tokio, the capital of Japan, por ulation 1,500,000, where the Emperor lives in the palace, inside the old castle walls. This city is up to date, wide streets, electric cars, fine shops, nice parks and lakes. It is not such a good shipping port as Yokohama, the water being shallow. All the cargo comes up by light draft sampans ; but all the Government buildings are here, and are very large and substantial. Went tb rough the Government paper mills, where they employ 1000 hands, mostly women, who are very skillful at the work, and are only paid 5d per day. There is not a single Euiopean employed. We saw the straw put into the retorts, and, following the works round, saw it turned out beautiful white paper. The machinery is all American made, and the engines English. They hold medals and diplomas from most of the European Exhibitions. It is rice straw that is used for which they pay about Id per lb. Rigs are also used and mixed with the straw. Left for Yokohama, which is a great ship' ping port. Population about 194,000. Beve , ral Ruseian, American, English, and Japanese men of war were in port, and a great many large steamers. It is the most European city I have yet seen in Japan, and hag a good safe harbour protected by a breakwater. There are a great many American and foreign tourists here, and all the hotels are full. Met two New Zealanders here today from Palmerston North and Wellington As we leave Japan tomorow, I feel sorry I could not spend another month or two in it, for you could ccc new *nd interesting plaoea all the time. New Zealand, as a tourist resort, could not be compared to Japan, for it in one loug panoramic pioture all the time It is a country with a history, and an interesting one at that. It must be remembered that the Japanese were a civilised people when our forefathers were tatooed and wore skins and used stone axes. It is a most fer' tile country, and the way the land is tilled and worked ie wonderful. The labourers work from until dark. The rice planting season was just on, and we railed about 300 miles through the paddy fields, and to look at the country as you fly along is like looking at a great draught board, for the little plots Are only about a quarter of an aore in extent, a little clay bank between each plot—all irrigated, even on the eloping ground. It is all terraced with water Uid on. There is a lot of labour attached to rice growing for they take two crops a year off the ground, and in some cases we noticed the ripe rice unout and the new crop grow , ing alongside. The ground is worked np like an oniou bed, The little aeotions are first flooded, then ploughed (by a bullook or cows) in ridges. The plough v very light, and when they shift to another eeotion, the coolie takes it on his shoulder, and leads the animal after him. A new plough costs 4s 6d. The plot is then flooded again, and with a very heavy hoe is all pulled over in big sods, then barrowe.i with a woodea har' row till it is a field of mud, then manured heavily. Beds of young rice plant are always hardy, and are tied in bundles by wemen, who stand in the water from morn , ing to night. Then these little bundles are thrown down where wanted and each rice plant is stuck in the mud by hand. When you look acrosß the plain, as far as ihe eye can reach, you notice thousands of black specks; these are all natives at the rice planting. Wet or dry, they work just the same. When it rains, they havo a square pitch of straw thatch, which ties on the back, and, as they are in a stooping position it turns the rain allright. They make about £20 per aore growing rice ; bub it would require about £50 per acre to employ the came amount of labour to grow it in New Zealand. Even the little banke of earth between each section are planted with some kind of vegetable. There are no waste corners in Japan. Little wooden water' wheels are used for raising the water rom one place to another, turned by a man walking up it. Hundreds of these can be seen all through the country The rice is threshed out by holding the end of the sti&w ar d beating the heads over a t bar boa There are very few sheep in Japan, and I have not Been one yet. They don't prosper here as the bamboo graes cuts the intestines, I believe cattle do fairly we'l ; bet most of the beef oome3 from Formosa. Mrst of the t eavy goods are dragged about tbe streets I ere by men, who think nothing of pulling half a ton along with » belt acroes their

ahoutders. It «nems cruel to see the w»v they toil at these heavy lo*ds. I noticed a flpan and woman pulling a waggon with a log on it 20ft lonj and 3tt in diameter. It mast have weighed nearly a ton. As we leave Japan to-morrow my notes must come to an end for tbe present. * (To be continued).