JAPAN-LAND OF OPPOSITES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 73, 23 September 1939, Page 20

JAPAN-LAND OF OPPOSITES

JAPAN is truly a land of opposites, and the more one studies the customs of the people the more one is convinced that this is a strange country, writes Kimpei Sheba irom Tokio to the "Chicago Tribune." Most people know that the Japanese, like their neighbours, the Chinese, read from right to left and up and down, but it is not so generally known that j they do hundreds of other things in I just the opposite way from peoples of i other .-countries. lln operating a plane Japanese car-i ; penters pull rather than push. They j also pull their saws in cutting wood. j The women put their irons in the fire ■ rather than fire their irons. In using scissors they press down the tips rather than the handle. The Japanese stand umbrellas not in use with the handles down. In carrying a closed umbrella they dangle them from a string attached to the tip rather than the handle. Japanese swords are stood up hilt down when put on display. If they are displayed

horizontally the cutting edges are Lurned upward. When worn the edges, unlike the position in other countries, face the wearers. Wine in Japan is heated, not iced. In" America a drinker hands the bottle to his companion. In Japan the drinker keeps the bottle and hands his cup to his companion. Japanese "after dinner" speeches are made before dinner is served. Japanese beckon with their fingers turned down. The sails of their ships taper downward, rather than upward, as is the case with ships in western countries. The oars of their boats are in the back instead of on the sides. They row standing up rather than sitting down. Japanese fishermen haul their boats on the shore stern first, whereas American fishermen haul their j craft with the bow in front. Japanese farmers back their horses into their stalls. Japanese "footnotes" are placed at I the top of the page. Book markers are inserted so they are visible from the bottom rather than from the top of the pages. In America people address their letters: Mr. John Smith, 1544 State Street, Chicago, 111., U.S.A. The letters in Japan are addressed: U.S.A., 111., Chicago, State Street, No. 1544, Smith John Mr.

It is almost uncanny to what extent things can be done in the opposite way and still make sense. Japanese paste stamps on envelopes on the left hand rather than the right hand corner. The last thing an American in writing a letter does is to set down his name. The last thing the Japanese do is to write the name of the addressee.