STRANGE TO US.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXI, 10 August 1921, Page 2

STRANGE TO US.

CURIOUS CUSTOMS IN JAPAN. TOPSE Y-TUR VEYDOM. (By Frederick Stubbs, There are many customs in Japan that appear strange to us. For example, in writing the Japanese begins on the right side of the paper instead of on the left; in reading a book he begins on what to us would be the last page; in addressing a letter he puts the name of the addressee last and the name of the country first; in writing his name he puts the surname first; a mother carries her baby, not in her arms, but strapped: on her back; in going into a house a man is, careful to take off —not Iris hat —but his shoes; he blows his nose, not on a piece of •linen, but on a piece of paper, and (very properly) throws away what we carefully put into our pockets. In ' travelling on a crowded car, I have often seen him put his parcels on the seat and stand all the way himself; he eats many articles that we throw away; even the poorest are polite to. one another, and take a hot bath every day. At the public baths I have seen a male attendant >in the women’s bath, and a female attendant in the men’s. We regard the nude figure as indecent, but the nude in Art as edifying, portraying it in our books, on our walls, in our shop windiows; the Japanese sees nothing offensive in the human figure, but considers its representation m Art as improper; at funerals the correct colors are not black, as with us, but white and gold'; children are not, as with us, regarded as a misfortune, but as a blessing—especially male children—and are trained to show, respect to their parents; the “cabman” will accept his legal fare without abusing you, and a poor man will go a mile out of his way in order to conduct you io your destination, and refuse to accept a tip. 1 several times tried to persuade my voluntary guides to do so, but never once succeeded'. But I think I have said enough to show that Japanese customs are very different from ours, and some of my readers may think that they are not altogether inferior.

As in the case of snakes in Ireland, strictly speaking there is no courtship, at all events none as we understand and practice it. Sometimes the young people see one another once only before marriage. There are parts of Japan, I am informed, where young men propose without a word being spoken on cither side. Outside the house in which lives a daughter of marriageable age is hung an empty flowerpot. Tlie lover approaches the dwelling of th 6 lady, bearing some choice plant in his hand, which he boldly proceeds to plant in the empty vase. This is done, of course, after he has assured himself that mother, and daughter are at home, but the latter, although witness of the young man’s action, are supposed te be quite unconscious that he is taking such a liberty outside their window. This act of placing a plant in the empty flowerpot is equivalent to a formal proposal. Having settled his plant to his mind, the youth retires, and the young lady is free to act as she pleases. If he is the right man, she takes every care of liis gift, waters it and tends it that all the world may see the donor is accepted as a suitor ; but if his aten-. tio’ns are not acceptable, or if the. parent objects, the plant is torn from the vase and thrown out. I commend this- mode of courtship to the young people of Australia as being economical as regards both time and money. But as a rule marriages are arranged through a middle-man, frequently a man who gains his living in this way, or through some discreet married relative or friend. This person having fixed upen an eligible suitor for the daughter, a ceremony is arranged at which the two young persons are to be introduced. If the young man objects to the damsel, or the damsel to the young man, that usually ends the ma - ter. If, however, they have ..o ob jection to otte another, and the parents think the union would bo beneficial, the proceedings go a stage further; presents are exchanged; a lucky day is chosen for the wedding; and when it arrives the bride is dressed in white, the Japanese mourning color, to signify that she dies to her own family, andl will never leave her husband’s home but as a corpse. 'The marriage < takes place immediately the bride arrives. at the bridegroom’s house, and is of th-? nature of a dinner, party, at which the bride and bridegroom drink three times oul of each of three dif-

ferent-sized wine-cups. Bride and, bridegroom then retire to change their garments, presehtly returning to the feast. The rule is for the bride to go to the bridegroom’s home, but sometimes instead of the man marrying the woman, the woman marries the man, which is tho same thing—with a difference—for in this case tho bridegroom goes to tho bridle’s homo and is I adopted by her family and takes her | name. Thera is often great difficulty in finding husbands fob Christian girls. They will not marry without their parents’ consent , and. as tho girl wishes to marry a Christian, parents often withold it. Trial marriage is not uncommon, in which case the marriage is not registered for some time in order to facilitate divorce or separation in case a son is not born to the young people or the young people cannot get on well together. Though not legal, such marriages are not regarded as improper. The above-mentioned middleman remains through life a sort of god-father to the young couple, to whom disputes may be submitted or through whom an arrangement for divorce may be made it necessary. Divorce is neither expensive nor difficWte Tho In-band sen|<» his wife away, reports to the authority, and gets the annulment of the marriage registered. lam informed that a divorce can be obtained by a husband if ho can prove that his wife talks too much. Many will be thankful that this custom does not prevail in New Zealand or Australia.

Though the method of choosing a wife described above may not commend itself to the British reader, the Japanese wife usually proves industrious, faithful (formerly adultery was punished with crucifixion), obedient, gentle, modest, and good-tempered, an excellent wife and mother. She obeys her parents when young; her Husband when married, and her sons when widowed. Yet she does not rebel. And she not only has to obey her husband, but her mother-in-law as well! Family ties, as in all Eastern countries that I have travelled in, are very strong, and eacji member of the family, including one or throe generations, shares the fortunes and misfortunes of the others. In the case of ill-health or unemployment, the other members of the family will support their relatives. At meal times it is the national custom, as in China, etc., for the men men and boys to eat first. In the case of the upper classes none eat till the husband has finished; the rest of the family frequently pat in anpther and inferior apartment'. It is necesarsy to add that some of the customs described above are gradually, though slowly, being modified. Many young people

n the cities, e.g., insist upon seeing me another more frequently before nntracting marriage, and I have seen mung couples of the lower class walking together, though this is a rare thing and considered, highly impro per. As is well known, both men and women wear long skirts, iA>men wearing in addition the Obi, or broad sash tied behind at the waist. Both sexes also' wear “tabi,” digitated stockings, and “gets,” high, noisy, wooden clogs —ugly and uncomfortable, one would think, but very convenient in wet, muddy weather. Excepting in hot weather it is quite common for both sexes' to go hatless. Like most other nations, the Japanese take three meals a day—one on rising, one at noon, and one at sunset. Much the same food is taken at each meal, but the breakfast is lighter/ and the supper the heavier meal. The staple food is rice, cooked and made palatable in numerous ways; and fish. Barley, millet, beans, eggs, and green vegetables are also common. Meat and poultry are used by those who can afford them. Thin slices of beef fried in Soy with onions, garlic, etc.,. is a particularly delicious dish.

Although the Japanese .climate is more severe than our own, the Japanese house is a very slight, and, in winter, a very cold and. comfortless affair. It ha* usually a heavy shingled, tiled or thatched roof, supported on pillars of bamboo. The sides of the house consist of wooden sliding doors. These are put up at night and taken down in the morning, like the shutters of a shop. Rooms are made by putting up paper screens which move in grooves. One house can thus be divided into four or more rooms, and the rooms turned into one again at will. The floors are covered with thick rush mats. These mats are always six feet long by three feet wide, and the size of a. house is measured by its mats. You thus hear of a six-mat house, a vo-mat room, and so on. There is ..tie furniture. The floor is both •hair and table, or the food may bo placed' on a low stool, about a foot high, round which the family eit. There is no fireplace, but there is a firebox made of delf or bsgss, or of hard wood, about one or two feet square, which can lie moved to any part of the room—better than nothing, but a poor substitute for an open firo on a cold day. Such is the interior of Un ordinary Japanese dwelling.