INTERESTING ADDRESS ON JAPAN.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3965, 6 July 1929, Page 3

INTERESTING ADDRESS ON JAPAN.

BY MR. J. W. GIBSON, OF LEVIN. Mi'. J. \V. Gibson, of Levin, delivered a most interesting address to the Foxton Lunch Club on Thursday, entitled “Japan.” Mr. Gibson divided his subject into four headings, 'facts, impressions, cost of trip and concluded with a fenv useful “dont’s.” To save time, Mr. Gibson commenced •his talk; by “hopping off” at Thursday Island frotoi whence it took five days to reach Philippine Islands with its population of ten millions. Six different dialects were spoken in (the iPhillipines and at one church Mr. Gibson attended six services in six different daleets were held on the one day. If was at this church that the speaker discovered a paid quartette was engaged to lead in the singing. Pidgin English .was /used in conversation but the coinage was very perplexing. Many of the signs in this pidgin English were most amusing. The jetty leading .from the harbour was very beautiful with a lawn right down to the water’s edge and the immigration and customs officials were very observant on ieithsidle. After leaving the Philippines it was a day’s sail to Hongkong and two ■ days from there to Nagasaki. After leaving the latter port the boat passed by Moji, the Japanese Gibraltar, and while doing so the use of cameras aboard was strictly forbidden. Numerous scows were to (be seen in this locality used chiefly in the coal trade. Two days later the boat arrived at Kobe, where Mr Gibson received his first letter containing a nulmiber of permits which proved very useful to him during his sojourn in the land of the cherry blossom. Kobe handles somewhere, in the vicinity of 31,180,000 tons of cargo annually. ?

Mr. Gibson travelled from Kobe overland by train. An interesting sight at Nara was the hundreds of tame deer to be seen which practically 'existed on food given them by passers-by. They were very tame and would go up and put their noses into a person’s pocket in soaireh of something to eat. The electric trains of Japan were very good and served a very useful purpose. The electric poles throughout the country were of iron and not wood as in this country. At Kyoto Mr. Gibson saw the Imperial 'Castle and Palace, where he made good use of his permits and references. Japan could boast a the mi al region at AJrima, but it could, in no way be compared with the .thermal regions of New Zealand. As far as he could see they had a job to “get steam up” in Jajran, said Mr. Gibson. The speaker spent Easter at Yokohama where he saw many interesting sights. In 1919, duiring his visit, there were 7000 foreigners an Yokohama. The town possessed a very fine Y.M.C.A. and 'Seaman’s Club. Passing on Mr. Gibson said be saw a grove of peaches two and a half miles long and a huge Budha, the 'measurements of which were 50ft. x 97ft. and against which a man looked the size of a. flea. The rent paid for land in this locality was 6001bs. of rice per acre. Bamboos grew in profusion and Japan could also ■produce some very fine timber, foremost amongst which was the Japanese cedar. The bridges of the country Were usually constructed of this material and were very solid in appearance but this would be very necessary as it was a common sight to see from fifty to sixty vehicles on a 'bridge at one time. Tobacco was 'heavily taxed, the customs duty being in the vicinity of 316 per cent.

Japan goes in for trains on a lavish seale, said Mr. Gibson. The second class carriages are upholstered in blue plush bu were covered with white cloth which is changed at the completion of each journey. There were two trains, the Limited and Express limited, and the traveller had to be very careful that he did not get on to a Limited train with an Express Limited ticket in his pocket or there would be trouble. The can-iages wejre swept out three times a day and this was necessary because, despite the fact that (everything was clean, the: windows were kept closed and the travellers were in the habit of depositing food boxes and rubbish under the seats rather than open a window and dispose of it in that manner. There were 6696 miles of railway in Japan, as against 3260 in New Zealand,'and the capital cost of maintaining that service was £268,000,000 per annum, hut the profits were £10,000,000. Over 1 29,456 people fwere Employed on the i ail ways. The fare worked out at 14d per mile for ordinary passengers and jd a mile for Coolies, who were herded into carriages without any seating accommodation. Fugi, Japan’s famous mountain, was 12387 feet high as against New Zealand’s Mt. Cook, 13,200 ft. Fugi had not errupted since 1707 when it raised a beach 9ft. by 15 miles in extent. A third of the world’s silk supply came from Japan, Chiefly around these parts. Tokio had a sanatorium with 700 patients which was maintained hy the Salvation Amur and merchants, some fo them contributing as much as £IOO per annum towards the sanatorium.

Strange to say, said Mr. Gibson, I noticed while travelling in Japan, an hotel bearing the name of “Otaki Inn.” I was unable to call and inquire the origin of the name but on Hooking it up after I discovered that the hotel contained 34 rooirns and had over a million callers during the year, so it must have been “some hotel.” 'The spealkietr quoted some interesting figures relative to Japan’s population which showed that in Osaka there were 21,114,000 in-

habitants, while Tokio had 2,000,000, Kyoto 679,000, Yokohama 405,888 and Nagayo 768,560. There were in all 31 i 1 pillion males and 31 million females. In England there were 226 inhabitants to every half square mile, in France 108 while in Japan there were 969. Touching on his impression of Japan, Mr. Gibson said that the Japs were artistic, active, artful and ambitious. Words failed ‘him when it came to trying to describe the cherry blossoms. The Japs were wonderful artists and produced beautiful prints and china Ware. The lay out of 'their gardens was magnificent. The Japs to cap all were great imitators. Mr. Gibson, in his closing remarks, referred to the great earthquake Which had shaken Japan since his visit and said that to-day the country had been rebuilt and little remained to show the magnitude of the devastation that had laid waste that wonderful country a few yeafrs ago. The cost of a trip to Japan- was in the vicinity of £2OO and the cost was well worth it. Concluding with a few “dont’s,” Mr. Gibson advised bis listeners that if t'he chance came to visit Japan, but to -be sure and see New Zealand first. At the conclusion of his address Mr. Gibson was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his interesting talk, on the motion of Messrs Christie and Smith and requested tc deliver a further address at some future date.