THE TRAVELLER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 81

THE TRAVELLER.

A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD.

By Db Sigel Rotjsh.

(Special to the Otago Witness.) — Ambitious to Learn English. — To a mind trained from infancy, to the eccentricities of such a, language, the study of Knglish naturally discloses many unfamiliar linguistic conditions. Yet the Japanese are most eager to become proficient in this "Esperanto of the world." Many times we have been approached by young Japanese men in park, temple, or oiner public places who frankly coniessed that their sole object in conversing with us was to improve their English.Otren they will act as guides for days at a time, volunteering their services gratuitously, in ordter to get the benefit of English* practice. English is taugni in ail high .schools, universities, and colleges in Japan, , with the result thai, here, a» elsewhere in the East, it has become the foremost foreign language. Even the coolies can often speak a few words of English and understand more. The difficulties the Japanese encounter in translating their tongue, into English k often ilhasira&ed in the wording and phrasing of certain Anglicised signs, rules, and other public notices. For example, a dairyman displays this sign ovejr his shop .door, "Cows milked and. retailed," while further along a rival put it this way, "For sale — cow's milk and her butter." A real estate dealer by means of a -signboard on the premises offers a corner lot for sale witli the announcement, "For sale — the earth," which would seem to lend some colour to the reputation the Japanese have acquired for inordinate boasting. A shoe dealer's window bears this statement', "Shoes fashionable and weather kind," while a baker proclaims "Several foreign cakes" for «sa.Xe. —Kyoto's Zoological Garden. — In Kyoto there is a beautiful little zoological garden in which, with characteristic Japanese cleverness, the landscape gardener has contrived wonderful naturallooking lakes and streams for the waterfowl, orctic-appsaring caves ior the grizzlies, mountain ranges for the denizens of precipitous districts, and' v tropical jungle for the dwellers of' the torrid zone. At the entrance of this park the rules are printed 1 in English, a few of them running literally as follows : — "Those under the influence of likuors-or mental reasons who i:esms to trouble the order of ihe garden could be refused." Under the item of things prohibited occur these references : "To enter with dogs or others," "To th-row stones or other things at the animate or to hurt them with sticks. ' Th'«s last warning seems $o be particularly pertinent, for the Japanese middle classes are strikingly childlike in their likes and demeanour when enjoying one of their numerous holiday outings. Grown men find •amusement for hours in poking frogs, teasing animals, or indulging in other pranks not necessarily cruel, but diversions .the European boy outgrows in his 'teens.- In spite of the •warning at the gate, however, we observed crowds about the animal quarters surreptitiously prodding the bears, teasing the elephant, or surprising the monkeys. Shouts of laughter followed every unexpected or unusual phase of the pastime. Doubtless these unfamiliar, quaint, and childlike characteristics of Japan and the Japanese explain in a measure why the country proves so attractive to so many travellers, for in this topsy-turvy land, where the building of a 'house is be^un, with the roof, where the carpenter's plane is pulled instead of pushed, wlisre the lock is in the^casing instead of the door, where the columns of a newspaper run horizontally instead of up a.nd down, where one begins with the last pase and reads toward the first, where poetry is rhymeleas and music discordant, one finds in the unexpected, the unusual and unique an interest and charm, rarely found elsewhere in the whole world. • —Japanese Theatre Visited.— In Yokohama we visited a Japanese theatre. Tlie performance began at 11 a.m. and extended far into t«he ni^ht. The Japanese theatre remains practically the same as it was a century ago. Though four or five hours of a vernacular play will usually satisfy the curiosity of the Av-sraqe tourist, still the Japanese themselves sit through these long-drawn-out productions in rapt attention from the n *r£r ihe curtain to the last aot. The interior of a native theatre presents some unfamiliar aspects. The visitor upon entering first observes the entire absence of benches or chairs. The floor a few- feet lower than the stage, is divided into squares or compartments by means °i. a T"** 11 * 11 rail supported by -posts about 18m tufir.h. Corresponding in location to our aisles two narrow platforms on a level with and extending to the stage divide the floor space into three sections. One or these elevated platforms connects with a dressing room at the rear of the theatre, which, together with the wings, is used by tn « performers as entrances and exits. The appearance of an actor striding majestically out through the audience over this elevated aisle after having delivered nomself %of some noble sentiment or tragic tirade is an- innovation wholly unfamiliar to the theatregoer of the West, and strikes one as being just a trifle bizarre, especially if the tragedian pauses midway, as often happens, to fire a parting shot at those remaining on the stage. The square spaces formed by the railing ate furnished with thick straw mats, and afford? seating accommodation for two pjeopte, though three and even four sometimes squeeze in by considerable crowding. The audience reach their places by means of the two elevated aisles, after leaving which, it their square is located in the central section of the theatre, they climb over the rails, or if sufficiently sure-footed

tread these scantlings, to their destination, where they step down and assume a half-kneeling, half-sitting posture on the mat, ready to enjoy the performance. A balcony and gallery surround the three sides of the theatre similarly provided with squares and mats. In the extreme rear of the balcony a small section i 6 barred off resembling the front of a lion's cage, behind which a crowd of coolies and boys stood huddled close together. Evi- j dently this was the "peanut" gallery of the West. i — A Puzzling Question. — > i We were the only Europeans present and our appearance at the door seemed : to puzzle the authorities as to our proper i disposition. Since we wore shoes we could not be permitted to tread upon the immaculate mats — the Japanese always leave their sandals or clogs at the entrances of all public or private houses^ — and being foreigners they knev. we would expect clTairs. So a long consultation between ticket seller, doorkeeper, and two or three ushers was held, at the conclusion of which, one of the latter beckoned us to follow him as he led the way to one of the squares in the Dalcony. Here we waited while an attendant scoured the neighbourhood for chairs. Finally a couple of lame-legged, rickety "seats of the mighty" were produced, which, with a vast amount of politeness were placed at our disposal. The audience was composed largely of women and children. The better class occupied the "orchestra" squares, and between acts smoked, drank tea, nibbled cakes and gossiped. Each square was provided with a bibachi or native stove, tha uee of which seemed to be included in the price of admission. The one brought to us consisted of a metal-lined wooden box about Bin square and partly filled with ashes, on the too of which glowed a handful of burning" charcoal. Ir the upper surf ace. a circular opening was made, on* which tested the ever-present teapot, the "vade mecum" of Japanese whether in private or in pufoliCThe b.ibachi is the common method of healing all native buildings-. One sees them in the cooler seasons in every shop and residence, varying somewhat in size, pattern, and material, but always surrounded by a group of natives. The tea i-s * kept warm over these tiny stoves, which national beverage, without sugar or milk, and served in tiny cups without haadies or saucers, is sipped .more .or less, continuously from early morn till "dewy eve.'' In the theatre the tea and cabas* were served for a few sen by attendants, who continually climbed .over the railing in passing to and from the theatre kitchen. — Inveterate Smokers.— Both men and women in Japan smoke — that is, they call it smoking, though to us in seems only playing at the shrine of "My Lady Nicotine." A few of both sexes smoke cigarettes, but the great majority patronife the native pipe, which, with the 6mokin-g process, never fails to attract the attention of the visitor. In the first place the pipe is a travesty on its western prototype, for its bowl is no larger than a pea, and is only capable of holding a pellet of .tobacco at a time. The tobacco is so finely shredd-ed that it resembles eamal's hair both in colour and texture, and is so mild that the taste of the weed is scarcely recognisable. The smoker, whether male or female, carries this make-believe tobacco arnd. foolish 'little pipe around in a pouch, and ' a "smoke" consists of about three whiffe, | when tjie whole outfit is returned to some mysterious fold of tthe kimono. Once in a while a "chain" smoker is noticed, wiho ; fills his pipe, takes a whiff or two, then i knocks out the hvalf-consumed tobacco on J the floor, ground, or even in his hand, j when he again fills the pipe, picks up the still burning pellet of tobacco, which he : uses foT a b.giht Tor his fresh supph-. gives a few more puffs, and so on. relating the process over and over again. The "skill with which the half-burnad tobacco is made to serve as a succeeding light, especially when knocked out ; nto the baie ; hand, is always interesting. Every time I witness the process I fall to speculating i as to w-hetiher the pipe will be filled with I a fresh supply before the ignited weed eitlber goes out or burns a hole in the hand of the fimoker. The Ja-paneae epidermis, however, seems to be insensible to heafc, for they bathe in water at from 110 to 120 degrees Fahr., a temperature that would simply parboil a foreigner. This penchant for human ! ' stews often proves a source if annoyance to the tourist, for the Jarjaiw^e are unable i to understand how a bath can be enjoyable unless well nigh boiling, a.nd insist upon thus preparing the daily plunge for the thin-skinned stranger within her gates. , — The Performance Begins. — ' But the riisinor of the curtain, announced by slowly striking together two blocks of wood, recalls us to the theatre. The stage seems quite modern and ur> to date, being greatly superior to that "of the Chinese theatre we visited in Hongkong, and the acting reflects great credit on the historic ability of the performers. The stage settings, representing rural, metropolitan And doma-tic . c cenes. are effective and often artistic, the costumes most elaborate and gorgeous. Like the Chines diama. both male and female characters are taken by men. though ps a proper accessory to a tea-house scene half a dozen gei-ha girls appeared and 'urnbhed samisen music for ths occasion. Music, by the way, is an important factor of the Japanese theatre. A native orchestra plays during rao.4 of the performance, varying the motif to ?uit the character of th-s action. The chief instruments employed are the three-stringed guitar or sami?en, the fue. a kind of flute and native drums. None of these instruments are very powerful, but as they axe always played in a soft, minor key they do not interfere with the declamation or dialogue of the performance. The Japanese undoubtedly are superior in dramatic ability to other Oriental nations, and while the Western observer

unquestionably loses much of the merit of the play from his lack of knowledge of the language, still a visit to a native theatre is well worth while, if for nothing eke than to study the character of the crowds that fleck here and never seem to grow tired of this form of entertainment.