IN OLD JAPAN.

Shannon News, 29 November 1927, Page 3

IN OLD JAPAN.

LAND OF MANY CONTRASTS.

MR J W. GIBSON’S ADDRESS TO LUNCH CLUB.

(From the Devin Chronicle). J A racy account of his travels m 1 Japan was given by Mr. J- W. Gibson at the monthly gathering of the Leva Chamber of Commerce Luncli Club on Fridav. The secretary (Mr. *• r. \ Walkley) presided, and briefly mtioduced the speaker. _ { Having departed from Thursday Is- j land on the Eastern route, Mr. Gib- \ son proceeded to the Philippines, where ) lie spent five days at Zamboanga. He mentioned that the islands had. a population of tell million. What lie described as the prettiest jetty approach in the world was seen at Zamboanga. Instead;of tlie unsightly sheds which line the waterfronts of many foreign ports, there was a lawn right to thewater’s edge-r-American money had made the place an ideal one to land at in such a climate. On one of the small islands of the group six dialects were spoken, and the missionaries had no easy position. Mr. Gibson had the pleasure of dining with a bishop who had once visited New Zealand. The heat was terrific, but he found it more endurable than the cold of some paits of the world. He visited,a church in Manila, where he heard singing by a professional quartette. The building, which was of stone, appeared on the outside to consist of three storeys, but inside there was only one storey, tlhe reason for the peculiarity .of 'its construction was to keep the air pure. After a passage of a day and a night, Mr. Gibson reached Hong Kong, carrying with him letters of introduction to'Chinese from their conutry-men in the Dominion. The\ passage to Japan brought him to the uort of Nagasaki, at the south-western extremity of the group. Proceeding past the island on which it .is-located (Kyushiu) he travelled by way of Moji into the inland sea. Jaoan comprises four large islands ancl a great many small mes. Moji might be a second Gib raltar, and the authorities did not encourage a close inspection of it. From Kobe, at the head of the inland sea, Mr Gibson went by rail to Yokohama, which is not far from Tokio, the capital, about midway up the eastern coast of the large central island. He noticed that the telegraph posts were constructed of steel, and was favour ably impressed with the use of metal for such purposes. Many towns in Japan claimed notoriety on account of differing from their iieighbours in certain irespects —one might be the oldest, another the newest, one might have the., highest tower and another .the finest' peal of bells. All these features were exploited by the guide’s for the edification of tourists and their own benefit. Mr. Gibson went to a.place famed , for its mineral springs, but was disappointed with it, saying that he had never seen such a collection of differ- - exit colours of water, nor experienced such a collection of smells; “I came’ from Knarosborough, the home of Mother Shipton,” he said “and I have sampled the mineral waters of the Harrogate and tasted bad eggs. It is not often that'Yorkshire people are beaten, but in this case they are.” A pleasant Easter was spent in Yokohama, where the ' speaker was the guest of an Anglican minister, who was carrying on work among the sailors. 111 1919 there were 7000 foreigners in Yokohama city; but the number had probably decreased since, owing to the terrible earthquakes that occurred in September 1923. At a club he displayed his lantern views of New Zealand, of which he had a good collection. One of his interesting experiences was that of travelling for' two and a half miies alongside a peach orchard. At Kamakura there was an imago of Buddha 97 feet high and 50 feet 117 width All island in the vicinity was completely sunk in 1923. He ascertained that agriculturists paid rent in kind, giving OOOlbs of rice for the use of an acre of land. Bamboo and paper were largely used for- the construction of houses. • Consequently these buildings wore very inflammable, but they were fairly safe in an earthquake. 011 the long trip to Yokohama the train was swept three times. The food for the passengers was sold in big boxes from the stations, and the empty boxes were placed under the carriage seats. The contents of the food-box were, in one case, half a pound of boiled rice and two or three ounces of cooked fish; in another, rice and three or four ounces of . boiled corned pork; and in a third, 14 ounces of boiled rice and two ounces of chow chow. The odours of tlie viands pervaded the carriage long after the meals had been consumed. Incidentally, the first and second-class cars were upholstered in blue plush .Japan had 6696 miles of railways, as compared with 8260 miles in New Zealand, but the population was about 70 nnilion. The people were mostly to be found in the middle portion of the

country, which was crowded because of the desolate nature- of the land lying further out. The city of Osaka contained about as many people as the

whole of this Dominion, and it was a great- industrial centre. The great volcanic mountain. Fuji Yama, was. 12,000 feet high, or 1000 feet less than our own Mt. Cook. Fuji Yama hacl been silent for. over a century.

In Tokio there was a sanatorium run by the Salvation'Army. Outside of it was a vault with 200 steps leading down into it. Nikko was a wonderful place, with huge temples, one of which took twelve years to build, with the labour of 15,000 slaves. ‘‘My impressions of the Japanese,” Mr Gibson added, “are that they are artistic, very active, artful and ambitious. Their art prints are'wonderful, and so is their chinaware, and the gardens are beautiful.” The speaker showed a photo of a three-storey building which was erected especially for the holding of the world’s Sunday School Convention. Three hours before the convention was to be held, the building was burnt down, but the meet-

ing was held the same , night. The tourist could travel a long way in a little time by rickshaw. Mr Gibson said that he alighted when going up a hill, but the rickshaw-man did not thank him. These men develop wonderful leg-muscles and hardened feet, and are debarred from athletic sports. The lecturer added that people from New Zealand who wished to make a trip to Japan should first make themselves acquainted with their own country; otherwise they would be asked questions which they could not answer. Their circular bank-notes to the Old Country should be drawn in such .1 way that they would be payable anywhere in Britain. “Don’t forget to write your diary every night.” was Mi Gibson’s advice. .“Count the cost before leaving Levin. Don’t go at tin wrong time. Travel by Cook’s if you want cheapness.” A hearty vote of thanks was passed bv acclamation to Mr Gibson, on the motion of Mr C. S. Kecdwell, who remarked that it was not given to main to be fortunate enough to visit main of the countries of which they read and heard so much. Japan was teeming wiMi a population who were looking for an outlet for themselves and then oroducts. He hoped that the members of the Luncheon Club would in ruture hear some more of the experiences m Mr Gibson m his extensive travels. '■ Many photos and souvenirs ot the Land of the Rising Sun were placed about the tables for the members H see, and they were greatly inteiested in them.