1 64 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



tutions of Japan. The traveler will find it wherever he may go, now 

 pretentious and from the Japanese standpoint luxurious, now very 

 humble or even dirty. As camping out is next to impossible in that 

 country, we made great use of the yadoya throughout our journeying. 

 As one steps before the wide open doors of the reception room, or 

 into the court, or the kitchen as the case may be, the host approaches 

 and greets with a low bow, followed by the hostess and usually one or 

 more of the maids, who, kneeling, bend to the floor. The salutations are 

 returned, a word is exchanged perhaps about the rooms or the meal 

 that is to be prepared, and the guest seats himself on the low porch 

 or platform that surrounds the entrances, and removes his shoes or 

 sandals, leaving them on the ground. If one wears the Japanese cloth 

 shoe and straw sandal, as I did some of the time, the feet are always 

 washed in a wooden basin of water brought by a maid, who comes 

 clattering around the outside of the house on wooden clogs, to bring 

 it, and sets it down before one on the ground. A little towel is brought 

 too, imless one, as usual, has this most useful of articles about his 

 person. Then the guest steps in, in stocking feet or barefoot, and, 

 preceded by a servant passes through the open rooms, often between a 

 double line of all the people of the household who are bowing to the 

 floor. He enters the room allotted to him and there seats himself 

 cross-legged on a cushion on the matted floor before a tiny charcoal fire 

 in a brazier, and rests — at least pretends to rest if he is a foreigner — 

 until disregard for ceremony gets the better of him and he adopts an 

 easier position. Presently comes a demure or smiling little maid, with 

 rosy cheeks and fancifully colored silk kimono, who kneels outside and 

 slides open the paper door, enters, kneels and closes it, brings tea things 

 to the center of the room, and kneeling pours out a wee cup of tea to 

 the guest or each of the guests. This done she bends her forehead to 

 the floor and patters out, opening and closing the door as before. If 

 the guest is an honored one some dainty, such as bean jelly or cakes, 

 or raw dough rolled in pink and green powder is brought with the tea. 

 Then the guest steps out to the porch to wash, and as he dries his face 

 he looks at the little cultured garden, or off to distant valley, or forest 

 or mountain, or sea. Eeturning to his room, he is most of the time 

 alone until the coming of the meal ; or if it chances to be afternoon or 

 evening, until the announcement comes that " the bath is ready." One 

 is never entirely alone ; access to the room is always free on several sides 

 and host, or visitor, or servant, may come in at any time. One becomes 

 used to this and learns to like it in most ways. There is nothing 

 hidden. It makes life simple and informal and more natural. "We 

 found it a disadvantage sometimes when we had too many visitors whose 

 curiosity got the better of them, but we always took it in good part, 

 finding it amusing rather than annoying. 



