634 THE VOYAGE OF. THE VEGi\. [chap.. 



although they pay many thnes more than the natives, are not 

 admitted. The reason of this is to be found in our manners, which 

 are coarse and uncultivated in the eyes of the natives. " The 

 European walks with his dirty boots on the carpets, spits on the 

 floor, is uncivil to the girls, &c." Thanks to the letters of intro- 

 duction from natives acquainted with the restaurant-keepers, 

 I have been admitted to their exclusive places, and it must 

 be admitted that everything there was so clean, neat, and orderly, 

 that even the best Euroj)ean restaurants cannot comj^are with 

 them. When a visitor enters a Japanese restaurant which is 

 intended exclusively for the Japanese, he must always take 

 off his boots at the stair else he gets immediately into disfavour. 

 He is received with bended knee by the host and all the 

 attendants, male, but principally female; and then he is almost 

 always surrounded by a number of youug girls constantly laugh- 

 ing and chattering. These girls have commonly sold themselves 

 ■to the restaurant-keeper for a certain time, during which they 

 carry on a life which, according to European standards of morality, 

 is not very commendable. When the time fixed in the agree- 

 ment has passed, they return to their homes and marry, without 

 having sunk in any way in the estimation of their relatives. 

 But those are unfortunate who, in any of the towns that are not 

 yet opened to foreigners, carry on a love intrigue with a European. 

 They are then openly pointed out, even in the newspapers, as 

 immoral, and their respectability is helplessly gone. Formerly 

 they were even in such cases severely punished. 



All women of the lower classes, and even most of the higher, 

 wear the Japanese dress. The more distinguished ladies are 

 often exceedingly beautiful, they have in particular beautiful 

 necks. Unfortunately they are often disfigured by paint, for 

 which the ladies here appear to have a strong liking. The dress 

 of the younger women, even among the poor, is carefully 

 attended to ; it is not showy but tasteful, and nearly the same 

 for all classes. Their manners are very attractive and agreeable. 

 The women of the upper classes already begin to take part in 

 the social life of the Europeans, and all European gentlemen and 

 ladies with whom I have conversed on this point agree in 

 stating that there is no difliculty in the way of a Japanese 

 woman leaving the narrow circle to which she was formerly 

 confined, and entering with pleasure and womanly dignity into 

 European society. She appears to be born " a lady." 



On the 20th and 21st September the Governor of Yokohama 

 had arranged an excursion for me, Dr. Stuxberg, and Lieut. 

 jNordquist, to the sacred island or peninsula Enoshima, situated 

 at a short distance from the town. We first travelled some 

 English miles along the excellent road Tokaido, one of the few 

 highways in Japan passable in carriages. Then we travelled 



