676 



THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



[chap. 



The dancing-girls are recruited exclusively from the poorer 

 classes ; pretty young girls, to help their parents or to earn some 

 styvers for themselves, selling themselves for a certain time to 

 the owners of the dancing-places, and when the time agreed 

 upon has come to an end returning to their homes, where not- 

 withstanding this they marry without difficulty. All the 

 dancing-girls therefore are young, many of them pretty even 

 according to European ideas, though their appearance is 

 destroyed in our eyes by the tasteless way in which they 

 paint themselves and colour their lips. Unfortunately I had 



JAPANESE COURT DRESS. 



not time to avail myself of the opportunity which Kioto offers 

 the foreigner of judging with certainty regarding the Japanese 

 taste in female beauty. For here, as at various other Japanese 

 towns, there are a number of girls who have been officially 

 selected as the most beautiful among the youth of the place. 

 The Japanese may visit them for a certain payment, but to 

 Europeans they do not show themselves willingly, and only 

 for a large sum. When this takes place at any time, it is 

 only a dumb show for a few moments, during which no 

 words are exchanged. 

 ■ The Governor had promised to carry me round next day 



