191 13 Welcome to Japan 



cartoon in "Eric's Book of Beasts," fitting the 

 doggerel legend, ''If I were born a fish." 



Some who could not get at me in the rush turned 

 to Mrs. Jordan with questions on matters presum- 

 ably more in her line. "What are the subjects mainly 

 under discussion in the women's clubs of California.? 

 Do not the slopes of Fujiyama (the mountain being 

 clearly visible) symbolize for you the aspirations of 

 Japan?" 



Finally Fukukita, then (as already stated) serving 

 as translator in the American Embassy, suggested 

 that I write out a sort of advance message to the 

 people of Tokyo. This greeting he turned into 

 Japanese for all the papers alike, thus replacing and 

 suppressing the many fragmentary interviews. The 

 fish sketch was not censored and was duly printed, to 

 be treasured, I presume, as a quaint example of 

 American art. 



During the hubbub some one handed me a printed a 

 schedule of eighty lectures I was expected to deliver ^^"^'■^"^ 

 during my relatively brief stay; these extended over 

 the empire from Sendai in the north to Kagoshima 

 in the south. I said I was willing to do my best, but I 

 could not take any engagement which involved 

 broken nights or nights in a Japanese sleeping-car. 

 As a matter of fact, in the course of the summer I 

 gave sixty lectures in Japan and five in Korea, thus 

 falling short by only fifteen of the number so enthu- 

 siastically demanded. 



Before leaving the boat all the cabin passengers Tea with 

 were invited to a formal tea party in the afternoon ^^]^^^^ 

 at the sumptuous Tokyo residence of Mr. S. Asano, 

 president of the Toyo Kisen Kaisha. This was an 

 elegant and interesting affair with the usual accom- 



too 



