844 JAPANESE SCENERY. 



the above, however, make as fine a show in this, their 

 native country, as they do in our greenhouses in Eng- 

 land, nor have the majority of Japanese flowers much 

 scent On the other hand, I cannot endorse the state- 

 ment made in print by one of the earhest explorers of 

 this interesting country, that flowers have no scent, 

 birds no song, fruit and vegetables no flavour, for I 

 have heard forests re-echo with the sweet sounds of 

 singing birds, and can equally disprove the other asser- 

 tions. The rose smells the momeiit you enter the 

 garden ; the soy-bean tell its own tale by its sauce ; and 

 I might name scores of instances without overtaxing 

 my memory. 



The great charm of Japanese scenery, in that respect 

 resembling Java, is that there are few deciduous plants, 

 nearly all are evergreens. The people we passed along 

 the road appeared cheerful and respectful. Children 

 seemed to abound, and their greatest amusement spin- 

 ning tops and flying kites, whilst their elders were 

 occupied in the field ; they are essentially an agricul- 

 tural nation. On reaching Fouzisawa about noon, we 

 got down to have tifiin at a picturesque little inn, and 

 here we were regaled with rice, eggs, salt fish, and a 

 new dish, which proved to be bamboo-root, sliced and 

 stewed tender, — not a bad repast when one is raven- 

 ous ; the latter also makes an excellent pickle. Tea 



