The Ascent of Asama-Yama. 



187 



hospitality. Now it has a new lease of prosperity in the 

 advent of the foreign visitor. Englishmen in white duck 

 suits and white helmets and Americans in summer flan- 

 nels move through the streets and mingle in the scene 

 with the naked 'rickshaw coolies and the silk-kimonoed 

 native gentlemen. 



Now our guides were bringing around our horses, 

 fastening their American saddles upon their backs, short- 

 ening and lengthening their stirrups, and dividing up 

 among themselves the bundles of warm clothing, boxes 

 of provisions, and bottles of water. Prominent in the 

 equipment of every mountain-climber of Japan are the 

 zvaraji, or straw sandals, which are the only proper foot- 

 gear for the lava-covered slopes of the highest moun- 

 tains. Heavy leather boots are a burden and painful for 

 the feet; and climbing-boots of lighter leather are soon 

 cut to pieces upon the sharp edges of the broken lava. 

 But the zvaraji take nothing from the free spring of the 

 foot, and with the thick tabi, or short blue sock, they 

 afford an effective protection against the sharp loose 

 stones. 



The sun had already passed in veiled splendor behind 

 Asama when we set forth from the village. There was 

 a considerable concourse of both Japanese and foreigners, 

 who gathered at our starting-place to cheer our departure. 

 The Japanese always take a kindly, curious interest in the 

 doings of the foreigners. They want to know why they 

 like to do such things. For instance, why should any 

 company of sensible men, who had no business to do 

 upon mountains and no pilgrimage to make, set out 

 upon this hard journey? Clearly these foreigners make 

 much labor of their pleasures. We saw the dusky faces 

 touched with pink in the reflection of the sunset glow. 

 We heard the head hetto shouting his directions to his 

 subordinates, one of whom ran beside every horse. We 

 shouted back our answers to the jovial calls of our 

 friends who stood in the streets and at the windows of 

 the Mampei hotel, and passing among the kindling lights 



