VIEWS OF FUSI-YAMA. 
Chap. VI. 
the valleys are covered with brushwood and lofty 
trees. Here the gigantic Cryptomeria japonica, 
the noble pine, and the evergreen oak are pecu- 
liarly at home. Clumps of bamboos and the palm 
of the country ( Chamcerops excelsa ) give a sort of 
tropical character to the scenery. The vivid hues 
of the autumnal foliage are most striking, and 
produce a wonderful and beautiful effect upon the 
landscape. The sumach and various species of 
maples have now put on their varied shades of 
colour — yellow, red, and purple ; the leaves of 
the azalea are changing into a deep, glowing 
crimson; and these masses of “all hues” con- 
trast well with the green foliage of the oaks 
and pines. As the eye wanders over these valleys 
and hills, it rests at last on a conical mountain 
in the background, some 14,000 feet in height, 
and nearly covered with snow : this is Fusi-yama, 
the holy mountain of Japan. It would certainly 
be difficult in all the world to find a scene of 
greater natural beauty than this. 
As we rode onwards we passed many snug 
little suburban residences, farm-houses, and cot- 
tages, having little gardens in front containing 
a few of the favourite flowering-plants of the 
country. A remarkable feature in the Japanese 
character is, that, even to the lowest classes, all 
have an inherent love for flowers, and find in 
the cultivation of a few pet plants an endless 
source of recreation and unalloyed pleasure. If 
this be one of the tests of a high state of 
