Chap. VII. OGEE. 115 
striking and novel effect upon our English parks 
and pleasure-grounds. Having settled the prices 
of the different plants selected, all the particulars 
were carefully written down by my attendant 
yakoneens, as on a former occasion, and the vendors 
were requested to bring my purchases to the 
British Legation on the following morning. We 
then took our departure for Ogee. 
Ogee is the Richmond of Japan, and its cele- 
brated tea-house is a sort of “Star and Garter 
Hotel.” Here the good citizens of Yedo come out 
for a day’s pleasure and recreation, and certainly it 
would be difficult to find a spot more lovely or more 
enjoyable. Our road led us down a little hill, and 
was lined on each side with pretty suburban resi- 
dences, gardens, and hedgerows. On approaching 
the village crowds of people came out to look at the 
foreigner, although a species of that genus had not 
been particularly rare of late. Giving some of the 
boys our horses to hold, we were conducted to the 
interior of the tea-house, and attended by pretty, 
good-humoured damsels. A small garden, with 
a running stream overhung with the branches 
of trees, green banks, and lovely flowers, was in 
the rear of the tea-house ; and, taken as a whole, 
the place was extremely pretty and well worthy of 
being patronized by the pleasure-seekers of Yedo. 
Having partaken of the cakes, tea, hard-boiled 
eggs, and other delicacies which were set before 
me, I went out for a stroll in the surrounding 
country. As my yakoneens were busy with their 
