XVI.] 
JAPANESE RESTAURANTS. 
S13 
which debouches at Tokio. At its mouth it is very broad and 
deep, and it branches somewhat farther up into several streams 
which are navigable by the shallow boats of the Japanese. With 
the present limited development of roads and railways in Japan, 
this river and its tributaries form the most important channels 
of communication between the capital and the interior of the 
country. During our row we constantly met with boats laden 
with provisions on their way to, or with goods on their way from, 
the town. The pleasant impression of these and of the remark¬ 
able environs of the river is sometimes disturbed by a bad odour 
coming from a passing boat, and reminding us of the care with 
which the Japanese remove human excreta, the most important 
manure of their well-cultivated land. Along the banks of the 
river there are numerous restaurants and tea-houses. At long 
intervals we see a garden on the banks, which has belonged to 
some of the former Daimio palaces. The restaurants and tea-houses 
are generally intended only for the Japanese ; and Europeans, 
although they pay many times more than the natives, are not 
admitted. The reason of this is to be found in our manners, which 
are coarse and uncultivated in the eyes of the natives. The 
European walks with his dirty boots on the carpets, spits on the 
floor, is uncivil to the girls, &c.” Thanks to the letters of intro¬ 
duction from natives acquainted with the restaurant-keepers, 
I have been admitted to their exclusive places, and it must 
be admitted that everything there was so clean, neat, and orderly, 
that even the best European restaurants cannot compare with 
them. When a visitor enters a Japanese restaurant which is 
intended exclusively for the Japanese, he must always take 
off his boots at the stair else he gets immediately into disfavour. 
He is received with bended knee by the host and all the 
attendants, male, but principally female; and then he is almost 
always surrounded by a number of young girls constantly laugh¬ 
ing and chattering. These girls have commonly sold themselves 
to the restaurant-keeper for a certain time, during which they 
