328 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
Most of the roads in the country consist of foot-paths, so 
narrow that two laden horses can pass each other only with 
difficulty. Goods are therefore carried, where there is no canal 
or river, for the most part by men. The plains are extraordin¬ 
arily well cultivated, and we must specially admire the industry 
with which water-courses have been cut and the uneven slopes 
changed into level terraces. 
The post-horses on Nakasendo were so poor and wretched 
that in Sweden one would have been liable to punishment for 
cruelty to animals for using them. They went, however, at a 
pretty good speed. There were places for changing horses 
at regular distances of fifteen to twenty kilometres. The 
driver besides halted often on the way at some dwelling-house 
to take a couple of scoopfuls of water out of the water-vessel 
standing before it and throw them into the horses’ mouths and 
between their hind-legs. The opportunity was always taken 
advantage of by the girls of the house to come out and offer 
the travellers a small cup of Japanese tea, an act of courtesy 
that was repaid with some friendly words and a copper coin. 
When we visited any of the peasants’ gardens by the way- 
side we were always received with extreme friendliness, either on 
a special dais in the common room looking to the road, or in an 
inner room whose floor was cov^ered with a mat of dazzling white¬ 
ness, and on whose walls hung pictures, with songs and mottoes. 
The brazier was brought forward, tea and sweetmeats were 
handed round, all with lively conversation and frequent bows. 
The difference between the palace of the rich (if we may dis¬ 
tinguish with the name any building in Japan) and the dwelling 
of the less well-to-do is much smaller here than in Europe. 
We did not see any beggars in our journey into the interior of 
the country.^ Nor did the distinction of class appear to be 
so sharp as might be expected in a land where the evils of rank 
^ On the contrary, we saw a number of beggars on the country roads in 
the neighbourhood of Yokohama. 
