40 
H. Takeda. 
of volcanic rocks. The youngest of the volcanic rocks, the andesite, 
broke not only through the various sedimentary rocks, but also 
through the granite, porphyry, and liparite. Although their altitude 
is so considerable, the mountains of Japan contain no glaciers, but 
slight traces belonging to an earlier period were discovered in 1902. 
There is, however, a great deal of neve present on some of the 
mountains. Mountaineering amongst the high peaks is very 
instructive, but the ascent is sometimes impeded by thick forest, so 
that it is necessary to follow a torrent, crossing it again and again 
until a waterfall intervenes, and then the bank has to be climbed. 
Sometimes the ascent is made by climbing a field of perpetual snow 
filling up a gully. Little mountaineering was done, except on 
certain peaks, until 1905, when the Alpine Club of Japan was 
organised. Since then very many men have spent their holidays 
amongst the mountains, climbing peaks where no educated person 
had been before, or following along huge mountain-chains, to find 
some new route, or discover new plants. 
As the mountainous character of the country would suggest, 
Japan is naturally very rich in water. A dense network of rivers, 
torrents and lakes is to be seen nearly everywhere. With a few 
exceptions, the rivers are short and their gradient steep, causing 
frequent floods. In the late spring, when the snow which has 
gathered in the mountains during the winter, begins to melt, or 
when in the summer the continuous rain carried by the S.W. 
monsoon frequently falls in torrents, the water flows down in every 
mountain-furrow, and converts the small cheerful mountain-rivulet 
into an enormous stream. With the clashing of the muddy water, 
mixes the thundering sound of pieces of rock rolling over the bottom, 
carried down by the waves together with the lightly-built bridges 
and planks. Further down even the solid banks, carefully con¬ 
structed on both sides of the wide stream, are not always able to 
withstand the power of the great mass of water or to check its 
work of devastation. 
The numerous waters add a special charm to the magnificent 
woodland scenery of the mountains. The small stream, rich in 
trout, carries its clear waters in many directions, sometimes passing 
huge rocks adorned with pretty shrubs and ferns, sometimes 
spreading over a boulder, then narrowing into a rocky gorge shaded 
by bushes and foliage, here hurriedly setting over rocks and covered 
with white foam, there slowly winding round a projecting rock 
which appears to arrest its course. Where the water has hollowed 
