EDITORIAL NOTE 
It is a common desire among tourists to learn 
something of the culture of the countries they visit as 
well as to see their beautiful scenery. To see is natu- 
rally easier than to learn, but flying visits merely for 
sightseeing hardly furnish the time or opportunity for 
more than a casual glimpse of the culture of any 
foreign people. This is specially true of Japan. 
The Board of Tourist Industry recognizes the 
difficulty of attaining this high purpose, viz. to provide 
foreign tourists with accurate information regarding 
the various phases of Japan’s peculiar culture. It is 
endeavoring therefore to meet this obligation, as far 
as possible, by publishing this series of brochures. 
The present series will, when completed, consist 
of more than a hundred volumes, each dealing with a 
different subject, but all co-ordinated. By reading 
therefore the entire series the foreign student of Japan 
may gain an adequate knowledge of the unique culture 
that has developed in this country through the ages. 
For those who wish to follow up these studies 
with a closer investigation, bibliographies are appended, 
which we trust may be found reliable and authoritative 
guides in their study. 
Board of Yourist Industry, 
Japanese Government Railways 
