Identifier: glimpseofislesof00whee (find matches)
Title: A glimpse of the isles of the Pacific
Year: 1907 (1900s)
Authors: Wheeler, William Webb, 1845- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: (St. Joseph, Mo., Hardman press)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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very bad odor, and I would think would be very unhealthy. They sometimes have fires here,which destroy vast areas of their tinder-box houses, and when this occurs, in rebuilding the streets are laid out regular and wide; much of the city has already been improved in this way, and the remainder will be when they have more fires. Tokyo lies on Tokyo Bay and is flat or level; we took a carriage to do the city with our guide; this is an extra-ordinary thing, as there are very few horses in Tokyo; we did not see half a dozen carriages, while in the city. The jinriksha is the popular way of traveling here, and it is a very good way too; however as we wanted to do a large part of the city in a short time, we hired a two-horse carriage with a driver and footman, or out-runner; this footman was for actual service and not for style. Whenever we came to a crowded part of the street, he would run ahead and yell to clear the street, and give us important personages room, and the good natured Japs would take 173
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his word for it, and immediately make room for us, so that our horses usually went a good trot. We visited a flower show, which was good, although it was a little late in the season; the Wistaria, however, was at its best and very beautiful. We also visited a Shinto Temple, a wooden building of not prepossessing appearance, but gaudily painted, with a small canal in front and a sacred (?) bridge over the canal; the bridge being too steep for mortals to walk over, we crossed on a small footbridge. There were no idols in sight at this temple, but a few Japs were occasionally calling and would throw a small coin on the matting at the front of the temple. When this was done, a boy who stood by the side of the gateway would strike a gong loudly. The Tokyo Exposition is now going on, and it is a very creditable exhibit of the manufactures and artistic work of Japan, and well worth a careful inspection. The general plan of the buildings and the scope of the exhibits is much like the many Worlds Fairs we

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