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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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 have in the United States. We made two visits to this show and would have been glad to view it more thoroughly if we had time. It is a Japanese exhibit and shows only Japanese materials, manufactures and products. We saw many very fine water-color and cut velvet pictures, all done by Japanese artists.They have the usual side show entertainments, including a Ferris Wheel over a hundred feet high, and a large theatre, where we saw the far-famed Geisha dance. The Japanese band at this theatre was composed of fifty musicians, and their music was much applauded by the large Japanese audience, but I think these people are fully two thousand years behind the rest of the civilized world in music; at least, 175
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this was the poorest music I have ever heard, and I have heard the Chinese tom-toms and Turkish music. The dancing girls were beautifully dressed in Japanese costumes,and while it was not much of a dance, still that part of the show was good, as their motions were very graceful and pretty. The city of Tokyo is a great manufacturing center, and has several large factories which work wood and metals,but the most of the manufacturing in Tokyo is done by the Japanese in their own homes, where the whole family work,in fact, the most of the city is occupied by people who are doing some kind of work on the first floor and live upstairs.Comparatively little machinery is used, everything being made by hand. Although this is one of the greatest cities of the world, it is a silent city—no factory whistles, no ringing of bells, no rattle of wheels on the streets. The jinriksha man trots along like a man in his stocking feet,or in hauling a loaded cart, moves noiselessly; on waking at seven in the morning,

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