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You are in the southwestern part of the city, but facing towards the center of Tokyo, i.e. in the direction of the Imperial Palace, the chief Government buildings and the Legations. Tokyo as a whole spreads over one hundred square miles.

This beautiful park was formerly the special property of a great Buddhist temple. During a period of about two hundred and fifty years many of the military rulers of Japan - the old Shoguns, as they were called - were buried here in the temple garden and stately and gorgeous memorial temples were built over their tombs. The pagoda-roofed gateway which you see yonder on the left leads to some of the famous shrines.

Out here in the open air under these flower-laden tree-boughs people come and go as they please; all is open to the public. These are respectable, middle-class people whom you meet here just now, and you can see how European ideas are creeping into their lives - men are every day adopting more generally the convenient if ugly costume of the west; the cloth-umbrella of Europe is replacing the pretty bamboo and paper affairs that used to be seen everywhere; this woman even takes the baby for its airing in a wicker carriage instead of strapped upon her back in the orthodox Japanese way. Notice the wooden clogs which she and the little girl wear -they are thoroughly Japanese, so are the kimonos and the bare heads. Little girls almost without exception wear their hair cut square as you see in this case.

It is a happy land for children. They are taught implicit obedience to their elders, but family affection here is something delightful to see. Toys are marvelously ingenious and incredibly cheap. Wholesome sweets are plenty. Flower displays and gay religious festivals provide endless entertainment.

(See Arnold's "Japonica," Fraser's "Letters from Japan," Bacon's "Japanese Girls and Women," etc.)

From Notes of Travel, No. 9, copyright, 1904, by Underwood & Underwood.

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Under the cherry-blossoms, Tokyo, Japan.
Sous les fleurs du cérisier. Tokyo, Japon.
Unter den Kürschenblüthen, Tokio, Japan.
Debajo de los pimpollos de las cerezas, Tokyo. Japón.
Under körsbärsblomstren, Tokio, Japan.
Додъ вишневыми кустами, Токіо, Янонія.