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This is one of the several approaches to the large and popular Buddhist temple of Kwannon, the goddess of Mercy. The theatres have of course nothing to do with the temple itself, but such places of amusement line many of the streets leading to the Asakusa grounds, ready to call the attention and attract the spare cash of the thou-sands and thousands of middle-class people who go by. Especially on holidays and festivals, which are bewilderingly numerous, crowds resort to the temple for prayers and, incidentally, pause here for inexpensive amusements. 

The tower you see yonder stands in the temple grounds and is remarkable in this city of low buildings for having twelve stores.  As you might judge from the utterly un-Japanese style of its architecture, it is a structure of recent building--not yet twenty years old.  The top affords a fine outlook all over the city whose low buildings, interspersed with green trees, occupy an area of almost one hundred square miles. 

The pictures and banners on the front of this theatre are advertisements, corresponding to our own theatrical posters.  The theatres about here vary just as such establishments do in European and American cities; there are conservative houses where the old historic dramas of Japan are presented by accomplished actors to highly cultivated audiences; there are houses devoted to comedy or to broad farces that keep patrons in roars of laughter; there are houses that make a specialty of music and dancing.  A performance of a classic drama is an all-day affair -- often nine or ten hours -- and patrons bring lunches or have refreshments served as they sit in their boxes. 

These women with their gay kimonos and clumsy wooden clogs always go bareheaded except in stormy winter weather.

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


Watching a Free Show on a Street of Theatres, Tokyo, Japan. 
Regardant un Spectacle Gratuit dans une Rue de Théâtres, Tokio, Japon.
Bewachen einer Freivorstellung in einer Theater-Straße, Tokio, Japan.
Mirando un Espectaculo Gratuito en una Calle de Teatros, Tokio Japón.
Seende en gratisforestallning i en teatergrata, Tokyo. Japan. 
Haблюдeнie бeэплaтнaгo эpжлищa нa yлииж тeaтpoвъ; Toкio, Япoнiя.

Transcription Notes:
Russian uppercase: Я Ш Е Р Т Ы У И О П Ю Щ Э А С Д Ф Г Ч Й К Л Ь Ж З Х Ц В Б Н М Ъ Ё Russian lowercase: я ш е р т ы у и о п ю щ э а с д ф г ч й к л ь ж з х ц в б н м ъ ё