The Spell of Japan Part 19

The motorist had gone over the road on foot, and it had seemed quite possible to negotiate all the curves without backing, but this did not prove true in actual test. The curves were for the most part of the real hairpin variety and came in such never-ending series that count of them was soon lost. On more than half of them it was necessary to back at least once, before getting round.

"Nevertheless," he resumes, "we were making good and steady progress until within about a mile and a half from the top of the ridge, when the gasoline began to get too low to reach the engine against the incline and the cant of the car on the turns. From this spot on, the last mile resolved itself into a trial of patience and muscle in manoeuvring the car round each corner to a sufficiently even--or uneven--keel for the gasoline to run to the engine until the critical point of each turn was surmounted. The last two corners were negotiated in the dark, with the writer sitting on the gasoline tank and the chauffeur blowing into it to force the gasoline into the carburetor. At eight in the evening we arrived safely at Mishima.

"Taking the above experience as a basis, it can be safely a.s.serted that pa.s.sengers on a motor car would not run any risk at all on this road, as there are no unprotected banks over which they could fall, as on the Miyanos.h.i.ta road. It also makes one of the most beautiful trips out of Yokohama, for as one gradually rises above Atami the magnificent panorama of land and sea displays itself before one's eyes in ever widening circles. In our case we reached the Daiba Pa.s.s too late to enjoy the splendid view of the hills on the one side, and of the ocean with a fringe of foam along the sh.o.r.e down below, though the breakers could be distinctly heard."

We often motored from Yokohama to Tokyo. The road-bed is comparatively good, being hard and smooth, but it is very narrow, with constant traffic, and there are so many children running across that speed is impossible. Although the distance between the two cities is about twenty miles, the street is like one long village with its rows of houses on either side. It was endlessly interesting, with its procession of carts and wagons with their picturesque loads, and its groups of little, scurrying children in many-coloured kimonos clacking about on their clogs. There were continuous rows of small open shop-fronts with their wares set out in pretty array, and we had hurried glimpses of clean matted interiors and quaint gardens and temple entrances. Every now and then we would cross one of the queer, humped-up little bridges and look down upon the thatch-roofed cabins and high p.o.o.ps of the sampans congested in the river beneath. About an hour and a half is allowed for the run.

Once on this road we stopped at Osame's home--a perfect plaything of a house about two inches big, with an artistic bamboo fence and wicket, a tiny entrance-place, and little six-mat rooms. The wife prostrated herself repeatedly, and offered us tea and cake with many protestations which Osame translated. Their baby was brought in, and looked wisely at some presents which we had for him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "LOOKED WISELY AT SOME PRESENTS WHICH WE HAD FOR HIM."]

There are a number of one-day excursions from Tokyo for cars, and still more one- and two-day trips for motorcycles. The roads about Tokyo are good, but with a car one is likely to strike mires or bad bridges or ferryboats that are too small. These difficulties can generally be overcome, however, and they make the trip both varied and amusing.

A short expedition from Tokyo, and one comfortable for the motorist, is to the prehistoric caves--Hyaku Ana--near Konosu. These are some two hundred cave-dwellings that have been uncovered on the side of a cliff.

They have long, low entrances, and vary from tiny holes to caves ten feet square and high enough for a man to stand in. The pieces of jewelry and pottery which have been found there are small help in reconstructing the life of the troglodytes--"earth spiders," the j.a.panese call them--who may have lived there some thousands of years ago.

Another trip from Tokyo[9] is to the Boshu Peninsula. The tourist will have an excellent opportunity of getting a few glimpses of unfamiliar j.a.pan without going very far afield. The road follows the seash.o.r.e most of the way and offers a great variety of scenery--pine-clad hills, rice fields, pretty gardens, and fishing villages with the ocean breaking on rocky cliffs. There is little chance for speeding, as the highway is often narrow and pa.s.ses through many tunnels with sharp curves, but the trip was made without any trouble by Mr. S.'s large fifty h. p.

Clement-Bayard.

[9] For this, and several other notes on motoring, I am indebted to the _j.a.pan Magazine_.

Mr. S. and friends started from Tokyo after tiffin, and spent the night at Inage, a small village two miles from Chiba, where there was a quiet inn. Next day, they drove along the coast southwest to Tateyama, which is a popular bathing resort, reaching there in time for tiffin. The views along the way, both of the hills and of Tokyo Bay, were very fine.

They went on to Katsu-ura for the night, pa.s.sing Mera, which is an important fishing village at the extreme tip of the peninsula, built on a cliff near a lighthouse. It was here that the _Dakota_ was wrecked in 1909. Part of the way the volcano on Vries Island is to be seen.

Near Katsu-ura is the birthplace of the famous Buddhist saint, Nichiren.

He was born in 1222 A. D., and became a priest at the age of fifteen.

His doctrines being considered unsafe, he was sentenced to death, but the executioner's sword was broken by lightning, and orders came from the Regent to release him. Various well-known temples have been erected in his memory.

Next day the return trip was made by way of Ichinomiya, Hamano, and Chiba. The entire excursion can be made in two days, and with an extra day one could also take in Narita, which has a very interesting temple and is well worth visiting.

Mountaineering by motor is also possible in some parts of j.a.pan. A successful trip was made from Tokyo over the Torii Toge not long ago, although the road left much to be desired, being narrow, tortuous, and often washed away in places--between Azuma-Bashi and Narai it was especially bad. This pa.s.s gets its name from the ma.s.sive granite _torii_ at the top, and is over four thousand feet above the sea. The road over the Shiojiri Toge, which is thirty-four hundred feet high, is so well engineered that it was found possible to get to the top on middle gear.

The views along the way are said to be of the finest, and the "Kame-ya"

at Shimono-Suwa, a very comfortable hotel with natural hot baths and an obliging landlord.

One motorist found difficulty in garaging his car, and it had to be left under the wide eaves of the roof of the hotel. The ingenious landlord, however, borrowed a huge sheet of thick oil-paper and covered it all up snugly and securely from the weather, as well as from the attentions of a crowd of boys who had gathered round.

"I found the boys troublesome everywhere," this traveller writes; "they were not content to look, but must finger everything. On one occasion they turned an oil-tap and lost me half a gallon of precious oil which could not be replaced.... After this I tied up the oil-tap every night and took the wires off the acc.u.mulators, for on another occasion I found that a boy had switched these on." Such hints may prove useful to the prospective motorist.

The road from Tokyo to Nikko is good, except at one point, where it crosses a river. Next to Miyanos.h.i.ta, this is the most popular excursion, for the temples are glorious and the hotel is good. We did not hear whether the road from Nikko to Chuzenji was pa.s.sable.

The j.a.panese have a saying that you must call nothing beautiful until you have seen Nikko. L. says nothing is beautiful after you have seen Nikko. It is supreme, the climax. In 1889 he journeyed three hours to Utsunomiya, and then five hours by _kuruma_ to Nikko, through the wonderful avenue of cryptomerias, with the foliage meeting overhead.

This avenue is said to extend for fifty miles. When the temples at Nikko were being raised, some three hundred years ago, many n.o.bles presented portions of them; but some, poorer than the rest, for their share planted these trees as an approach to the temples.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WONDERFUL AVENUE OF CRYPTOMERIAS.]

L. was not disappointed in going there on a later visit, for the great trees still stood solemnly above the gorgeous temples, and peace and religious quiet were to be found there as always. On the other side of the rushing river, however, there was a change, for hotels and European comforts had been provided.

I am not sure whether one can motor from Tokyo to f.u.kushima or not, but, in any event, it would be worth trying. We went there on a former visit, staying at a j.a.panese inn, sleeping on mats in comforters. Next day we went on, part of the way by train, part by jinrikisha, to the "eight hundred and eight islands," the most fascinating place in the world. We took a boat and went in and out among the islands until we came to Matsushima, a little fishing town which is considered the first of the Sankei--"the three finest views in j.a.pan"--on account of its exceptionally beautiful sea view. The islands are covered with queer, stunted pines, among which quaint temples are to be seen. Even now in the stillness of the night I can hear their bells, like a mysterious, musical moan.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A VIEW OF MATSUSHIMA.]

The following condensed account of a trip by motorcycle from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond may be of use to the traveller. The distance is about three hundred and forty miles. Three and a half gallons of petrol were consumed, which is more than would have been used if the second and third days' ride had not been in the teeth of a gale. The machine was a 2 3-4 h. p. twin-cylinder Douglas with free engine clutch and two-speed gear. A lightweight of this sort has proved most suitable for j.a.pan, for there are dozens of occasions--lifting in and out of boats, up steps, pushing over stony river-beds--when one is glad of its lightness. One never wishes for more speed. Allowing time for rest, food, and casual stops, not over a hundred miles can be made in a day with any pleasure.

On this expedition the cyclist went by way of Kozu and stayed over a day at Shizuoka. It is fifty-five miles from there to f.u.kuroi, where he lunched, and then continued on to Maisaka for the night.

"From Maisaka," he says, "one can cross over the Hamano Lagoon to Arai by ferry, one can take the train over the bridge, or make the circuit of the lagoon. As there was a strong gale blowing the ferry did not put out, so this night was spent at Benten-jima, a pleasant little bathing resort at the mouth of the lagoon."

Next morning, he left Arai at nine o'clock. About two miles out there was a very stiff hill, which is frequently mentioned in pictures of Tokaido travel. The ascent commenced immediately after a sharp turn out of a village street, so that it was impossible to get a good start. The view over the sea from the top was splendid, however, and the run down to Toyohashi among slopes blazing with azaleas proved delightful.

At Atsuta, fifty-five miles from Toyohashi, the cyclist left the Tokaido and pa.s.sed through one of the suburbs of Nagoya. This is the third city of j.a.pan, Tokyo being the first and Osaka the second in size. It is famous for its potteries and especially for its castle, which has a keep typical of the ancient feudal times and often shown in j.a.panese art. The castle is in fairly good preservation and is one of the best specimens of architecture in the country. The central building is a ma.s.sive structure one hundred and fifty feet high, surmounted by two golden dolphins, which may be seen from a tremendous distance glistening in the sun. One of them was exhibited at Vienna in 1873; on its way home it was lost with the ship, but was finally recovered at great expense.

After Nagoya, Kano was reached. Here one turns to the left, without entering Gifu, and proceeds along the Nakasendo--the great highway that connects Tokyo and Kyoto by way of the mountains while the Tokaido runs nearer the coast. Maibara, on the sh.o.r.es of Lake Biwa, was reached that evening at eight o'clock; from there it was a straight run to Kyoto.

Lake Biwa, the largest piece of fresh water in j.a.pan, is about forty-five miles long. It is surrounded on all sides by hills and is supposed to have been produced by an earthquake early in the third century before Christ.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LAKE BIWA.]

It is also possible to go from Tokyo to Kyoto by way of Atami, but it is not a very good trip. Those who try it generally get on the train at Kozu and get off again at Gotimba--a method much easier for a motorcycle than for a car, of course.

There are a thousand things to do and see in Kyoto, but if one is there in cherry blossom season one must not fail to see the glorious old cherry tree so widely renowned. Near it is the Mound of Ears. Osame told me that long ago, after a great battle in Korea, the returning victors brought with them their enemies' ears and noses, instead of the heads, to show how many Koreans they had killed. These trophies were buried in a mound to commemorate the battle.

A trip was made from Kyoto to Ama-no-Hashidate--another of the "three finest views"--by way of Suchi and Kawamori. For some miles the road out of Kyoto is bad; there is a long climb before Kameoka and a steep, long, but well-graded pa.s.s between Son.o.be and Kinokiyama. The whole of this day's journey lay through beautiful, well-wooded country with glimpses of the Yuragawa as one rode along its left bank, then over a splendid hilly coast road into Miyazu--a distance of about ninety miles in all.

[Ill.u.s.tration: AMA-NO-HASHIDATE.]

The return was made by way of Shin-Maizuru, where one turns to the right after getting into the broad main street and soon reaches the coast again near Takahama. From there on to Obama the scenery would be hard to surpa.s.s with its views of the coast and of the wooded hills inland covered with azaleas, wisteria and other brilliant flowers. The road from Imazu skirts the western sh.o.r.es of Lake Biwa and is very narrow and b.u.mpy until within ten miles of Otsu. Indeed, the roads, after leaving the coast, are often so narrow that there would be no pleasure in taking a car over them.

L. and I found most of the roads around Kyoto good. A few of them present difficulties, such as the one from Kyoto to Kamazawa, but from this point they are again fine, though many hills and dangerous spots are still to be met with. On a former visit we went in 'rickshas to the foot of these hills, pa.s.sing green fields of rice and reaching the Harashiyawa River, which flows rapidly into the plain. We took a flat-bottomed boat and were towed and poled up the swift water between the steep, wooded banks, where it was very lovely. We had tea at a tea-house on the bank, and watched the fishermen in boats, and looked out over the pleasant landscape in the sunset glow of crimson and gold before the purple shadows fell across the plains.

From Kyoto to Otsu, which is on the sh.o.r.e of Lake Biwa, is about an hour's ride by rail. There one takes a small steamer up the lake to Nagahama, where, after a tiffin of carp with rice and _soy_ at a tea-house, one may take a train again for Nara.

One may also go from Kyoto to Nara direct by _kuruma_--a day's journey.

There are interesting temples to visit on the hillsides along the road--popular shrines where thousands of pilgrims with jangling staves, and holiday-makers taking tea and cakes, enjoy themselves simply in their beautiful surroundings. We pa.s.sed among them, beneath the great gates guarded by fantastic demon G.o.ds, green and red and blue, and into temples, gorgeous but often dilapidated and dusty, past paG.o.das and through long avenues of stone lanterns. At Nara we saw the Golden Pavilion and the Silver Pavilion, the summer places of retired princes.

There are entrancing gardens with little ponds filled with goldfish, tiny bridges and imitation mountains, the "wash-the-moon" cascade, and the platforms where warriors used to sit and look at the moon--those fierce, two-sworded warriors of other days.

The old temples of Nara have stood there silently for over a thousand years, beneath the gaze of that huge, ungainly bronze Buddha who looks down with half-shut eyes, one hand held up in benediction, the other resting on his knee. He sits on his open lotus flower beneath the tall, solemn cryptomerias,--this wonderful Dai Butsu, the largest in all j.a.pan.

We wandered through the groves and the park where the dainty wild deer are so friendly. On the hillside above is a temple to Kwannon, over a thousand years old, standing out from the dark green of the pines.

Farther along is a Shinto temple, low and with galleries and many lanterns. Here we saw priests praying--shaven-headed _bonzes_ in their robes--at whom pilgrims were tossing coppers. Beyond is the Wakamiya, where, for a consideration, some priestesses perform a dance called _kagura_ while priests chant and play the flute and the tom-tom. As we went by, we saw a veiled priestess dancing there in true Eastern style.

At the foot of the slope is a five-storied paG.o.da, black with age, for it dates back to the eighth century.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ANCIENT TEMPLE NEAR NARA.]

Nikko and Nara! The one a place of some three hundred years, gilded and coloured--the other ancient, and sombre, and impressive.

From Nara to Osaka you pa.s.s more old temples, where they say an eye of Buddha is secretly guarded. Osaka is sometimes called the Venice of j.a.pan, on account of its many ca.n.a.ls and bridges. The castle here must have been by far the most magnificent in the country before it was destroyed by fire. The moats and foundations that remain are splendid specimens of masonry.

From Kyoto to Kobe is a ride of two and a half hours in the train. The road skirts the hills which bound Kyoto, pa.s.ses Osaka, and follows some rivers that flow higher than the level of the country--indeed, the road runs through tunnels under three large streams!