room, thoroughly enjoying the beautiful scenery before
me. I returned to Myanooshta in the cool of the
evening, and the only remarkable incident th a t night
was a concert of cats:—it is a curious fact, by-the-by,
th a t these animals are born in Japan without, or at all
events, with only rudimentary tails, like those of
Manx.
After a few days spent most pleasantly in these hills,
I took my leave one splendid sunrise, many of the
villagers accompanying me for a short distance, and
some of them forcing small presents upon me in the
shape of pretty wooden boxes and toys. There was a
great deal of bowing and shouting, especially on the
part of the women, whilst the men insisted upon
carrying some of my baggage; altogether it was like
parting from old friends. At last I turned the angle of
the hill, and a dead silence followed the previous
ovation; certainly no one can gainsay that the
Japanese are a tender-hearted people. Frequent
showers of rain somewhat interfered with the pleasure
of the return journey, and I was not sorry to reach
Yokohama before night closed in.
Another interesting trip is that to Kanasawa, a. busy
fishing village, about ten miles from Yokohama, in a
southerly direction; and thence five miles farther to
Kamakoura, the ancient capital of Japan, to a great
extent destroyed, in the twelfth century, during the
civil wars. There is a very fine temple here, situated
within the enclosure of a handsome p a rk ; and I must
not omit to mention a famous stone monument supported
by an old tree. I t stands three feet high, and
is called Omanko-Sama; upon its surface a yoni is
roughly sculptured, and women make long pilgrimages
to visit the sacred symbol. The tree itself is covered
with ex-voto offerings. How this remnant of Hindu
worship got here I was unable to ascertain ; it is the
only one I have heard of in Japan-proper.
To Daibouts, another famous temple containing an
enormous bronze statue of Buddha, fifty feet high, is
one mile off. The whole of this trip is best made on
horseback, and the return journey along the bay of
Missisippi to the island of Inosima is very pretty; the
latter, about four miles distant in a south-westerly
direction, is considered sacred ground, inhabited in
olden times by the good genii; there is also a grotto
here worth visiting, half a mile long. The entire trip
can comfortably be made in two days, stopping the
night at Kamakoura, where there is a capital teahouse.
There are other fine rides within easy reach of
Yokohama, as that to the English racecourse, and
AA