All the men of the party were so busy with their field glasses, admiring
Yokohoma Harbor's wonderful fortifications, that they did not even hear
the women question what sort of a dress would be suitable for the coming
grand reception, and yet, at the same time withstand sight-seeing in the
dust of the streets. Even Mary Garden on her opening night did not
receive such rapt attention as did this harbor.
As we looked down over the huge side of the Empire State upon the
turmoil of humanity, baggage and freight and the uneven street beyond,
we gave thanks to the Baptist missionary, who is credited with making an
old baby carriage into the first rickshaw, for the convenience of his
sick wife. When we saw the little brown men actually run away with our
most corpulent representatives, without any apparent effort, we forgot
all about "Man's inhumanity to man" and no baby ever enjoyed its first
perambulator outing more than our party.
First, we swooped down upon the banks to change our money, but the yen
and sen counted out to us seemed as valueless as stage money. However,
we grew to respect it, after visiting Benton Dori and departing with
elaborate kimonos that the shrewd businessmen and women of the party
would have passed by as being too expensive, at home.
It was great fun after being extravagant to figure out that a yen is
only a little over half as much as one of our dollars and that one had
only spent half as much as one thought.
Our party met the ladies (some of them American college graduates) and
gentlemen of the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce at a big reception in a
theatre. The governor, through his interpreter, said that our arrival
was on the first sunny day they had had in some time, that the
chrysanthemums were just blooming, and that this was a good omen, for
the war clouds had vanished. Geisha girls danced while singing a
specially composed chant of welcome, and an elaborate luncheon was
served in an adjoining hall. A. I. Esberg and F. R. Eldridge answered
the welcome saying, "That we hoped to establish much more friendly and
permanent relationship with the people of Japan."
Most of the party had the inevitable tea in the foreign settlement,
known as the Bluff. Most of these houses are of the vintage of fifty
years ago and range in rental from $125 to $150, unfurnished, the tenant
having to install his own plumbing if he wishes such a luxury. We wanted
to know why some better arrangement was not made and were reminded of
the law that does not permit of any foreign ownership of land.
Louis Mooser, former head of the San Francisco Real Estate Board, was
much interested in the situation. It seems that about one-seventh of the
small area available for foreigners was under perpetual lease to the
Germans and we were told that when war broke out it was taken over by
the Japanese, who only allowed their own race to buy, and all rents were
immediately raised.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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