Arrival at Yokohama—A Telegram sent to Europe—The stranding of the steamer A. E. Nordenskiöld—Fêtes in Japan—The Minister of Marine, Kawamura—Prince Kito-Shira-Kava—Audience of the Mikado—Graves of the Shoguns—Imperial Garden at Tokio—The Exhibition there—Visit to Enoshima—Japanese manners and customs—Thunberg and Kämpfer.
Yokohama, the first harbour, telegraph station, and commercial town at which the Vega anchored after circumnavigating the north coast of Asia, is one of the Japanese coast cities which were opened to the commerce of the world after the treaty between the United States of America and Japan negotiated by Commodore PERRY.[372] At this place there was formerly only a little fishing village, whose inhabitants had never seen Europeans and were forbidden under severe punishments from entering into communication or trading with the crews of the foreign vessels that might possibly visit the coast. The former village is now, twenty years later, changed into a town of nearly 70,000 inhabitants, and consists not only of Japanese, but also of very fine European houses, shops, hotels, &c. It is also the residence of the governor of Kanagava Ken. It is in communication by rail with the neighbouring capital Tokio, by regular weekly steamship sailings with San Francisco on the one hand, and Hong Kong, India, &c., on the other, and finally by telegraph not only with the principal cities of Japan but also with all the lands that have got entangled in the threads of the world's telegraph net.
The situation of the town on the western shore of the Yedo or Tokio Bay, which is perhaps rather large for a haven, is not particularly fine. But on sailing in we see in the west, if the weather be fine, Fusiyama's snow-clad, incomparably beautiful volcanic cone raise itself from a cultivated forest-clad region. When one has seen it, he is no longer astonished that the Japanese reproduce with such affection on their varnished wares, porcelain, cloth, paper, sword-ornaments, &c., the form of their highest, stateliest, and also grimmest mountain. For the number of the men who have perished by its eruptions is reckoned by hundreds of thousands, and if tradition speaks truth the whole mountain in a far distant antiquity was formed in a single night. Before we enter Yedo Bay we pass a volcano, active during last year, situated on the volcanic island Oshima, known in Japanese history as the place of exile of several of the heroes in the many internal struggles of the country.
While we sailed, or more correctly, steamed—for we had still sufficient coal remaining to permit the engine to be used—up the Bay of Yedo, the coasts were for the most part concealed with mist, so that the summit of Fusiyama and the contours of the shore only now and then gleamed forth from the fog and cloud. The wind besides was against us, on which account it was 9.30 in the evening of the 2nd September before we could anchor in the haven that had been longed-for for such a length of time. I immediately hastened on land, along with Captain Palander, in order to send home a telegram across Siberia about the fortunate issue of the voyage of the Vega. At the telegraph station I was informed that the Siberian line was interrupted by inundations for a space of 600 versts, and that the telegram must therefore be sent by India, whereby the cost was nearly doubled. The telegraph officials also made difficulties about taking the foreign gold coin of various kinds which I had about me. Fortunately the latter difficulty was immediately removed by the accidental presence of the Russian consul, Mr. PELIKAN, while I was treating with the telegraph officials. When he heard that it concerned the sending home of a telegram from the much-talked-of Vega expedition, he immediately offered to arrange the affair until I had time to operate on the letter of credit I carried with me from Messrs. James Dickson &c. Co. of Gothenburg. Soon after I met with the Swedish consul, Mr. VAN OORDT, who gave us a large parcel of letters from home. It was very gladly received by most of us, as, so far as I know, it did not bring the thirty members of the expedition a single unexpected sorrowful message. I got, however, soon after landing, an unpleasant piece of news, viz that the steamer A. E. Nordenskiöld, which Mr. Sibiriakoff had sent to Behring's Straits and the Lena to our relief, had stranded on the east coast of Yesso. The shipwreck fortunately had not been attended with any loss of human life, and the vessel lay stranded on a sandbank in circumstances which made it probable that it would be got off without too great cost.
As the report of our arrival spread, I was immediately waited upon by various deputations with addresses of welcome, invitations to fêtes, clubs, &c. A series of entertainments and festivities now began, which occupied a great part of the time we remained in this splendid and remarkable country. Perhaps a sketch of these festivities may yield a picture of Japan during the state of transition, which still prevails there, and which in a decade or two will undoubtedly belong to a past and to a great extent forgotten period, a picture which to future writers may possibly form a not unwelcome contribution to the knowledge of the Japan that now (1879) is. Such a sketch would however carry me too far beyond the subject of this narrative of
travel, and require too much space, on which account I must confine myself to an enumeration of the festivities at the head of which were public authorities, learned societies, or clubs.
On the 10th September a grand dinner was given at the Grand Hotel, the principal European hotel—and very well kept—of Yokohama, by the Dutch minister, Chevalier VAN STOETWEGEN, who at the same time represents Sweden and Norway in Japan.
