There was a charming view from the veranda of my room. The harbour was gay with Japanese sanpans,[[A]] little sailing-boats,--here and there a man-of-war and a couple of mail-steamers. Late that afternoon I saw the Empress of India steaming slowly out of the harbour, bound for Hongkong. It seemed rather like saying good-bye to an old friend, and I felt a little homesick as I watched my last link with the old world disappear into the dim distance.
[A]. Japanese boats.
CHAPTER III
EARLY DAYS IN JAPAN
A new friend--A Japanese dinner--Japanese temples--An earthquake--A fire in Yokohama.
The first few weeks after our arrival in Japan would have been rather dull, as my father had to leave at once for Tokio on business, had I not made the acquaintance of a girl staying in the hotel who was also travelling with her father in Japan. Pauline, as she was called, was a few years older than myself, a clever girl with very decided opinions on most subjects. She was also an only child, and her father, who was an invalid, gave way to her in everything. For some reason or other she took a great fancy to me at first sight. We soon became good friends and I was delighted to have someone to go about with as I had always longed for a girl companion. We explored the streets of Yokohama together, picking up a few words of Japanese which enabled us to make purchases and direct our rickshaw coolies. What delightful drives we had, going out sometimes far into the country with green rice-fields on either side and here and there a little tea-house where we would stop to rest and have a cup of the honourable tea!
One evening my father took us both to dine at a Japanese restaurant to have a real Japanese dinner. On arriving, we had to take off our shoes before entering the house and were then taken to a room with absolutely no furniture, but divided by screens. The floor was covered with spotless matting and some little cushions on which we sat in various attitudes. The Japanese way of sitting on one’s heels is far too fatiguing to try for long.
First a little nasan (servant) appeared bowing to the floor, bringing tea in tiny cups and some cakes made of sweet beans; then three charming little geishas (dancing girls) entered, dressed in scarlet-embroidered kimonos and bright sashes. Their faces were carefully painted, and their black hair decorated with many-coloured pins. They were the dearest little people imaginable, not more than thirteen or fourteen years old, with pretty little hands and feet and charming, graceful manners. A lacquer tray was placed before each of us on the floor with a cup of saké, the national drink--something like sherry and water, but with a burning taste, and most intoxicating. As water-drinking is dangerous in Japan we had to content ourselves with tea. Bowls of soup were first brought us with large pieces of fish and some strange-looking morsels floating in it. These we chased about with our chopsticks with little success, much to the amusement of the geishas, who sat in a row watching us, laughing merrily and evidently discussing our clothes and appearance.