Fig. [285].—The steps.
Paint the roof of each room in little black squares with white markings between to represent black tiling. Paint the outside of the house yellow, the back wall of the large room pale blue, the floor light brown. Paint the back of the small room mottled green and pink. Make a band of light blue edged with black across the outside top of the front opening and a red band across the bottom. Let the projecting veranda be yellow, with vines across the lower part. Edge the openings of the large room with two narrow bands, one purple the other black, and mark black lines from side to side crossed with lines running from top to bottom to form a lattice-like work on the side of the smaller opening ([Fig. 282]).
Fig. [286].—Plan of small room.
The sides of the house are supposed to be formed of paper-covered screens which slide in grooves and may be removed entirely when desired. The interior of a real Japanese house is divided into rooms merely by the use of sliding paper screens, and the entire floor may readily be thrown into one large apartment, there being no solid partitions as in our houses. Cut out flat round paper lanterns, paint them with the gayest of colors and make the small top and bottom bands black; then with needle and thread fasten the lanterns along the top front of the large opening of the small room ([Fig. 282]).
You need not be concerned in the least about furnishing the little house: it does not need any furniture, for the Japanese have no stoves, chairs, tables, knives or forks, carpets, bedsteads, washstands, bookcases, desks, framed pictures, nor any comforts like ours.
The Floors
are covered with clean, thick, soft matting rugs and are just the place for girls and boys to play, and have a good time running about in their stocking feet, for in Japan people always take off their shoes before entering a house and everyone goes either stocking-footed or barefooted when indoors, so the floor-mats are kept free from dust.
Of course, men, women, and children all sit on the floor; and when