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Show Scki, one of the foremost authorities in Japan on the subjuct of ol papermaking, arranged the itinerary and accompanied h expedition, while Mr.Yamada,a most agrecable and pm.mmng gentleman acted as interpreter, companion, and guide during my c ay in Japan In giving an account of our journeys in Japan in search of material fo this volume, T will endeavour to confine my writing to papermaking an llicd interests. There is much of unusual interest in the more remote an untravelled parts of Japan-the everyday life and strange customs of th country people, lm religions, the costumes, travelling \lmps inns, restaurants, geisha -but Occidental writers have not neglect various picturesque phases of the Orient 5o it will remain biae d\vel ation of handmade paper and those subjects connecte with this calling,nny deviation from this course would be beyond the scop of this boo The pzpcrmakmg journey was planned well in advance of my reachin Japan, so tha ays after my arrival in Tokyo, carly in March, Dr Scki, V[A.Yamadz, vening from the capital with th north coast of Japan, to be reached the next morning, as our destination The trains of the narrow-gauge railways run smnmhly and are almos always precisely on time, but the designer of the sleeping-cars did no ake into consideration the comfort of a six-foot paper emhuslast who wa destined to spend many nights within the confines of the short and narro erths ‘The first place to which we were bound was the small village of Takefu in the province of Echizen, in the prefecture of Fukui, which is the neares village to the papermaking centres we wished to visit. After changing car at Takada, Toyama, an of Fukui, we reached Takefu the da following our departure ey Tokyn. We had been in the village only a fe moments when we were approached by a policeman and a small grou of soldiers who politely asked my companions who I might be and wha Digitalimage© 2004 arriott Library, Universiy of Utah. Allights reserved |