Palm Trees, Grand Cayman Island Photo Print
Oze, George
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Rome Flea Market Italy
Though nearly every major European capital has a Sunday "flea market," I like the one in Rome best. It's cheaper than its Paris equivalent, provides better bargaining opportunities (offer only 50% of the asking prices, and stick to your guns), and has a far wider selection of articles-everything from seventeenth-century candelabra to second-hand toothbrushes!
For those unfamiliar with the term, "flea market" refers to a big open field in Rome on which merchants, every Sunday, set up make-shift booths, or spread a blanket on the ground, for the sale of every conceivable second-hand article-clothes, old gramophones, wooden Sicilian statues, old busts and medals of Mussolini, fraying at-the-edges etchings and posters, antique door-knobs. if you bargain properly, you can stock up on amazing values, limited only by your estimate of what you'll be able to stuff in your suitcase. Naturally, you'll be heartbroken over having to pass up the bulkier items that are too heavy to lug across Europe. Hope still dreams of the two 6-foot-long torches-on-a-pole, painted pale blue and yellow (the kind that lean out from a wall, at an angle), which we couldn't carry away from our last trip to the Rome flea market.
The flea market in Rome is located at the Porta di Portese (bus from Terminal Station goes within 3 blocks of it), in the Trastevere section-ask anyone to point the way-and operates only once a week, on Sunday. It's such an exciting, colorful sight that I've placed it here, because you'll want to see it, even if you don't plan to buy a thing.
For those unfamiliar with the term, "flea market" refers to a big open field in Rome on which merchants, every Sunday, set up make-shift booths, or spread a blanket on the ground, for the sale of every conceivable second-hand article-clothes, old gramophones, wooden Sicilian statues, old busts and medals of Mussolini, fraying at-the-edges etchings and posters, antique door-knobs. if you bargain properly, you can stock up on amazing values, limited only by your estimate of what you'll be able to stuff in your suitcase. Naturally, you'll be heartbroken over having to pass up the bulkier items that are too heavy to lug across Europe. Hope still dreams of the two 6-foot-long torches-on-a-pole, painted pale blue and yellow (the kind that lean out from a wall, at an angle), which we couldn't carry away from our last trip to the Rome flea market.
The flea market in Rome is located at the Porta di Portese (bus from Terminal Station goes within 3 blocks of it), in the Trastevere section-ask anyone to point the way-and operates only once a week, on Sunday. It's such an exciting, colorful sight that I've placed it here, because you'll want to see it, even if you don't plan to buy a thing.
Rome Metropolitana
Rome Panoramic of Colosseum Print
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The subway in Rome (Metropolitana) has only one line from the front of Terminal Station to the port of Ostia, on the Mediterranean-but what a line that is! If you buy a ticket and stay on the train until two stops beyond Ostia, you'll be at the sea, within a few blocks of several public beaches. But if you get off at "Ostia Antica," two stops before Ostia, you'll find excavations that rival Pompeii. Ostia was a well-developed port in the days of ancient Rome-during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, particularly-and archaeologists are currently digging in a huge area of the imperial city. You can eat a picnic lunch while sitting on the ruins.
No restaurant really begins serving meals until 1 p.m. (for lunch) and 7 p.m. (for dinner). Don't show up before those times, or you may have to wait unattended in an empty restaurant. You'll find, by the way, that the habit of a noon-day siesta in sunny Rome is a marvelous way to stay refreshed during the remaining, cooler periods of the day. It's fruitless to spend the time on your normal sightseeing rounds.
No Italian restaurant serves spaghetti with meat balls, and no one here has heard of biscuit tortoni. The pasta dishes are eaten by discerning Italians only at lunchtime; the evening meal is a lighter one, and begins with soup, not pasta.
Because there is so much to see and do in Rome, it occurred to me that it might prove helpful with a fast summary of the indispensable sights for a first-time visitor. If there were only ten visits for which I had time in Rome, l'd make them:
(1) St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel); (2) the Colosseum; (3) the Roman Forum (preferably at night); (4) the Campidoglio Hill (Capitoline Square), again at night.
Rome Evening Entertainment
Kirishima-yama, Japan Photo Poster
Spring Cherry Trees and Mountain Scenery, Takachiho Farm, Kirishima National Park, Kyushu, Japan Photo Print
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In the mountain-studded islands of Kyushu there are three great volcanic ranges--Unzen-ga-take, Asosan and Kirishima-yama--not counting others famous locally. These three have been declared National Parks, for each possesses characteristics of scenic beauty and revered memory peculiarly its own. The fame of Kirishima-yama may be attributed to its legendary memories linked with the dawn of the Japanese Empire, and its majestic volcanic mountain scenery.
Kirishima-yama is a collective term used to denote the 22 gracefully-shaped peaks, each having an individual name. Of these, the two giants stand forth more than 5,000 feet above sea level, facing each other, the King and Queen among the mountains. The one in the east, Higashi-Kirishima (5,174 feet) is known by the sacred name of Mount Takachiho while the western Kirishima (5,610 feet), the higher, is called Karakuni-dake, or China-and-Korea-viewing Mountain.
This area, 84.5 square miles, extending in the north to Shiratori Spa, and in the South to Kirishima Shrine, bound on the east by the town of Takaharu, and on the west by the villages of Kurino and Makizono, has been marked as Kirishima National Park. In its vast bosom are found all the features of volcanic mountain scenery: wonderful craters, lakes, cascades, forests, hot springs, rare trees, flowers, etc.
Mount Takachiho is to the Japanese what Mount Olympus was to the Greeks. Upon this summit descended at the dawn of history Ninigi-no-mikoto, the grandson of the Sun Goddess, charged with the command to make peaceful occupation of the Land of Reedy Moors ( Japan). It was his grandson, Jinmu, who, after subjugating the savage aborigines of the land, proclaimed himself the first Emperor of Japan at Kashiwara, Yamato, in the central Japan. It was on February 11th in 660 B.C., the anniversary of which is observed as a national holiday under the name of Kigensetsu, or Empire Day. On the summit of Takachiho Peak, which is a small tableland of seven feet square, stands the famous "heavenly halberd," made of ancient bronze, stuck in the ground hilt heavenward. It is much the worse for time and weather but is none the less venerated as a relic of the god. A mile or so below this peak is the active crater, 292 feet deep and 666 feet around, emitting smoke in a lazy, nonchalant manner.
There is something ethereal about every high mountain, as we look at it from below, and especially the volcanic mountain, which gives the impression of being "alive" or charged with a power at once ominous and awe-inspiring. No wonder that simple country folk who heard the voice of the gods in thunder should have seen, in the eruption of a volcano with its fearful detonation and ejection of ash, fire and molten rock for miles around, dramatic evidence of some awful presence in the bowels of the earth. Kirishima bears many traces of this latent power within, which, added to the beauty and grandeur of its scenery, make it all the more awe-inspiring.
Karakunidake is less shapely than the sacred peak, but has a wider and more majestic view. It has also a crater, 21/2 miles below its summit, but instead of emitting smoke or fire, harbors an emeraldgreen lake (21/2 miles in circumference), called Ōnamiike, or great-wave-pond, but its unruffled surface, reflecting the peaceful verdure of the surrounding trees quite belies its name. Standing on the top of the mountain you will see this pond right under your feet, like a gem set in a sea of sylvan beauty. Immediately to the east you see its grand and handsome sister peak, Takachiho, with its smoke-emitting crater, soaring above its more humble neighbors. Turning northward, you behold a strikingly extensive view, over Shiratorisan, of various mountain ranges of central Kyūshū, including Asosan and Sobosan. But the grandest sight of all is that facing southward. Here, in one marvelous, comprehensive panorama are included the crystal bay of Kagoshima with the fair Sakurajima, and, away on the Pacific shore, the high peak of Kaimondake, the Fuji of Satsuma, or the most southerly mountain outpost of Japan.
Both these wonderful peaks of Kirishima are not, as mountains of Japan, very high, though higher than the highest peak in Great Britain, and strenuous climbers could combine the two in one day, covering part of the distance, thanks to the traffic of motor-buses. No, their glories do not lie in their height. The first glory among them is their beauty of scenery--not only the great views they command but in their own peculiar handsomeness. Behold the colors and depths of 5,050 acres of virgin forests, clothing the lower half of the mountains, which the woodcutter's axe has never touched since the age of the gods, containing graceful forest giants, over 1,000 years old, soaring to a height of 130 feet. These trees, together with the resplendent Kirishima azaleas --blooming in May--the color and variety of which baffle description, and some of which are as large as 17 meters high and 7 meters around--are numbered among the precious "natural monuments" for which the State now tenderly cares. In the same breath must be mentioned the sacred Kirishima Shrine, dedicated to the soul of Ninigi. It is situated on the south-western side of Takachiho Peak, 1,640 ft. above sea level, built over 200 years ago. It commands beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and higher mountains around, sheltered by century-old trees imparting an air of sacred solemnity before which the spectator unconsciously bows his head. This, and the other sacred shrine, Higashi-Kirishima Shrine, which marks the birthplace of Emperor of Jinmu, make the two hallowed spots on Kirishima to which no Japanese visitor will omit to pay his respects.
The famous Kirishima spa is a collective term including more than 20 villages. They lie within easy distance from one another, 2399 feet up, on the way to Karakuni Peak. They are free from snow in winter. The ascent of the peak is made through paths teeming in beautiful foliage, blossom and landscape, and the famous red pines make a striking contrast with the green trees around. It is easy of access, thanks to the constant bus traffic from below. The hot baths there are of various kinds--sulphur, iron, salt, alum--making a splendid stop-over station for rest and recuperation.
The only drawback, if it is a drawback, of Kirishima Park is its remoteness from the center of Japan. This accounts for the fact that the hotel accommodation and other factors of comfort, though far from lacking, are not quite as perfect as they are at Hakone or Unzen. The relative absence of modern amenities is regarded, however, as an attraction in the eyes of young tourists, who love nature and adventure and who would prefer roughing it a bit to the pampered ease of the Pullman car and the palatial hotel. Indeed, it would seem a pity in these days of spreading modernism to damage any of the primitive charms of Kirishima so associated with the age of the gods, even for the doubtful meed of converting it into a popular resort.
Daisetsuzan National Park
Furano Mountains, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan Photo Print
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Daisetsuzan Park, in central Hokkaido, contains a peak which forms the "roof" of the island, the height being 7,560 ft. above sea level. This is a volcanic mountain, perforated with numerous smokeholes, and tipped with a perpetually smoking crater. It is easy to climb, being done in 4 hours if the proper route is taken, and the panoramic views it commands quite justify its claim of being the pinnacle of Hokkaido.
Daisetsuzan Park itself covers an extensive area of 500,000 acres, nearly 20 miles from east to west, 15 miles from north to south. It includes the three major volcanic ranges, separately known as Daisetsu, Tokachi and Tomuraushi; the beautiful lake, Shikaribetsu and the canyons of marvelous beauty and grandeur, forming the upper reaches of the four great rivers flowing from the mountains. Thus, Daisetsuzan is only one of the mountainous systems in this park, and its name, meaning "great-snow-mountain," is selected to represent the whole range of mountains. It is indeed a great snow mountain, from the summit of which the snow never melts, even in midsummer -- a fairyland for skiing enthusiasts, attracting as many skiers in winter as mountaineers in summer.
If Akan is a park of mountain lakes and forests, Daisetsuzan must be considered as a park of snowy mountains and forests. The only lake in the whole area, namely, Lake Shikaribetsu, situated in the south-eastern extremity of the park, is made much of, perhaps a little more so than is really justified. However, it is hedged in by thicklywooded high mountains -- a hallowed spot in the depths of sylvan grandeur, with a Benten islet in the center. It is certainly worth a visit, if one visits the park at all, though the approach to it is somewhat steep.
The two other mountain ranges have features of their own, besides the common characteristics of snow and volcano. Of the several high peaks, Hokuchindake (7,360 ft.) and Hakuundake (7,314 ft.) are the best on which to see Asahidake and the panoramic views around. Tokachi (6,854 ft.) is famous for its skiing slopes, which competent authorities have pronounced as the best in Japan. Other lures of the mountains are the "flower gardens" decorating the slopes of Hakuundake and Daisetsuzan, made up of mountain azaleas and other flowering plants peculiar to the place, which blend in a riot of color in summer, whilst cherry blossoms in spring and maple foliage in autumn make it, indeed, a park of infinite floral beauty.
The paucity of lakes in Daisetsuzan is made up for by the extraordinary beauty of water-bearing canyons, or rocky gorges forming the upper reaches of the four great rivers flowing out of the mountains: Ishikari, Chubetsu, and Tokachi. The grandest of them all is the Sounkyo gorge, situated in the northern part of the park. It runs for 15 miles or more, rushing, plunging and gurgling over gorges made of fantastic rocks of every shape and dimension. At the points called "Obako" (large box) and "Kobako" (small box) the waters run in a quiet stream along the perpendicular rocky cliffs rising straight to a dizzy height of 2,000 feet, justifying the strange local names. In its eventful course through these canyons and gorges the rushing waters make many picturesque cascades called by such fanciful names as "white serpent," "shooting stars," "milky way," "silken cords," etc. Such are the upper reaches of the greatest river in Japan, the Ishikari, running for 227 miles before it reaches the Japan Sea. Discovered only in 1852, it forms one of the greatest sights of the Park.In short, the chief lures of Daisetsu are the high peak of Asahidake with its grand views, the snowy slopes of Mount Tokachi for its incomparable skiing, the "flower gardens," the solitary Shikaribetsu lake, and, to crown all, the wonderful canyons of Sōunkyō.As with Akan, however, Daisetsu's greatest claim to our attention is the newness, or we should perhaps say, antiquity of its leaving the sealed book of mystery. It was only in 1852 that some parts of Daisetsu were discovered by modern explorers, though relics and implements of Ainu people, unearthed here and there, are evidence that the Ainu must have known them long ago. Primeval forests, curious alpine plants, and bizarre geological phenomena, added to the usual volcanic scenes of craters, crater lakes, steaming fumaroles, hot springs, gorges, ravines, etc. make up the qualifications to justify a great National Park.
Western Caroline Islands - Eastern Caroline Islands
The division between the eastern Caroline Islands and the western Caroline Islands represents a major geological division. The major islands and island groups of the western Caroline Islands are the tops of submerged mountain ranges that rise above the surface of the sea. The Palau group, Yap, Fais, and Sorol, at least, are elevated portions of great ridges that are wrinkles in the continental shelf and are similar in origin to the areas nearer Asia, such as Japan and the Ryukyus. All these islands are west of the sial or andesite line, which marks the edge of the continental shelf. They are recent elevation, and the process of elevation is still going on, as is proved by recently elevated marine terraces and by earthquakes. The islands of the eastern Caroline Islands stand on a great submarine shelf that is fairly stable, although there may be some subsidence in the western portion. Truk shows signs of subsidence whereas Ponape and Kusaie do not.There are three main types of islands: the high volcanic islands, the low coral atolls, and raised atolls. Each of these types presents its own peculiar setting as a home for man. There are five volcanic islands or island groups: the Palaus, Yap, Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie.
The Palaus and Yap are composed of recent volcanic lavas and ancient metamorphic rock that testify to their continental nature. Truk, Ponape, and Kusaie are composed chiefly of basaltic lavas. Some of these volcanic islands have elevations of more than 2000 feet above sea level. The low coral atolls seldom rise to more than 6 or 8 feet above sea level. The partly raised atolls, such as Fais and Angaur, have elevations up to about 60 feet and usually contain phosphate deposits.
Caroline Islands Climate - Temperatures
Although there are slight climatic variations over this large area, the low latitude and oceanic location combine to produce uniform conditions at any one station during the entire year. Although the climate is oceanic in character, it is dominated by the northeast trades except in the area west of about 145° east longitude, where the effect of the Asiatic monsoon is felt during the summer months. From November to April the prevailing winds over the whole area are from the northeast or east. In the northern summer, the southeast trades are dominant over the southern Carolines and occasionally reach as far northward as the Marianas.
Typhoons, or tropical cyclones, do considerable damage in the Carolines. They can occur in any month, but they are most common from July through November, with the highest frequency in September. There is an average of 25 typhoons each year. Originating in the Carolines and Marianas, they may occur anywhere west of 160° east longitude and 5° north latitude. Although they are commonest between Yap and Guam, at rare intervals one strikes as far east as the Gilberts.
In general the rainfall is heaviest in a belt between 1° 30′ and 8° 30′ north latitude, which marks the zone where the northeast and southeast trades meet. The rainfall is usually over 120 inches in this belt. However, there is orographic influence on the high islands that results in heavier rainfall on the windward side. The 2000-foot mountains of Kusaie produce as much as 255 inches on their windward (west) side whereas on the leeward side the annual rainfall is only 177 inches. The low coral atolls do not produce this orographic effect and are much drier.
Temperatures are uniform throughout the area. The mean monthly temperatures are seldom less than 79° F or more than 83° F. The difference between the means of the summer and winter months is rarely more than 2°. The daily range usually amounts to about 9° or 10° F. Day temperatures vary from 83° to 89° F, and night temperatures from 74° to 77° F. The mean relative humidity is high throughout the year. The early morning relative humidity varies from 85 to 95 per cent; the early afternoon readings may vary from 70 to 80 per cent. There is little variation in the humidity from month to month.
Manta Ray, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands, Micronesia Photographic Print
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SOILS
Great contrast exists between the soils of the high volcanic islands and those of the low coral islands. On the coral isles the soils consist of group-up coral and shells with an accumulation of humus near the surface. This is seldom very thick and is speedily lost under cultivation. These soils do not retain moisture well as the rainfall quickly soaks through the sand and is lost in the porous coral beneath.
There is greater variation on the volcanic islands. The parent material is more varied, and there is an accumulation of fairly fertile alluvium on the coastal plains and in the stream valleys. However, the frostless year with high rainfall is favorable to leaching and alluviation, with the result that tropical laterites or lateritic soils with little fertility are common.
Typhoons, or tropical cyclones, do considerable damage in the Carolines. They can occur in any month, but they are most common from July through November, with the highest frequency in September. There is an average of 25 typhoons each year. Originating in the Carolines and Marianas, they may occur anywhere west of 160° east longitude and 5° north latitude. Although they are commonest between Yap and Guam, at rare intervals one strikes as far east as the Gilberts.
In general the rainfall is heaviest in a belt between 1° 30′ and 8° 30′ north latitude, which marks the zone where the northeast and southeast trades meet. The rainfall is usually over 120 inches in this belt. However, there is orographic influence on the high islands that results in heavier rainfall on the windward side. The 2000-foot mountains of Kusaie produce as much as 255 inches on their windward (west) side whereas on the leeward side the annual rainfall is only 177 inches. The low coral atolls do not produce this orographic effect and are much drier.
Temperatures are uniform throughout the area. The mean monthly temperatures are seldom less than 79° F or more than 83° F. The difference between the means of the summer and winter months is rarely more than 2°. The daily range usually amounts to about 9° or 10° F. Day temperatures vary from 83° to 89° F, and night temperatures from 74° to 77° F. The mean relative humidity is high throughout the year. The early morning relative humidity varies from 85 to 95 per cent; the early afternoon readings may vary from 70 to 80 per cent. There is little variation in the humidity from month to month.
Manta Ray, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands, Micronesia Photographic Print
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SOILS
Great contrast exists between the soils of the high volcanic islands and those of the low coral islands. On the coral isles the soils consist of group-up coral and shells with an accumulation of humus near the surface. This is seldom very thick and is speedily lost under cultivation. These soils do not retain moisture well as the rainfall quickly soaks through the sand and is lost in the porous coral beneath.
There is greater variation on the volcanic islands. The parent material is more varied, and there is an accumulation of fairly fertile alluvium on the coastal plains and in the stream valleys. However, the frostless year with high rainfall is favorable to leaching and alluviation, with the result that tropical laterites or lateritic soils with little fertility are common.
Caroline Islands History Spanish, German & Japanese Periods
Sunset over Pacific Ocean, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands, Micronesia Photographic Print
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In a series of voyages after Magellan's Pacific crossing, most of the islands of the Carolines were discovered. As little wealth was found, the islands were neglected and, as they were a hazard to navigation, were avoided as much as possible during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Spanish missionaries made a few unsuccessful attempts to convert some of the natives early in the eighteenth century.
New England whalers followed the sperm whale into the Marshalls and eastern Carolines in the 1840's and brought close outside contact to the natives of Kusaie, Ponape, and Truk. The traders and whalers, who came in increasing numbers, brought smallpox and other disastrous new elements to the entire area.
The missionaries were not far behind the sailors, and in 1852 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions established bases on Ponape and Kusaie. Hawaiian missionaries followed soon after. From the original bases on Ponape and Kusaie, the missionaries branched out into the Marshalls and other sections of the Carolines.
THE SPANISH PERIOD
The 1870's saw increased German commercial activity in these islands as in other parts of the Pacific. Spain's jealousy was roused, and she attempted to claim sovereignty that brought her into conflict with both Germany and Great Britain. The matter was referred to the Pope for arbitration in 1885, and he ruled in favor of Spain.
The Spanish immediately occupied Yap and in 1887 established a settlement, Colonia de Santiago, on Ponape. The occupation of Ponape resulted in trouble with both natives and well-entrenched American missionaries. The trouble with the natives, which was expensive and also costly in lives, continued even after the missionaries were removed. In 1898, as a result of defeat in the Spanish American War, Spain ceded Guam to the United States and in the following year sold the rest of her Micronesian possessions to Germany.
THE GERMAN PERIOD
The Carolines, during the German period of occupation, were under the jurisdiction of the governor of German New Guinea. After 1911 they were divided into the western Caroline district, which was administered from Yap, and the eastern Caroline district, which was administered from Ponape.
Although there were never many German administrators or settlers in the area, this was a period of rapid economic and political change. Copra became the economic foundation of the islands although they were never self-supporting. The Germans reduced the power of the chiefs and made changes in the forms of land tenure. Roads were constructed with native labor, public buildings built, and some of the harbors improved. The Germans paid some attention to native health and sanitation, with the result that in some places the decline of the native population was checked. Schools were left largely ill the hands of the missionaries. The changes did meet some resistance from the natives, especially from the chiefs, who lost some of their prerogatives.
One of the outstanding accomplishments of this period was the laying of the Pacific cable in 1905. Yap was made the center for the lines connecting Japan, Asia, and the south. Control of Yap was later to be a source of international friction.
THE JAPANESE PERIOD
In 1914 the Japanese navy took over the German possessions in Micronesia and ruled the islands until 1922, when a civilian government was placed in charge. In 1919 Japan received the islands as a class C mandate from the League of Nations. The type C mandate was administered as an integral part of the mandatory state, and eventual independence of the territory was not contemplated. After Japan's withdrawal from the League of Nations in 1935, the islands were retained, with the Japanese military playing an increasing part in their administration.
The Japanese followed a policy of economic development that was intended eventually to make the islands pay for themselves and supplement the Japanese economy by the production of tropical commodities that could not be produced in Japan, by the development of such minerals as were present, and by securing fish that play an important part in the Japanese diet. Although the islands did form an outlet for some of Japan's growing population, it was always recognized that the islands were too small to absorb more than a small part of the increase. However, by the outbreak of the Second World War, the number of the Japanese in the whole of the mandated territory exceeded that of the natives. After the war, the islands became trust territories of the United States, eventually gaining independence.
Yokohama - progressive career of New Japan
Minato Mirai, Yokohama, Japan Photographic Print
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Since then Tokyo has grown enormously; much of the foreign trade, once almost monopolized by the foreign merchants of Yokohama, has passed into Japanese hands. Many of the old foreign firms have therefore moved their head offices to Tokyo so that Yokohama is not what it used to be in the early years of Meiji. This does not mean, however, that it has dwindled in any way. On the contrary, Yokohama's growth is as remarkable as that of Tokyo. What it has lost in one way it has gained in another. It has lost in its piquancy and in its foreign color; it has gained in its substantial prosperity as a modern city.
In the days of its Foreign Settlement, Yokohama was divided between Kwannai and Kwangai--" the inside and outside of the barrier." Within the barrier the foreigners had their residences and places of business, and outside lived the Japanese who formed a constantly shifting population of semi-adventurers in foreign trade. In course of time the Kwannai and Kwangai have merged, and the "native quarters" have become increasingly inhabited by wealthy permanent settlers.
Thus, much of the foreign nomenclature of Yokohama has lost its meaning, supplanted by the new names of streets and numbers, as set by the Municipality, such as Kaigan-dōri (Bund), YamaShitachōō, Yamatecho; (Bluff), Honcho (Main Street), etc. No longer does Yokohama consist of narrow strips of land confined by the Bund and the Bluff. It means the bulk of greater Yokohama, of which the so-called "native districts" are now the principal parts, including the hatoba (the landing stage) and its neighborhood, the former "Foreign Settlement."
Both the charms and drawbacks of Yokohama are due to its being a new city. A pioneer port-city, Yokohama is daring, ready to make experiments. There is something pungent and hectic about the lighter side of its life, especially its night life. People have less prejudice, and perhaps rather fewer scruples than the inhabitants of the older cities, and are much freer in intercourse and more open-minded. You are asked to take them as they are and at their face value. Frank, open-minded, quick in action and business-like in speech, without unnecessary ornament in words and manners, the native sons and daughters typify the spirit of a premier port which took the lead in the progressive career of New Japan.
At the time Commodore Perry lay off Yokohama in 1853, it was a sleepy fishing village of less than 100 thatched houses. In fact, Yokohama as such was non-existent. It was at Kanagawa (now a part of the city of Yokohama), the second stage on the old Tokaido road, that the Shōgunate authorities met the American Commodore and conducted negotiations. But instead of the thriving Kanagawa which was to have been opened to foreign trade, Yokohama, the small and out-of-the-way village, was chosen. Thus, whatever be the present condition of affairs, the foundation of Yokohama was laid by a band of pioneer foreign merchants and their Japanese co-workers, of whom the present Yokohama represents the second or third generation.
View Yokohama from Nogeyama
Yokohama City Mount Fuji Photo Print
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The best point of vantage to view Yokohama from is Nogeyama, just behind Sakuragichō Station. It affords a fine view of the city and the harbor, and in itself is a charming little park, one of the city's favorite haunts. Hard by is Kamonyama, a hill adorned with cherry trees, on which stands the somewhat uncouth statue of Lord Ii, the courageous Prime Minister of the Shōgunate who opened the port to foreign intercourse in spite of the fiery opposition of the reactionary party. Below, in the busy, commercial and shopping district run the famous streets of Honchō, Motomachi, Benten-dōri and Isezakichō, which by day and night attract great throngs of shoppers, saunterers and amusement seekers, not only from the rest of the city but from districts far away, as far in fact as Tokyo on the one side and on the other, Kamakura, or even Hakone. They abound in department stores, theaters and amusement houses of all sorts dear to the hearts of youths and flappers. Yokohama's dance-halls are by no means the least of its attractions.
As Yokohama is an irresistible magnet to the numerous smaller towns lying around, the latter in their turn exercise the same magnetic power over Yokohama. It is the dream of all Yokohama boys and girls to spend their week-end at some spot among the rural scenery, away from the port's bustle, say, at Kamakura or Hakone. But Yokohama itself abounds in beautiful places, of which Negishi, with its famous race-course and golf links (near the Bluff), and Sugita plum garden (at the tramcar terminus of Sugita), Tsurumi (4.7 miles from Yokohama Station) with its Sojiji Temple and Kagetsuen Garden, are most frequently mentioned. In fact, one is advised to make a temporary home at Yokohama, from which to visit the cardinal centers of business and pleasure, for here there are complete facilities of communications over land and water, and the accommodation afforded by Japanese and foreign-style hotels of various grades is as good as the best anywhere. Yokohama has many sides, its serious dignified side, as in the upper walks of the Bluff, commanding a grand view of the land and seascape, and its hectic side as din the gaiety of Isezakichō and vicinity.
Yokohama 1923 Earthquakes
Every newcomer to Yokohama will be told the tragic story of 1923. The old Yokohama was wiped clean off the map. At the first shock of the earthquakes most of the weaker houses crashed to the ground, and the rest of the stronger houses were destroyed by the fires which broke out everywhere and raged for three days on end. Altogether 21,384 persons were killed, 278,388 (or 64 per cent. of the whole population) lost their homes, and ¥904,000,000 worth of property went up in smoke.
Of all this tragedy, however, one scarcely sees any trace today. Unless you go out of your way to look for them, you will never notice the scars of 1923. No former resident of Yokohama, who left it in the pre-Earthquake days, if he returned today, could believe that anything like such an earthquake had ever happened, and he would be greatly surprised to find many an improvement upon the old city: roads cleaner and wider, parks smarter and prettier, houses newer, taller and more prosperouslooking, and business brisker and haunts of pleasure gayer, and the people everywhere working as diligently and smiling as happily as ever they did. It all testifies to the dour enterprise of Yokohama's brave children. And Yokohama's spirit is the spirit of Japan, worthy of a city forming the doorway to her Empire.
Yokohama, Japan Photo Print
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Of all this tragedy, however, one scarcely sees any trace today. Unless you go out of your way to look for them, you will never notice the scars of 1923. No former resident of Yokohama, who left it in the pre-Earthquake days, if he returned today, could believe that anything like such an earthquake had ever happened, and he would be greatly surprised to find many an improvement upon the old city: roads cleaner and wider, parks smarter and prettier, houses newer, taller and more prosperouslooking, and business brisker and haunts of pleasure gayer, and the people everywhere working as diligently and smiling as happily as ever they did. It all testifies to the dour enterprise of Yokohama's brave children. And Yokohama's spirit is the spirit of Japan, worthy of a city forming the doorway to her Empire.
Yokohama, Japan Photo Print
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Great Japan Cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kobe, Yokohama, Nara
The inevitable process of urban centralization, which has become so evident in recent years is, comparatively speaking, not so pronounced in Japan as in some countries of Europe. One reason is that the population of Japan, principally agricultural, is dispersed all over the land in well-proportioned numbers, and each district with a radius of 10 or 20 miles, is sure to have an urban center of some pretension, so that the rural populations everywhere have little reason to miss city atmosphere. The trouble in Japan, if it is a trouble at all, is in the urbanization of rural districts rather than in the urban centralization of rural populations.
Kyoto: Small Street in the Restaurant and Bar Quarter Photographic Print
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One of the first geographical phrases our schoolboy learns is the "santo" (the three capital cities), namely, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. After these are pointed out the four interesting cities: Nagoya, Kobe, Yokohama, Nara, each of the latter not only being a notable modern city but having a character of its own, worth describing, as has already been done. There are other fine cities, following close upon the heels of the big seven. Some of them are hardly worthy of mention in a book like this, such, for example, as Yawata and Omuta of Kyūshū, which have attained the city status because of their coalmine and iron-works populations respectively. But there are others which either in age, in historic associations, or in natural beauty, justly rank with the big seven, but we have space to mention only their names, with their respective areas. They are:
Hiroshima (Area 26.9 sq. miles)
Fukuoka (Area 34.1 sq. miles)
Hakodate (Area 7.3 sq. miles)
Kure (Area 18.6 sq. miles)
Sendai (Area 33.8 sq. miles)
Sapporo (Area 9.3 sq. miles)
Kumamoto (Area 17.5 sq. miles)
Kanazawa (Area 7.0 sq. miles)
Otaru (Area 21.9 sq. miles)
Okayama (Area 18.3 sq. miles)
Kagoshima (Area 5.9 sq. miles)
Shizuoka (Area 23.3 sq. miles)
Saseho (Area 19.2 sq. miles)
Niigata (Area 7.8 sq. miles)
Sakai (Area 5.6 sq. miles)
Wakayama (Area 12.5 sq. miles)
Yokosuka (Area 13.2 sq. miles)
Hamamatsu (Area 5.9 sq. miles)
Moji (Area 16.0 sq. miles)
Shimonoseki (Area 6.0 sq. miles)
Kyoto: Small Street in the Restaurant and Bar Quarter Photographic Print
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One of the first geographical phrases our schoolboy learns is the "santo" (the three capital cities), namely, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. After these are pointed out the four interesting cities: Nagoya, Kobe, Yokohama, Nara, each of the latter not only being a notable modern city but having a character of its own, worth describing, as has already been done. There are other fine cities, following close upon the heels of the big seven. Some of them are hardly worthy of mention in a book like this, such, for example, as Yawata and Omuta of Kyūshū, which have attained the city status because of their coalmine and iron-works populations respectively. But there are others which either in age, in historic associations, or in natural beauty, justly rank with the big seven, but we have space to mention only their names, with their respective areas. They are:
Hiroshima (Area 26.9 sq. miles)
Fukuoka (Area 34.1 sq. miles)
Hakodate (Area 7.3 sq. miles)
Kure (Area 18.6 sq. miles)
Sendai (Area 33.8 sq. miles)
Sapporo (Area 9.3 sq. miles)
Kumamoto (Area 17.5 sq. miles)
Kanazawa (Area 7.0 sq. miles)
Otaru (Area 21.9 sq. miles)
Okayama (Area 18.3 sq. miles)
Kagoshima (Area 5.9 sq. miles)
Shizuoka (Area 23.3 sq. miles)
Saseho (Area 19.2 sq. miles)
Niigata (Area 7.8 sq. miles)
Sakai (Area 5.6 sq. miles)
Wakayama (Area 12.5 sq. miles)
Yokosuka (Area 13.2 sq. miles)
Hamamatsu (Area 5.9 sq. miles)
Moji (Area 16.0 sq. miles)
Shimonoseki (Area 6.0 sq. miles)
New York Skyscraper Workers Poster - Manhattan
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Giant Poster
Charles Ebbets
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RCA Building (GE Building) - Manhattan - New York Construction Workers eating lunch on a Crossbeam - 1930s Vintage Photograph
Vintage Nice France Travel Poster Print
Nice Vintage Travel Print
De'Hey
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Monte Carlo, Biarritz, Nice attract many northern Europeans, lucky enough to escape the damp, raw winters of their homes. In summer, also, many visitors enjoy the warm sunny days so rare in the North Sea countries.
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