e helm, while three men with long ropes
attached to the vessel run along the rocky shore, pulling with all their
strength. The bed of the river is rocky. Artificial improvements have
been made rendering the channel more navigable, but the weirdness of the
scene is heightened by the flashes of lightning and the low,
reverberating thunder claps that were followed by slight rain. The boat
trembles and bends before the fury of the waters. We are assured that
the pilot is skillful and an accident is the exception. We land at
Arashizama and resume our jinrikisha ride to Kiota.

Alternate days are spent in the shops. We find jade to be an expensive
article. The stone is very difficult to carve, hence its value. The pale
green in color is most desirable; a cup of cornelian red, very tiny, was
145 yen; a small figure of a lion, beautifully carved, 175 yen. There is
a superstition among the natives of Japan and China that anklets or
bracelets of jade keep off the evil eye.

We next visit Nara, the holy city. It is not to-day a tenth of its
former size, as it is no longer the imperial seat of government.
Situated at the foot of a range of mountains are beautiful groves,
through which wind broad avenues, shaded by the cryptomeria trees.
Temples are hid away in sequestered spots; in one of these the sacred
rite of an ancient dance is kept up by priestesses. For a stated fee you
can have it executed. The dress worn is of ancient type and bears the
Wisteria crest of the Hasaga temple. These dancers wear a white,
expressionless mask; their movements, together with the doleful music
furnished by the priests with kotos, pipes and drums, make you feel well
satisfied with a brief performance, the tune suggesting Watts' "Hark
from the tombs, the doleful sound," etc. Here we meet crowds of pilgrims
enjoying the beautiful groves with old trunks of trees covered with
camellias, wisterias, plum and wild ivy, which are the marvels of the
place. The great bell, thirteen feet high, containing thirty-six tons of
copper, an image of Buddha, fifty-three feet in height, and a museum
erected and sustained by the government are the chief attractions of
Nara. Together with the Temple of Taconda, with its fine wood carvings
and its beautiful little lake near by, with shoals of speckled fish
which are fed daily for the entertainment of visitors. Our inn was
strictly Japanese. The apartment set aside for us was partitioned into
rooms by mosquito netting. I