background. When they
told me first that this was a great psychological moment, that
everything was critical and crucial, I didn't know what they meant, and
I could hardly put it in words now, any more than they did, but I know
inside of me. There are few external signs of a change, but Japan is
nearly in the condition she was in during the first years of contact and
opening up of things fifty or so years ago, so far as the mental
readiness for change is concerned, and the next few years may see rapid
social changes.

NARA, April 12.

Well, we have started on our journey and have seen Japan for the first
time, scenically speaking, that is to say. The first day's ride from
Tokyo to Nagoya was interesting, but not particularly so except for
Fuji, which we saw off and on for several hours, and on three sides. As
sometimes it isn't visible, and we had a fine warm day, we had good
luck. Nagoya is where the best old castle in Japan is, you may even in
your benighted country and estate have heard of the two golden dolphins
on top. The castle is an imperial palace and it turned out that you have
to have a permit from Tokyo, but we set out to try to get in, and as we
had met a nice young man at the X----'s in Tokyo who came from Nara, we
telephoned him, and while we didn't get in through him (he said he could
never get in himself under any circumstances) he promptly asked us to
dinner. Then we were taken to the swellest tea house in Nara and had
another of those elaborate dinners, on what he called the tea-istic
plan. We began with the tea ceremony without the ceremony but with the
powdered tea, the bowl being prepared for each one separately in
succession. The Nara cooking is better, we all thought, than the Tokyo,
the food being more savory and the variety of flavors greater, an
opinion which pleased our host. Expressing some curiosity about some
four-inch trout which seemed to have a sugar caramel coating, we found
that they were cooked in a kind of liquor which deposited the sweetness,
and then we were presented with a bottle of the drink known as Mirin, so
now we are lugging glassware. Then after the dinner he said that he
hoped that we would not think him guilty of improper action, but that he
had invited the best samisen player and singer in Nagoya, and also some
dancers. In other words, some geishas were introduced and sang, played
and danced before King David. There are all grades from those comparable
to cho