the next day, or rather week, as it will take more than one day. Then if
it rains there will be no party. To-night it looks as if rain might
spoil the blossoms. But to-day was perfect. It is a little surprising
when one sees this famous garden after reading about Japanese gardens
for all one's life. There is such a large expanse of grass with no
flowers and the grass does not get green here so soon as with us, and it
is now all brown, though big masses of daffodils are superb. These under
the cherry trees with the sunshine shining through slantways made one of
the brilliant sights of a lifetime. The artificial lakes and rivers and
waterfall and the bridges and islands and hills with big birds walking
and swimming make enough to have come for to Japan. The groups of trees
are as fine as anything can be and across the long expanses the view of
them is like a succession of pictures. There are a hundred and
sixty-five acres in the park, no buildings. In the beginning it was
pretty well to one side of the city, but now it is on a car track of
much travel, though still on the outskirts on its outer edge.

On Monday we have arranged to go to the theater again at the Imperial.
To-day it is the great actor Ganjiro at a small theater. It is said the
jealousy of the Tokyo actors and managers keeps Ganjiro from getting a
fair chance when he comes here. Mr. T----, formerly of Chicago, has just
been here to try to arrange a dinner for us before we leave, the dinner
to be at a restaurant with all the old students present. The restaurants
are always amusing and we agreed, of course. This may keep us in Tokyo
one day longer, though that is not decided yet. For the rest of the time
we are to make up on calls as far as we can and ride about to see the
cherry blossoms, and I hope we may see some of the famous tea houses.
Thus far we have seen no tea house at all, and there is not one
afternoon tea house where ladies go in this city excepting the
new-fashioned department stores, and they do not stand for anything
different than they do with us. This shows how little the real ladies of
Tokyo go out of their houses.

The Sumida river is a big river gathering up all the small streams from
one side of the mountains. It is full of junks and other craft and is
the center of much history, both for Tokyo as a city and for the whole
country.

TOKYO, April 4.

Ganjiro, the greatest actor from Osaka, is acting here now, and the show
was