Directory_and_Chronicle_1884 — Page 252

TOKIO.

479

480

palaces remain to illustrate what old Yedo was like in the time of the Shogunate They were, however, large plain long buildings of a single high storey, ordinarily whitewashed, and without any pretensions to architecture.

The remaining portion of the city outside the walls is very densely inhabited, and may be called the commercial district of Tokio. It has a circumference of 24 miles and covers an area of about 29 square miles. The most important part of the business quarter is on the east of the Castle, and is traversed by a main street running from the north to the south-west under different names. A considerable length of this thoroughfare, which is called Guinza, is lined with newly built brick buildings in the European style; the road is wide and well paved, and planted with trees on either side. As it is in close contiguity to the railway station, it is always Tery animated and thronged with vehicles and foot passengers.

The north end of the main street leads to the new public park or garden named Ureno, which was formerly occupied by the magnificent Temple founded and main tained by the Shoguns, and which was destroyed by fire during the revolution in July, 1868. In these grounds the Industrial Exhibition of 1877 was erected, when the gardens were at great expense converted into a public pleasure resort by the Government. The second exhibition was held on the same site, in March, 1882, under the superintendence of a prince of the Imperial family. It is intended to hold one of these exhibitions every four years. It was in the Uveno Garden that the Mikado and General Grant were entertained by the citizens of Tokio in the summer of 1879, on a scale of magnificence unprecedented in the annals of the city.

Among the places much resorted to by visitors is the ancient temple of Quannon, at Asakusa, not far from Uyeno, one of the most beautiful, most venerated, and most frequented temples in Japan. The temple is elevated about 20 feet from the ground. A grand flight of steps gives access to the interior. There is a chief altar at the extreme end of the temple, with side chapels at its right and left, containing a great number of wooden images, which, with the “glory" round their heads, resemble the images of Catholic saints. The interior of the temple is not very large, and is not so conspicuous for cleanliness as most of the public buildings in Japan. At the right of the temple there is a fine old Pagoda, and near it two colossal stone statues. A new park was also opened close to the temple, about the same time as that of Uyeno. Thus, with Shiba in the South West, where are to be seen some of the splendid shrines of the Shoguns, there are three large public gardens within the city. The buildings which are called the Temple of Confucius were formerly the University of Tokio, but this has been superseded since the Restoration by the Tokio Dai-gaku-kö (Tokio University), and other schools in which Foreign instructors are employed. There were altogether 1,275 temple in Tokio in 1880, some of which are fine edifices.

The districts of Honjo and Fukagawa form the quiet portion of the capital. This quarter is connected with Tokio proper by five great bridges, some of which are constructed of stone and some of wood. They are called, commencing on the north, Adsuina Bashi, Umaya Bashi, Riogokn Bashi, Phashi, and Yeitai Bashi respectively. The quay on the banks of the Sumida forms a spacious and handsome street, and may be especially recommended to a traveller who has only a few days to spend in Tokio. In passing along the quay, he will see across the stream several fine temples and great buildings which stand on the western bank of the Great River, and he may get at the same time a very good idea of the animated river-life of the Sumida, whose waters are always covered with junks and boats of all descriptions.

A great part of the remaining area forming the district North of the Castle is covered by paddy fields, in the midst of which rise picturesquely situated houses. There are also extensive pleasure gardens, such as Aska-yama, and neat little villages. The surface covered by paddy fields and pleasure gardens may be estimated at 4 square miles. The part West of the Castle contains fifty temples, and a number of nobles' palaces. The district on the South of the Castle, with an area of about of 17 square miles, contains al-out sixty temples. The most remarkable among them is the Tera of Meguro. In this part of Tokio is situated the Mausoleum of the Shoguns, surrounded by several temples.

ľ

!

T

i

TOKIO.

Several great fires have during the last few years swept Tokio, more especially that of April, 1872, which led to great improvements and the widening of the streets, Rows of fine houses in brick and stone, and new bridges, in many cases of iron or stone, have been built, and the city has in many portions been thoroughly modernised. The main streets and those adjacent to them are lighted with gas. Lines of telegraph, amounting in all to 200 miles, connect the various parts of the city A terrific fire occurred on the with one another, and with the country lines. 26th December, 1879, when upwards of 11,000 houses were destroyed. This was followed on the 4th February, 1880, by another fire, involving the destruc- tion of 2,500 buildings. Several great fires occurred early in 1881. The streets are in general broad and well kept, and improvements attend the work of reconstruction after each conflagration. But as the city is in a transition state, it necessarily presents many strange anomalies. Side by side with lofty stone buildings stand rows of rude wooden bouses. As with the buildings so with the people; while the mass still wear the native dress, numbers appear in European costume, and the soldiers are dressed in uniform on the Western model. The environs of Tokio are very picturesque and offer a great variety of pleasant walks or rides. Foreigners cannot do better than spend their leisure hours in rambling over the country. The finest scenery is at the northern and western sides of the city, where the country is surrounded by beautiful hills, from which there is a distant view of the noble mountains of Hakone, while beyond rises in solitary grandeur the towering peak of Fusi-yama, covered with snow throughout the year. The population of Tokio and its suburbs was, according to the official census of 1881, 1,164,181, of whom 597,637, were males and 566,544 females. The foreign residents were estimated in 1881 at 634, of whom 519 were in Government or Japanese employ.

The native Press is represented by 107 newspapers, several of which are dailies. Among them the Nichi Nichi Shimbun, the Hochi Shimbun, the Choya Shimbun, the Jiji Shimpo, and the Akebono Shimbun take the lead. Several others are class organs, and two journals, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Kanayomy Shim bun, are the advocates of woman's rights. There are also several comic journals and illustrated papers.

There are 1,225 schools of different classes, including one university, having an aggregate attendance of both sexes of 138,332, of w hom 70,513 are boys and 87,819 girls, according to the official census of 1881.

Legations. BRITISH Koji-machi.

DIRECTORY.

Hon. F. R. Plunkett, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, and Con- sul-General (absent)

Hon. P. Le Poer Trench, secretary of

Legation and Chargé d'Affaires Hon. L. G. Greville, 2nd secretary Ernest M. Satow, C.M.G., Japanese secre-

tary (absent)

J. H Gubbins, acting Japanese secretary J. J. Quio, vice-consul (absent)

J. H. Longford, acting vice-consul and

chancelier

B. de B. Layard, A. E. Wileman, A. M.

Chalmers, student interpreters Montague Kirkwood, legal adviser

E. Baclz, medical officer Rev. I-aac Taylor, chaplain Ogita Masaichi, linguist

Consulate. (Koji-macb.)

J. H. Longford, acting vice-consul E. Dillon, constable

Legation Mounted Escort.

P. Peacock, inspector Alex. Aberdeiö, sergeant

F-ENCO.

A. Sienkewicz, Euroy Extraordinary and Nagata-cho, Ni-cho-me.

Comte R. de Viel Castel, 2nd secretary

Minister Plenipotentiary

Captain Bongoin, attaché militaire Dautremer, 2nd interprete