TOKYO
(formerly called Yedo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce. In 1894 a new treaty was signed with Great Britain by which extraterritoriality was abolished and the whole country opened to foreign trade and residence, the treaty to come into force in July, 1899, provided similar treaties were effected with the other Powers. This was done and extraterritoriality ceased to exist on August 4th, 1899.
CURRENCY
From October 1897, Japan placed her currency on a gold basis. The unit of value is a gold dollar weighing 8333 grammes and containing .75 grammes of fine gold. The conversion from silver to gold was effected at the ratio of 1 to 32.348. A scarcity of money available for mercantile purposes with a high rate of interest, was much felt during 1900.
EDUCATION
Education is very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are numerous Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Science, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several Female High Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Government. In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government of the Mikado has engaged many European professors, and also sent, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe.
TOKYO
The capital of Japan [until the Restoration called Yedo] is situated at the north of the Bay of Yedo, has a circumference of 27 miles, and covers a surface of nearly 36 square miles. The Sumida, or Okawa (Great River), runs through the city, dividing Tokyo proper from the districts on the east side called Honjo and Fukagawa.
Tokyo as viewed from the bay is a pleasant-looking city, being well situated on undulating ground, and possessing abundant foliage. The city is divided into fifteen grand divisions, and its suburbs into six divisions. It is in fact more like an aggregation of towns than one great city. The Castle of Tokyo occupies a commanding position on a hill a little to the westward of the centre of the city. It is enclosed in double walls, and surrounded by a fine broad moat. Within the Castle formerly stood the Imperial Palace and several public offices, but the destructive fire of the 3rd of April, 1872, levelled these ancient and massive buildings, leaving only the surrounding lofty turrets and walls. A new Palace on the old site has been constructed, and the Mikado took up his residence there in January, 1889. The Imperial Garden called Fukiage is situated within the enclosure of the Castle. It is tastefully laid out in the pure native style, and contains fine forest trees, rare and beautiful plants of all kinds, a large pond, cascades, &c., and is most carefully kept. This fine garden well repays inspection, and admission can be obtained by visitors with orders granted by the Department of the Imperial Household.
Between the Castle and the outer walls, a large area was formerly occupied by the numerous palaces of the Daimios, but nearly all these feudal erections have now given place to smart brick or stone buildings, used as Public Offices, Barracks, Government Schools, &c., so that at the present time very few of the Daimios' palaces remain to illustrate what old Yedo was like in the time of the Shogunate. Some of those that remain, near the Castle, have been converted into Government Offices. They are large long buildings of a single high storey, plain but substantial, with no pretensions to architecture, but interesting as reminiscences of feudal Japan.
The remaining portion of the city outside the walls is very densely inhabited, and may be called the commercial district of Tokyo. 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 Ginza, is lined with newly built brick buildings in the European style; the road is wide and well kept, the pavement broad and planted with trees on either side. As it is in close contiguity to the principal railway station, it is always very animated and thronged with vehicles and foot passengers.
The north end of the main street leads to the new public park or garden named Uyeno, which was formerly occupied by the magnificent Temple founded and main- tained by the Shoguns, and which was destroyed by fire during the war of Restoration in
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