Our hostess led us to a pretty room on the first floor, made us take our places on some fine matting, and advised us to simplify our toilets. A Japanese always makes himself comfortable and at his ease before eating. The sash alone is indispensable other garments are accessories; he wears them or takes them off according to the season and the weather. The taste of the people is to aim at simplicity. They like to play, it is true they surround themselves very Often with heaps of superfluous objects but they are just as willing to do without them, if necessary and they have always all they need, for, whether in good or bad times, they are content with what comes within their reach. The dinner was excellent every kind of fish, raw, cut in slices, boiled, or broiled; a delicious fish soup various kinds of sweetmeats and at the end, a dish of vermicelli, made with a root of which I do not know the name; the whole being served in little porcelain cups, placed before each guest on a small lacquered tray resting on four legs.

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