Unbeaten Tracks in Japan:
The Firsthand Experiences of a British Woman in Outback Japan in 1878


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Map: Isabella's Route

Foreword: Reading between the Lines

List of Illustrations

Preface

Letter One
First View of Japan. A Vision of Fujisan.
Japanese Sampans. “Pullman Cars.”
Undignified Locomotion. Paper Money. The
Drawbacks of Japanese Travelling.

Letter Two
Sir Harry Parkes. An “Ambassador's
Carriage.” Cart Coolies.

Letter Three
Yedo and Tokiyo. The Yokohama Railroad.
The Effect of Misfits. The Plain of Yedo. Personal
Peculiarities. First Impressions of Tokiyo.
H.B.M.'s Legation. An English Home.

Letter Four
“John Chinaman.” Engaging a Servant. First
Impressions of Ito. A Solemn Contract.
The Food Question.

Letter Five
Kwan-non Temple. Uniformity of Temple
Architecture. A Kuruma Expedition. A Perpetual
Festival. The Ni-o. The Limbo of Vanity. Heathen
Prayers. Binzuru. A Group of Devils. Archery
Galleries. New Japan. An Elegante.

Letter Six
Fears. Travelling Equipments. Passports.
Coolie Costume. A Yedo Diorama. Rice-Fields. Tea-
Houses. A Traveller's Reception. The Inn at
Kasukabe. Lack of Privacy. A Concourse of Noises.
A Nocturnal Alarm. A Vision of Policemen.
A Budget from Yedo.

Letter Six (Continued)
A Coolie Falls Ill. Peasant Costume. Varieties
in Threshing. The Tochigi Yadoya. Farming
Villages. A Beautiful Region. An In Memoriam
Avenue. A Doll's Street. Nikko.
The Journey's End. Coolie Kindliness.

Letter Seven
A Japanese Idyll. Musical Stillness.
My Rooms. Floral Decorations. Kanaya and
His Household. Table Equipments.

Letter Eight
The Beauties of Nikko. The Burial of Iyeyasu.
The Approach to the Great Shrines.
The Yomei Gate. Gorgeous Decorations. Simplicity
of the Mausoleum. The Shrine of Iyemitsu.
Religious Art of Japan and India.
An Earthquake. Beauties of Wood-carving.

Letter Nine
A Japanese Pack-Horse and Pack-Saddle. Yadoya
and Attendant. A Native Watering-Place.
The Sulphur Baths. A “Squeeze.”

Letter Ten
Peaceful Monotony. A Japanese School. A Dismal
Ditty. Punishment. A Children's Party. A Juvenile
Belle. Female Names. A Juvenile Drama. Needlework.
Calligraphy. Arranging Flowers. Kanaya. Daily
Routine. An Evening's Entertainment.
Planning Routes. The God-shelf.

Letter Ten (Continued)
Darkness Visible. Nikko Shops. Girls and Matrons.
Night and Sleep. Parental Love.
Childish Docility. Hair-dressing. Skin Diseases.

Letter Ten (Completed)
Shops and Shopping. The Barber's Shop. A Paper
Waterproof. Ito's Vanity. Preparations for the
Journey. Transport and Prices. Money
and Measurements.

Letter Eleven
Comfort Disappears. Fine Scenery. An Alarm. A
Farm-house. An Unusual Costume. Bridling a
Horse. Female Dress and Ugliness. Babies.
My Mago. Beauties of the Kinugawa. Fujihara.
My Servant. Horse-shoes. An absurd Mistake.

Letter Twelve
A Fantastic Jumble. The “Quiver” of Poverty. The
Water-shed. From Bad to Worse. The Rice Planter's
Holiday. A Diseased Crowd. Amateur Doctoring.
Want of Cleanliness. Rapid Eating.
Premature Old Age.

Letter Twelve (Concluded)
A Japanese Ferry. A Corrugated Road. The Pass of
Sanno. Various Vegetation. An Unattractive
Undergrowth. Preponderance of Men.

Letter Thirteen
The Plain of Wakamatsu. Light Costume. The
Takata Crowd. A Congress of Schoolmasters.
Timidity of a Crowd. Bad Roads. Vicious Horses.
Mountain Scenery. A Picturesque Inn. Swallowing
a Fish-bone. Poverty and Suicide. An Inn-kitchen.
England Unknown! My Breakfast Disappears.

Letter Fourteen
An Infamous Road. Monotonous Greenery.
Abysmal Dirt. Low Lives. The Tsugawa Yadoya.
Politeness. A Shipping Port. A “Barbarian Devil.”

Letter Fifteen
A Hurry. The Tsugawa Packet-boat. Running the
Rapids. Fantastic Scenery. The River-life.
Vineyards. Drying Barley. Summer Silence. The
Outskirts of Niigata. The Church Mission House.

Letter Sixteen
Abominable Weather. Insect Pests. Absence of
Foreign Trade. A Refractory River.
Progress. The Japanese City. Water Highways.
Niigata Gardens. Ruth Fyson. The Winter
Climate. A Population in Wadding.

Letter Seventeen
The Canal-side at Niigata. Awful Loneliness.
Courtesy. Dr. Palm's Tandem. A Noisy Matsuri. A
Jolting Journey. The Mountain Villages. Winter
Dismalness. An Out-of-the-world Hamlet. Crowded
Dwellings. Riding a Cow. “Drunk and Disorderly.”
An Enforced Rest. Local Discouragements. Heavy
Loads. Absence of Beggary. Slow Travelling.

Letter Eighteen
Comely Kine. Japanese Criticism on a Foreign
Usage. A Pleasant Halt. Renewed Courtesies. The
Plain of Yonezawa. A Curious Mistake. The
Mother's Memorial. Arrival at Komatsu. Stately
Accommodation. A Vicious Horse. An Asiatic
Arcadia. A Fashionable Watering-place.
A Belle. “Godowns.”

Letter Nineteen
Prosperity. Convict Labour. A New Bridge.
Yamagata. Intoxicating Forgeries. The Government
Buildings. Bad Manners. Snow Mountains.
A Wretched Town.

Letter Twenty
The Effect of a Chicken. Poor Fare. Slow
Travelling. Objects of Interest. Kak'ke. The Fatal
Close. A Great Fire. Security of the Kuras.

Letter Twenty (Continued)
Lunch in Public. A Grotesque Accident. Police
Inquiries. Man or Woman? A Melancholy Stare.
A Vicious Horse. An Ill-favoured Town.
A Disappointment. A Torii.

Letter Twenty (Concluded)
A Casual Invitation. A Ludicrous Incident.
Politeness of a Policeman. A Comfortless Sunday.
An Outrageous Irruption. A Privileged Stare.

Letter Twenty-one
The Necessity of Firmness. Perplexing Misrepresentations.
Gliding with the Stream. Suburban Residences.
The Kubota Hospital. A Formal Reception.
The Normal School.

Letter Twenty-two
A Silk Factory. Employment for Women. A Police
Escort. The Japanese Police Force.

Letter Twenty-three
“A Plague of Immoderate Rain.” A Confidential
Servant. Ito's Diary. Ito's Excellences. Ito's Faults.
Prophecy of the Future of Japan. Curious Queries.
Superfine English. Economical Travelling. The
Japanese Pack-horse Again.

Letter Twenty-four
The Symbolism of Seaweed. Afternoon Visitors. An
Infant Prodigy. A Feat in Calligraphy. Child
Worship. A Borrowed Dress. A Trousseau. House
Furniture. The Marriage Ceremony.

Letter Twenty-five
A Holiday Scene. A Matsuri. Attractions of the
Revel. Matsuri Cars. Gods and Demons. A Possible
Harbour. A Village Forge. Prosperity of Sake
Brewers. A “Great Sight.”

Letter Twenty-six
The Fatigues of Travelling. Torrents and Mud.
Ito's Surliness. The Blind Shampooers. A Supposed
Monkey Theatre. A Suspended Ferry. A Difficult
Transit. Perils on the Yonetsurugawa. A Boatman
Drowned. Nocturnal Disturbances. A Noisy
Yadoya. Storm-bound Travellers. Hai! Hai! More
Nocturnal Disturbances.

Letter Twenty-seven
Good-tempered Intoxication. The Effect of Sunshine.
A Tedious Altercation. Evening Occupations.
Noisy Talk. Social Gatherings. Unfair Comparisons.

Letter Twenty-eight
Torrents of Rain. An Unpleasant Detention.
Devastations Produced by Floods. The Yadate Pass.
The Force of Water. Difficulties Thicken. A
Primitive Yadoya. The Water Rises.

Letter Twenty-eight (Continued)
Scanty Resources. Japanese Children. Children's
Games. A Sagacious Example. A Kite
Competition. Personal Privations.

Letter Twenty-nine
Hope Deferred. Effects of the Flood. Activity of the
Police. A Ramble in Disguise. The Tanabata
Festival. Mr. Satow's Reputation.

Letter Thirty
A Lady's Toilet. Hair-dressing. Paint and
Cosmetics. Afternoon Visitors. Christian Converts.

Letter Thirty-one
A Travelling Curiosity. Rude Dwellings. Primitive
Simplicity. The Public Bath-house.

Letter Thirty-two
A Hard Day's Journey. An Overturn. Nearing the
Ocean. Joyful Excitement. Universal Greyness.
Inopportune Policemen. A Stormy Voyage. A Wild
Welcome. A Windy Landing. The Journey's End.

Letter Thirty-three
Form and Colour. A Windy Capital.
Eccentricities in House Roofs.

Letter Thirty-four
Ito's Delinquency. “Missionary Manners.”
A Predicted Failure.

Letter Thirty-five
A Lovely Sunset. An Official Letter. A “Front
Horse.” Japanese Courtesy. The Steam Ferry. Coolies
Abscond. A Team of Savages. A Drove of Horses.
Floral Beauties. An Unbeaten Track. A Ghostly
Dwelling. Solitude and Eeriness.

Letter Thirty-five (Continued)
The Harmonies of Nature. A Good Horse. A
Single Discord. A Forest. Aino Ferrymen. “Les
Puces! Les Puces!.” Baffled Explorers. Ito's
Contempt for Ainos. An Aino Introduction.

Letter Thirty-six
Savage Life. A Forest Track. Cleanly Villages.
A Hospitable Reception. The Chief's Mother.
The Evening Meal. A Savage Seance.
Libations to the Gods. Nocturnal Silence.
Aino Courtesy. The Chief's Wife.

Letter Thirty-six (Continued)
A Supposed Act of Worship. Parental Tenderness.
Morning Visits. Wretched Cultivation. Honesty
and Generosity. A “Dug-out.” Female Occupations.
The Ancient Fate. A New Arrival. A Perilous
Prescription. The Shrine of Yoshitsune.
The Chief's Return.

Letter Thirty-seven
Barrenness of Savage Life. Irreclaimable Savages.
The Aino Physique. Female Comeliness. Torture
and Ornament. Child Life. Docility and Obedience.

Letter Thirty-seven (Continued)
Aino Clothing. Holiday Dress. Domestic
Architecture. Household Gods. Japanese Curios.
The Necessaries of Life. Clay Soup. Arrow Poison.
Arrow Traps. Female Occupations.
Bark Cloth. The Art of Weaving.

Letter Thirty-seven (Continued)
A Simple Nature-Worship. Aino Gods. A Festival
Song. Religious Intoxication. Bear-Worship. The
Annual Saturnalia. The Future State.
Marriage and Divorce. Musical Instruments.
Etiquette. The Chieftainship. Death and
Burial. Old Age. Moral Qualities.

Letter Thirty-eight
A Parting Gift. A Delicacy. Generosity. A Seaside
Village. Pipichari's Advice. A Drunken Revel. Ito's
Prophecies. The Kocho's Illness. Patent Medicines.

Letter Thirty-nine
A Welcome Gift. Recent Changes. Volcanic Phenomena.
Interesting Tufa Cones. Semi-strangulation.
A Fall into a Bear-trap. The Shiraoi
Ainos. Horsebreaking and Cruelty.

Letter Thirty-nine (Continued)
The Universal Language. The Yezo
Corrals. A “Typhoon Rain.” Difficult
Tracks. An Unenviable Ride. Drying
Clothes. A Woman's Remorse.

Letter Forty
“More than Peace.” Geographical
Difficulties. Usu-taki. Swimming the
Osharu. A Dream of Beauty.
A Sunset Effect. A Nocturnal Alarm.
The Coast Ainos.

Letter Forty (Continued)
The Sea-shore. A “Hairy Aino.”
A Horse Fight. The Horses of Yezo.
“Bad Mountains.” A Slight Accident.
Magnificent Scenery. A Bleached
Halting-Place. A Musty Room.
Aino “Good-breeding.”

Letter Forty-one
A Group of Fathers. The Lebunge Ainos.
The Salisburia adiantifolia. A Family
Group. The Missing Link. Oshamambe.
Disorderly Horses. The River Yurapu.
The Seaside. Aino Canoes. The Last
Morning. Dodging Europeans.

Letter Forty-two
Pleasant Last Impressions.
The Japanese Junk. Ito Disappears.
My Letter of Thanks.

Letter Forty-three
Pleasant Prospects. A Miserable
Disappointment. Caught in a Typhoon.
A Dense Fog. Alarmist Rumours.
A Welcome at Tokiyo.
The Last of the Mutineers.

Letter Forty-four
Fine Weather. Cremation in Japan. The
Governor of Tokiyo. An Awkward
Question. An Insignificant Building.
Economy in Funeral Expenses.
Simplicity of the Cremation Process.
The Last of Japan.

Index