Our Little Japanese Cousin — Part 3
After our little cousins have said their prayers and given their money, they go to a dance-hall in another part of the temple.
You know by this time that the Japanese like to enjoy themselves.
But isn't it a strange idea to have dancing, praying, and feasting in the same place?
The dancers are dressed like butterflies.
They have beautiful red and gold wings.
They are very graceful, but the music is unpleasant to us.
Toyo thinks it is fine, and wishes he could play as well.
Now for a good dinner in the restaurant in the next hall, for the boy's father has promised to treat his family to all the dainties of the season,--candied lotus-leaves, and everything they like best.
It is a happy day, and the children wish they could go to the temple oftener.
One morning not long after this, poor little Lotus Blossom woke up with a bad pain in her stomach.
Her face and hands were hot.
She was not able to get up and go to school.
Mamma felt very sad, and at once sent to ask the priest for something to make her little daughter well.
You say at once, "Is the priest in Japan a doctor?
And will he prepare medicine marked in some such way as this: 'One teaspoonful to be taken each hour?'
" No, indeed.
Lotus Blossom's mamma received from her queer physician two "moxas," with orders that one of them should be placed on the back of the sick child, and the other on her foot.
The direction of the priest was followed, although it made Lotus Blossom very unhappy.
I think you would not like it, if you were in her place, for a moxa makes a burn far worse than a mustard plaster does.
You know the punk that you use on the Fourth of July to light your firecrackers and fireworks?
The moxas are made of a certain kind of pith, and burn slowly just as the punk does.
The Japanese believe in the use of moxas for many things,--bad children, sickness, and I can't tell you what else.
The impolite boy I told you about, at the beginning of the story, was burned with a moxa, in such a way that he never forgot himself again.
As for fevers, why, the moxa is certain to drive away the bad spirits that cause them.
No doubt you wonder at it, as I do myself, but Lotus Blossom got well enough in two or three days to sit up and be dressed.
But she did not care for her dolls or games; she felt tired all the time.
Her loving and most honoured father said a change of air would do her good.
It would be well for her to spend some days at the house of an aunt who lived several miles out in the country.
Toyo was allowed to go, too.
How were they to get there?
In steam or electric cars?
What can you be thinking of to ask such questions?
Two jinrikishas were brought to the door; one was for Lotus Blossom and one for her brother.
Strong men were hired to draw them.
I wonder if you ever saw anything like a jin-riki-sha, or man-power-carriage, for that is what the word means.
They are very comfortable, much like baby-carriages, and are lined with soft cushions.
The men look strong and kind.
They are nearly naked, so that they can run easily and rapidly.
It will take only an hour to carry the children to their aunt's, if they do not stop on the way.
But there are so many things to see to-day that Lotus Blossom forgets all about her sickness and burns, and wants her runners to stop every few minutes to rest.
The children spend at least five minutes bidding their mother a proper good-bye.
Then, at the word, off they go, down "Dog" Street into "Turtle" Street.
There are no sidewalks, but they are not needed, for horses and wagons are rarely seen.
[Illustration: THE CANDY MAN.
] But look!
Here is a man standing in the middle of the street, dancing and singing a funny song.
The sober Japanese who are passing stop and laugh.
The man has a little stand by his side, and on this stand are a dish of wheat-gluten and a bamboo reed.
As Lotus Blossom and Toyo draw near, the man ends his song and calls out, "Now who wants me to blow him a candy dog?
Or shall it be a monkey eating a nut?
You, my most honoured little lady, want one surely."
This he said to Lotus Blossom, who was sitting up straight in the jinrikisha, full of interest.
She thought a moment or two, and then asked for a stork with wings spread out to fly.
She had hardly stopped speaking before the man seized a bamboo reed, dipped it in the sticky paste, and blowing now this way, now that, fashioned the graceful bird.
Pinching it here and there to make it more perfect, he put on some touches of colour from a box of paints.
It was wonderfully done.
Lotus Blossom gave him five yen for the candy toy, the runners took hold of the jinrikisha, and away the children went on their journey.
They came soon to another crowd of boys and girls gathered about a batter-cake man.
He had a little stand on which a pan of charcoal was burning.
A large griddle rested over the coal, and a tiny little urchin was standing on his tiptoes and baking cakes.
The man cut them out for him in pretty shapes.
See the pleasure on the youngster's face!
All this fun for ten yen, or one cent.
The other children watch him in envy.
As Toyo and Lotus Blossom draw near, the jinrikisha men make a place for them in the crowd, and Toyo jumps out to get a lunch.
He has the next turn, and so he asks the pleasant-faced man to cut his batter-cakes in the shape of turtles.
Lotus Blossom does not wish any, but lies back in her easy carriage under her pretty sunshade, and watches Toyo cook and eat them.
Umbrellas and sunshades are of the same material in Japan.
They are made of several layers of tough, strong paper, and will last a long time.
When they are worn out, they are thrown away just as the paper handkerchiefs are, and new ones are bought for a very small sum of money.
In stormy weather Lotus Blossom and Toyo not only carry umbrellas, but wear long capes of oiled paper to keep off the rain, while very poor people have coats made of grasses.
Funny looking things these are!
If you should see a man with one of them over his shoulders, and a queer mushroom-shaped hat on his head, you would feel like laughing, I know,--that is, if you had not already acquired some of the politeness of the Japanese themselves.
But let us return to Turtle Street and find out what is now attracting the attentions of our little cousins.
Would you believe it?
They can't be in very much of a hurry to get to aunty's, for they have stopped again.
You would also stop if you saw what they do.
A travelling street show is entertaining numbers of men, women, and children.
Babies are on the backs of some of them, laughing and crowing, too.
See that clever fellow in the middle.
He is making butterflies of coloured paper and blowing them up into the air.
He keeps them flying about, now in one direction, now in another, by waving his fan.
It seems as though they must be alive, he does this so cleverly.
That yellow butterfly is made to alight on a baby's hand.
Hear the little fellow crow with delight.
Another flies over Lotus Blossom's jinrikisha, and then, by the dexterous waving of the showman's fan, goes off in another direction before she can catch it.
[Illustration: AUNT OCHO'S GARDEN.
] After the butterfly show another man performs some wonderful tricks with a ladder.
He places the ladder upright on the ground without any support; he climbs it, rung by rung, keeping its balance all the time.
Finally he reaches the very top and stands on one foot, bowing and gracefully waving a fan.
There is not time to tell you all the wonderful feats of the Japanese.
Toyo and Lotus Blossom are delighted, although they have seen performances like these many times before.
But they must really hasten on their journey, for aunty will be expecting them, and it will soon be sunset.
In a few moments they leave the city behind and are out in the beautiful country.
They pass tea plantations.
The glossy green leaves are almost ready to pick.
See the man in that field, running wildly about, making hideous noises.
Is he crazy?
Our little cousins do not seem disturbed as they pass by, for he is only a hired scarecrow.
You remember that the people in Japan think it wrong to kill any living thing.
But there are great numbers of birds in the country which are likely to eat the crops and do much damage.
So men are hired to act as scarecrows and make noises to frighten the birds away.
At last Uncle Oto's rice plantation is reached.
The children draw up in front of a large, low house with wide verandas.
It is more beautiful than their own home.
The roof is magnificent with carvings, and must have cost a great deal of money.
It is the pride of Aunt Ocho.
The gardens contain the choicest plants and trees, besides a pond and an artificial waterfall.
Lotus Blossom and Toyo are sure of a good time and much fun.
They will have a great deal to tell their mamma when they return to their home.
