化 境 神 似

At 8 am on the 21st, the ship docked at Yokohama harbor, and the Japanese came aboard to do a health check. This time was more rigorous than at Kobe; all of the passengers had to line up and the Japanese official counted us off, like he was reviewing troops. He ended up counting three times. Chinese passports were still not checked. By the time we reached the shore it was already 10:00; Ms. Matsumoto was waiting there on the pier with another person. So we got together and went ashore. From there we walked to the station. This was the station in the town of Sakuragi rather than the main Yokohama station. A third class ticket to Tokyo was 88 coins round trip; it was an electric tram, but each train contained many cars. The tracks were several levels high, and it took 45 minutes to reach our destination. There was also a train from Yokohama to Tokyo that used the same ticket as the electric tram. They ran on the same rails, but the station was smaller and the trains didn't run as frequently, so it wasn't as convenient as the tram. When we got off, there were eight cars waiting, each of which held one or two Japanese (or Chinese residing in Japan) who pointed out everything on the way. I was in a car with Ms. Matsumoto; the car was her uncle's, while the other cars were borrowed from the Youth Association or private individuals. Ms. Matsumoto said that she had first thought that the cars would be able to go out to the pier in the morning, so the original plans had been more extensive. It was already noon, however, so we had no choice but to cut down on the number of places we could visit. The other places were not as easy to sightsee. At this time the cars were passing through the palace district and the Hibiya Garden. After a moment we went on to Shiba to see the Zozoji, the Tokugawa family temple. To enter we had to remove our shoes. Then we went to Keio University for a brief look around. Attached to the university was the home of the son of the founder Fukuzawa Yukichi. Next it was on to the Chinese Youth Association, and those of us with letters brought them out and asked the association to mail them. Back in the car, we passed the Imperial University and reached the Peace Exposition. It had been running for three months and would close in another month. It was divided into several different halls. We first visited the Women's Youth Association, where they had prepared lunch for us. Playing host were women who had previously come to Qinghua as representatives during the World Christian Student Conference. Lunch was a simple western-style meal, after which the hosts made some formal remarks. By then it was already 3 pm. After a short rest we departed to the various exhibits at the expo. It was large and time was short - we nearly were running from place to place, so the experience was like trying to appreciate flowers while on the back of a galloping horse. Leaving the exposition, we got back in the cars to go to the Youth Association for a short rest, and then it was off to a nearby Japanese restaurant to attend a Youth Association-hosted Japanese-style banquet. All the dishes were Japanese and we ate in the Japanese style. During the banquet, a Japanese member of the Association, Mr. So-and-so, formally welcomed us. (Japanese names are easy to remember if you see them written, but difficult to understand if you only hear them. For an example, "Yokohama" is called "Summer kudzu frog" 夏葛虾蟆 in Japanese, and Matsumoto is "Horse ancestor wood" 马祖木头.) Following that, I represented our group by speaking in response. Apart from this, three Japanese and one American also spoke. That evening five students stayed in Tokyo, while the other students and I followed Ms. Matsumoto back to Yokohama to stay aboard ship.

After breakfast on the 22nd, eight other students and I went back to Tokyo with Ms. Matsumoto. Along the way there were those who proposed going to the Museum, while others wanted first to go shopping - no decision was reached. When we reached Tokyo it was already 11:00. Ms. Matsumoto said that the museum was too far and too extensive; time was too tight, so if we went we would not be able to see much. It would be better to go shopping at the Mitsukoshi department store. Or perhaps it was that the museum had objects commemorating the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, and for this reason Ms. Matsumoto was unwilling to lead us there. I had arranged a departure time of 3 pm with the ship; looking at the map, the museum was certainly not close to the station, and since there were three or four of us who could not miss out on shopping, we set aside our hopes of going to the museum. Before long we were at the Mitsukoshi department store. Going inside we did not need to remove our shoes; rather, we were given cloth shoes to wear over our leather ones. The shop had seven levels; I believe it was the largest department store in Tokyo. In addition to an elevator, there was also an "automatic staircase." It looked like a regular staircase, but standing on it one could go up or down without taking any steps. (This is what is called an "escalator" in Shanghai's No. 1 Department Store today). The clerks were exceedingly polite, bowing repeatedly even when we did not buy anything - this is something that many stores in Shanghai cannot claim. We went to every department and looked over everything, occasionally buying an item or two. At noon we left. At that time the shop offered a free bus to the station for customers. From there we took the train and tram to Yokohama, and when we got to the ship it was already 2:00. The ship set sail at 3:00. On this trip there were eighteen members of a Japanese firm traveling to South America on an inspection tour, and they had many people present to send them off. When the ship left the pier, the air was full of colored streamers. It was quite exciting.

On August 1st I awoke at 5:00. The ship was about to enter port and we had to undergo a health inspection. After the doctor had made his count, the ship entered port. At 7:00 we had breakfast, and by the time we finished the ship had already moored at the pier. Our passports had transit visas for Canada alongside the stamp of the British Embassy, so we were able to go ashore in Victoria. There were cars on the shore that would take you touring, one hour round trip, for US $1 per person. At 8:00 we went ashore, and at 9:00 we were back on the ship. This was an island, and the road was alternately hilly and flat. Trees and plants were everywhere, and the air was fresh beyond words. The city was not large, but it had streetcars and I heard that there were 50 police officers. The cars drove on the right and could stop at will. There was absolutely no sound of horns. After I got back on the ship, I learned that the city had a "Chinatown" (typically called "Street of the Tang People"), through which only our car had not passed. At 9:30 the ship continued on. Victoria was only 60 miles from Seattle, but the route was circuitous and the ship slow, so it was 3 pm when we finally arrived.

(待续)

(originally posted on 2005.03.16)