JAPAN AND

87. Japan and its People.

To-day we will visit the homes of the little
yellow people who live on the islands east of Asia.

The girls and boys of Japan have round faces,
bright black eyes and pearly teeth.
‘They often have ruddy cheeks, though
their skin is brownish yellow.

It will puzzle you at first to know
which are boys, for they dress nearly
like girls. Look closely and you will
gee that the boys’ heads are shaved
almost bare, while the girls’
hair is twisted into all sorts
of odd shapes.

ITS PEOPLE.

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Then there is the “flag day” for boys. On
this day every boy plays with a set of dolls
dressed like soldiers. Here are armies of dolls,

with flags, guns, swords, cannon and pretty
uniforms.

At this time the boys hear many
stories about
the great war-
riors of their
land.

The streets
are lined with
shops in which
toys are sold.
Here is a man
on. a street cor-

 
  
 
 
 
 

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us look inside one of them.
It is used as a pocket, and
here are dolls, tops, small
kites and many other toys.
How should you like to wear
a pair of their shoes? They
are simply wooden soles tied
on with strings. ‘These shoes
are not worn in the house, but
are slipped. off at the door.

The fathers and mothers of
Japan do a great deal to make
the children happy. You.
should be there on the day
which is set apart for the
“feast of the dolls.”

Every girl has a set of
dolls. Perhaps her mother
used some of them years ago,
but they are very pretty.
Here is one that looks like
the Mikado, or ruler of
Japan. This one looks like
his wife, and there are many
other dolls like the nobles and ladies of high rank.

Each set of dolls has a full outfit for house-
keeping. Here are tiny wooden pillows, soft
mats and tea sets. On this happy day the whole
land is alive with dolls.

 

Scenes in Japan.

animals out of
rice paste. The boys and
girls crowd around and call
out the names, as soon as they
guess what he is making.
They know the monkey, wolf,
bear and many other animals
that are found in Japan, but
they do not know the sheep.
This man has an oven
which he rents ‘to boys and
girls. He gives them batter,
and they cook and eat their
own little cakes. If you do
not like battercakes, he will
sell you a cake that is cov-
ered with seaweed and fish.
Have you found out what
the girls in the picture have
on their backs? ‘They wish
to play, but there are little
babies at home who must be
cared for. The girls tie the
babies upon their backs, and
are soon playing just as hard as the other children.
Shall we enter one of the houses? . It is made
of bamboo, and has very wide eaves. See the paper !
paper windows, paper doors, paper fans, lanterns,
hats, cups, cloaks, napkins and many other things.