Page:Japanese Physical Training (Hancock).djvu/115

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Fresh Air as a Vitaliser
79

room. The Japanese will be found with enough clothing on to keep himself warm; if he understands the idiosyncrasies of the white man he will considerately rise and close the window during the period of the visit.

"Night air" is never considered as being injurious. The industrious Japanese, who toil through the day, revel in the after-dark atmosphere. This is their time of social enjoyment, in which the poorest share. Outside of the cities, where the poor enjoy rural life, the members of a family may be seen promenading with little or no clothing. The dew may fall, but no member of the family rushes into the house for a wrap. The bare feet pass freely through the grass, and this form of physical training is repeated in the early morning. After walking over the soil the foot-bath is used before retiring.

While insomnia is rarely known in Japan, there are, of course, some cases of this nervous disease. In the cities, the remedy is for the sufferer to rise and go out into the open night air. He walks up and down, while in the country he climbs to the top of the nearest hill,