Books recommended. The Uses of Bamboo in Japan, by Charles Holme, in Vol. I. of the "Transactions of the Japan Society." The Culture of Bamboos in Japan, by Sir Ernest Satow, forming Part III. of Vol. XXVII. of the "Asiatic Transactions," is an elaborate scientific treatise founded on the work of a Japanese botanist named Katayama, and abundantly illustrated. Mitford's Bamboo Garden is a more popular book, in which the subject is viewed chiefly from the standpoint of the acclimatisation of the bamboo in England. We ourselves have to thank Prof. Matsumura for information concerning the number of Japanese species of bamboo known up to date.
Bathing. Cleanliness is one of the few original items of Japanese civilisation. Almost all other Japanese institutions have their root in China, but not tubs. We read in the Japanese mythology that the god Izanagi, on returning from a visit to his dead wife in Hades, purified himself in the waters of a stream. Ceremonial purifications continue to form part of the Shintō ritual. But viewed generally, the cleanliness in which the Japanese excel the rest of mankind has nothing to do with godliness. They are clean for the personal satisfaction of being clean. Their hot baths for they almost all bathe in very hot water of about 110 Fahrenheit also help to keep them warm in winter. For though moderately hot water gives a chilly reaction, this is not the case when the water is extremely hot, neither is there then any fear of catching cold. There arc over eleven hundred public baths in the city of Tōkyō, in which it is calculated that five hundred thousand persons bathe daily, the usual charge being 2½ sen (under three farthings of English money) for adults, 2 sen for children, and 1½ sen for infants in arms. In addition to this, every respectable private house has its own bath-room. Other cities and even villages are similarly provided. Generally, but not always, a barrier separates the sexes from each other. Where there are neither bathing establishments nor private bath-rooms, the people take their tubs out-of-doors, unless indeed a policeman, charged with carrying out the modern regulations, happen to be prowling about the neighbourhood; for cleanliness is more esteemed by the Japanese than our artificial Western prudery. As the editor of the Japan Mail has well said, the nude is seen in Japan, but is not looked at.
Some Europeans have tried to pick holes in the Japanese
