So, in summing up one's impressions of Japan, there comes this inevitable doubt of the permanence of the fine qualities which make the Japanese nation to-day so distinct from any other. The Japanese may differ from all other races in their power of resisting the corrupting influences of foreign association, but it is to be feared that the visitor to the Mikado's land fifty years from now may not only find no Mikado, but none of the peculiarly gracious qualities in the Japanese people which to-day set them apart from all other nations.
Street Scene, Asakusa Park, Tokyo. This Picture Gives a Good Idea of Japanese Street Dress of Men and Women. The Park Contains a Twelve-Story Tower, Two Hundred and Twenty Feet in Height]
Entrance Hall and Stairway of Modern Home of a Tokyo Millionaire. Note the Priceless Screens With Cherry-Blossom Decoration, the Bronze Stair Railings and the Inlaid Floor]
Bronze Lanterns and Sacred Fountain, Shiba Temple, Tokyo. These Temples in Shiba Park Are Among the Marvels of Japanese Art]
Sacred Red Bridge at Nikko. Legend Says It Was Built for the Saint Shodo Shonin. No One Crossed It Except the Shoguns and in Modern Times the Mikado. General Grant Was Given a Permit to Cross This Bridge, but Sensibly Refused to Use It]
Avenue of Cryptomeria to Futaaru Temple, Nikko. This Picture Gives a Good Idea of the Effectiveness of the Tori or Gate, of Black or Red Lacquer or Natural Wood, Which Stands at the Entrance to Most Parks and Temples]
Avenue of Cryptomeria Trees, near Nikko. This Splendid Avenue, Lined with Huge Cedar Trees from One Hundred and Fifty to Two Hundred Feet in Height, Extends for Five Miles from Nikko to Imaichi]
Great Bronze Torii, Nikko. These Torii or Gates Form the Most Characteristic Feature of Japanese Landscapes. They Are Always of the Same Pattern But Infinite in Variety of Decoration]
Stone Lanterns, Kasuga Temple Park, Nara. A Remarkable Collection of Lanterns Which Line the Avenue Leading to the Temple. In This Park Many Tame Deer Wander, Their Horns Being Cut Once a Year in October]
Religious Procession, Kyoto. This Gives a Good Idea of a Familiar Sight in all Japanese Cities. Many of the Standards Carried in These Processions are Very Beautiful, With Silk Streamers of Many Colors]