placent cats surrounding us, we come to our anchorage, say good-bye
to the captain with great regret, and make our plunge into this new
land.

[Illustration: GATEWAY, JAPAN.]

CHAPTER XXVII

THE LAND OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE

We are standing in front of a mysterious gate which is yet not a gate.
You must have seen pictures of Japan many a time, and in some of them
there must have been one of these curious erections. Yet how can one
describe it? The Greek letter [Greek: Pi] is most like it. Imagine a
giant [Greek: Pi] with a second cross-bar below the top one. In Japan
this is called a Torii. The one in front of us, rising like a great
scaffolding far above our heads, is made of wood, but they are often of
stone or metal too. They are always to be found before the entrance to a
Shinto temple. There must have been some meaning in them once upon a
time, but it is lost now, and they remain decorative but useless.

We have left our rickshaw and are climbing up a long, long flight of
steps to a Shinto temple not far from Tokyo, the capital town of Japan.
Very many of the Japs are Buddhists, but it is a strange sort of
Buddhism, not pure like that of the Burmans, and is mixed up with
another religion called Shinto, and many of the people are Shintoists
altogether. This religion is vague and mystical, with much worship of
spirits, especially the spirits of the elements--earth, air, fire, and
water. Everyone who is dead becomes in some degree an object of worship,
and the Jap thinks more of his parents and ancestors than his
children--his dead ancestors especially being much venerated.

When we reach the top of the steps we find ourselves suddenly in a blaze
of loveliness. To the right, to the left, and all around are cherry
trees, covered thickly with blossom which hangs in wreaths and rosettes
and festoons as if moulded in snow. The time for the best of the blossom
is a little past, and the ground at our feet is as white as the trees,
indeed whiter; for just here and there the fairy display on the trees is
slightly browned. The scent is very sweet, and hangs in the air like
delicate perfume. In the time of blossom there are many outings and
festivities in Japan; people make up parties to go to the orchards, and
thoroughly enjoy their beauty. Come right underneath the trees and look
up, we can see the thick, heavily laden branches against the soft rich
blue of a cloudless sky, and in our ears is the hum of a myriad be