ying the
imperial insignia, followed closely by the carriages of the Empress and
her attendants, pass by. The official Gazette announces almost daily
visits by the Emperor, Empress, or other members of the imperial family,
to different places of interest,--sometimes to various palaces in
different parts of T[=o]ky[=o], at other times to schools, charitable
institutions or exhibitions, as well as occasional visits to the homes
of high officials or nobles, for which great preparations are made by
those who have the honor of entertaining their Majesties.
Among the amusements within the palace grounds, one lately introduced,
and at present in high favor, is that of horseback-riding, an exercise
hitherto unknown to the ladies of Japan. The Empress and her ladies are
said to be very fond of this active exercise,--an amusement forming a
striking contrast to the quiet of former years.
The grounds about the palaces in T[=o]ky[=o] are most beautifully laid
out and cultivated, but not in that artificial manner, with regular
flower beds and trees at certain equal distances, which is seen so often
in the highly cultivated grounds of the rich in this country. The
landscape gardening of Japan keeps unchanged the wildness and beauty of
nature, and imitates it closely. The famous flowers, however, are, in
the imperial gardens, changed by art and cultivated to their highest
perfection, blooming each season for the enjoyment of the members of the
court. Especially is attention given to the cultivation of the imperial
flower of Japan, the chrysanthemum; and some day in November, when this
flower is in its perfection, the gates of the Akasaka palace are thrown
open to invited guests, who are received in person by the Emperor and
Empress. Here the rarest species of this favorite flower, and the oddest
colors and shapes, the results of much care and cultivation, are
exhibited in spacious beds, shaded by temporary roofs of bamboo twigs
and decorated with the imperial flags. This is the great chrysanthemum
party of the Emperor, and another of similar character is given in the
spring under the flower-laden boughs of the cherry trees.
In these various ways the Empress shows herself to her people,--a
gracious and lovely figure, though distant, as she needs must be, from
common, every-day life. Only by glimpses do the people know her, but
those glimpses reveal enough to excite the warmest admiration, the most
tender love. Childless herself, de
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