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TOKYO, Wednesday, March 28.

To-morrow we are going to Kamakura again; it is only an hour and a half
from here. We are going to take a little trip into the mountain and
hot-spring district also, but the cherry blossom season is much
advanced, ten days earlier than usual, and we are afraid it will spring
itself in our absence if we go far, so probably we shall be back here in
a few days for about a week. Then we shall take a five-day trip on our
way to Kyoto, going to the shrine at Ise. This is the oldest and most
sacred Shinto shrine in Japan, which means that it is the central spot
for imperial ancestor worship. Speaking of ancestors, you remember our
references to the Count. The father of his first wife has recently been
made a Baron. Parliament being over, the Count has left for the southern
Island to inform the ancestors of his first wife, who are buried there,
of the important item of family gossip. The oldest liberal statesman of
aristocratic descent, who was quite intimate with the late Emperor,
won't go to the annual meeting to celebrate the granting of the
Constitution by the late Emperor because he is so disgusted that no more
progress has been made in constitutionalism, and says he cannot meet his
late master until he can report progress to him. Otherwise he would be
ashamed to meet him as he feels responsible to the Emperor. This would
not be any place for a spiritualist to earn his living. They are clear
past mediums.

We have chiefly been eating lately. I had two Japanese meals, a la chop
sticks, yesterday and one to-day. Luncheon yesterday at a restaurant,
where we had lots of things you never heard of, to say nothing of eating
them, and a dinner at a friend's. There were twelve courses at table and
two or three afterwards--not counting tea, and much the same at another
dinner to-night. We have a bill of fare written on fans, only in
Japanese, and little silver salt cellars as souvenirs besides. One
feature of both dinners was soup three times, at the beginning, about
the middle and again at closing, at these functions rice is not served
till near the last course. Then there were one or two semi-soupy courses
thrown in. I can eat raw fish and ask no questions; and in a bird
restaurant, Sunday for luncheon, I ate raw chicken wrapped in seaweed;
abalone is my middle name, and some of the shell fish we eat is probably
devil fish.

We have been here over six weeks now, and in taking an inventor