Arrived at Kobe, we went first to lunch with some friends, and
immediately after hastened on board to receive the foreign Ministers
and other friends; and did not land again that evening.
_Friday, February 9th_.--We left by ten o'clock train for Osaka, which
has been called the Venice of Japan. It is intersected by innumerable
rivers and canals, and boats were continually making their appearance
at points where they were least expected, as our _jinrikisha_ men
hurried us along the narrow and not very sweet-smelling streets. We
went so fast that, more than once before we reached the Mint, I
thought we should have been tipped into one of the canals, as we
turned a sharp corner. Our men upset the baskets and stalls that
encroached on the road, in the most unceremonious manner; but their
proprietors did not seem to mind, many of them quietly moving their
wares out of the way as they heard the shouts that announced our
approach. The smell in the fish-market was disgusting, and enough to
poison the air for miles around, but the people did not seem to mind
it in the least.
At last we left the river and town, and, climbing a slight eminence,
crossed the first moat by a stone bridge, and reached the guard-house
on the other side. There was some hesitation at first about admitting
us; but it was soon overcome.
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