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Turkey in Asia: Japanese

AGRICULTURE, ETC.-In three of the chief islands the soil is extremely fertile, and agriculture is followed to a great extent, the Japanese being careful cultivators and wonderful economists. Rice is the staple article of food on the part of the people, and is largely grown by irrigation. The country is a natural cotton-producing section. Other products are raised in abundance, such as potatoes, gourds, many fruits common in Southern Europe, millet, buckwheat, corn, and barley, silk, hemp, ginger, tobacco, tea in very great quantity; trees of every kind abound, from the elm to the bamboo; while all the varieties of coniferous trees and plants are common, and timber is plentiful and cheap. It might be mentioned that in some arboricultural and horticultural arts the Japanese are unequalled by the civilized world, such as the dwarfing of forest trees, and raising bulbous roots of enormous size. It has been a matter of great wonderment to foreign travellers to witness the astonishing evidences of the acquirements of the people in this direction, and it has been the aim of American and English horticulturists to adopt some of the peculiarities of cultivation referred to.

THE NATIVES.-The Japanese were not the original inhabitants of the island they now occupy, another race, the Ainos, having possession of them prior to their advent. Although Mongolians, and akin to the Chinese, they do not resemble them in all respects, their eyes being less oblique. The ordinary complexion is pale copper on the body and yellowish brown on the face, but every variety of color is found, from white to a dirty red. They are ordinarily flat-breasted and of weak physique when contrasted with the Caucasians. Their eyes are oblong, of a dark brown, and deeply sunk in the head; the hair is of a dark brown, sometimes red. Both sexes have small hands and feet. The women are undersized, but often very beautiful, though their attractiveness is diminished by the practice, universal among married women and all women over 20, of blackening the teeth with a mixture of galls and powdered iron. The custom of shaving off the eyebrows after marriage has now fallen into disuse. The people are quick-witted, lively, and hospitable, and exceedingly fond of amusement. The jugglers and acrobats of Japan have travelled all over the world. Music, dancing, and the theatre are greatly cultivated, and are the delight of all ranks. Education is general, even among the women. Politeness is characteristic of all the Japanese, but, on the other hand, they have no regard for truth, chastity, or human life, and in official life are deceitful and ungrateful. They are very neat and clean in their habits and exceedingly fond of bathing, public baths being numerous in every street in the cities. Their houses are low, built of a wooden frame with wattlings of bamboo. Most of the partitions consist of sliding paper doors which can be removed in a moment. Almost every house has its garden, with the cultivation of which great pains are taken. The dress of both sexes consists of a number of loose, wide gowns worn over each other, and fastened by a girdle. The garments of the higher orders are made of silk, and those of the lower classes of hemp or cotton. Certain peculiarities of dress distinguish every class of the people. Polygamy is not allowed, but concubinage is customary. Divorces are common.

ANIMALS.-The domestic animals of Japan include the horse, buffalo, cow, goat, sheep, cat, and dog; and of wild animals the zebu, deer, and fox are numerous. Cattle-rearing is not an important element in the country's industry, buffaloes and oxen being used only for draught. Fish is very abundant along the coast, and forms an essential feature of the food supply.

MINERALS.-Japan abounds in mineral wealth. The gold-fields of Sado are rich in this royal metal, and the mines there have been worked for centuries. In many localities coal exists, and iron ore is plentiful, while silver, lead, copper, kaolin, sulphur, antimony, quicksilver, etc., are abundant. Petroleum and salt are found in large quantities.

MANUFACTURES. - In the matter of manufacturing industry the Japanese generally equal their industrious, ingenious neighbors, the Chinese. Silk and cotton fabrics, porcelain, lacquered goods and japanned wares, and paper, are noted for the excellence of their quality and the fineness of their texture, while sword blades and other metallic wares have achieved a high reputation.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.-The foreign commerce of Japan is carried on mainly with two countries, the United States and Great Britain, the latter probably absorbing the greater portion of the trade, but the former country has beyond all question, since the date of the inauguration of treaty relations, made far greater strides in the direction of monopoly of trade and introduced greater innovations in a commercial sense than any other nation on the globe. The enterprise of the Yankee has stepped to the front, and Japan to-day has a stronger leaning toward America , for this reason, than it ever had toward any other country. It was not until 1854 that a convention of peace and amity was signed between Japan and the United States , by which two ports were opened to the latter country for trade and protection. But for . But for 11 years this treaty hung before the Mikado ratified it. Now there are six ports fully open to the foreign trade-Kanagawa with Yokohama, Hiogo, Ozaka, Nagasaki, Hakodate, and Niigata. Since 1865 Tokio has also been thrown open under certain restrictions. The imports of Japan consist in the greater degree of cotton and woolen goods, rice, sugar, etc., arms and ammunition, together with American machinery.

The exports are tea, raw silk, silk-worms' eggs, rice, tobacco, etc. Imports- £9,800,850; exports, £11,481,536.