"
The young men and maidens dance in a ring, circling round one who stands in
the midst, from whom they take both the time and music of the many dances
performed at the odori. The dancers are always young and unmarried. The
older people sit on the steps of the temple and watch the merry frolic with
a smile.
CHAPTER XIX
IN THE COUNTRY (_continued_)
On a wet day in the country the people thatch themselves to keep off the
rain. The favourite waterproof of the coolie is a huge cloak made of rice
straw, the long ends sticking out. With this and his great umbrella hat he
keeps comfortably dry. Those who do not wear a big hat carry a large oiled
paper umbrella, which shelters them well.
There is plenty of wet weather in Japan, particularly in the summer, and
then travelling is not very pleasant. The good roads become muddy and soft,
and the bad roads become sheer quagmires, in which the coolie pulling the
rickshaw is continually losing his straw sandals. These sandals, called
waraji, mark out the tracks in every direction, for they soon wear out, and
are cast off to litter the wayside in their hundreds. They are quickly and
cheaply replaced, however, for almost every roadside house sells them, and
a pair may be bought for a sen--something less than a halfpenny.
Not only do the men wear straw shoes, but horses are shod in them also,
and a very poor and clumsy arrangement it is. The shoes are thick, and are
tied on the horse's feet with straw cords.
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