cherry-blossom and a few flag-leaves gracefully arranged. On the wall
behind hung pictures, which are changed every month, according to the
season of the year. There was no other furniture of any sort in the
room. Four nice-looking Japanese girls brought us thick cotton quilts
to sit upon, and braziers full of burning charcoal, to warm ourselves
by. In the centre of the group another brazier was placed, protected
by a square wooden grating, and over the whole they laid a large silk
eider-down quilt, to retain the heat. This is the way in which all the
rooms, even bedrooms, are warmed in Japan, and the result is that
fires are of very frequent occurrence. The brazier is kicked over by
some restless or careless person, and in a moment the whole place is
in a blaze.

Presently the eider down and brazier were removed, and our dinner was
brought in. A little lacquer table, about six inches high, on which
were arranged a pair of chop-sticks, a basin of soup, a bowl for
rice, a _saki_ cup, and a basin of hot water, was placed before each
person, whilst the four Japanese maidens sat in our midst, with fires
to keep the _saki_ hot, and to light the tiny pipes with which they
were provided, and from which they wished us to take a whiff after
each dish. _Saki_ is a sort of spirit, distilled from rice, always
drunk hot, out of small cups. In this state it is not disagreeable,
but we found it exceedingly nasty when cold.

Everything was well cooked and served, though the ingredients of some
of the dishes, as will be seen from the following bill of fare, were
rather strange to our ideas. Still they were all eatable, and most of
them really palatable.

_Soup_.