Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
people along this chief and middle street which is about 50 paces broad...is incred-
ible, and we met, as we rode along, many numerous trains of princes of the empire
and great men at court, and ladies richly appareled, carried in chairs and palankins.
Among other people we met a company of firemen on foot, being about one hun-
dred in number, walking much in the same military order as ours do in Europe;
they were clad in brown leather coats to defend them against the fire, and some
carried long pikes, others fire-hooks on their shoulders: their captain rode in the
middle. On both sides of the streets are multitudes of well-furnished shops of mer-
chants and tradesmen, drapers, silk-merchants, druggists, idol-sellers, booksellers,
glassblowers,apothecaries,andothers.Ablackclothhangingdowncoversonehalf
of the shop. They stood out a little way into the street, and curious patterns of the
things sold therein, lay exposed to people's sight. We took notice, that there was
scarce anybody there had curiosity enough to come out of his house in order to see
us go by, as they had done in other places, probably because such a small retinue as
ours,hadnothingremarkableoruncommontoamusetheinhabitantsofsopopulous
a city, the residence of a powerful monarch, where they have daily opportunities to
see others far more pompous and magnificent.
Kaempfer does not mention wheeled transport, which was in fact rarely met with (see
carrying goods on their backs, or on poles borne by one man or more. People were also
out for shopping, on visits to temples or shrines, or to relatives and friends. Many of these
folk grew hungry and thirsty, and their needs were provided for by innumerable stalls and
shops. Apart from the food that was cooked and prepared at home, there was a great range
ofdishesavailableoutside,tobeeatenonthespot,ortobesentforandconsumedathome.
Bowls of buckwheat-noodles (
soba
), flavored with vegetables, were in constant demand,
and seem to have had much the same recuperative effect as a cup of tea has in England.
The usual packed lunch was a ball of cold rice, with a pickled plum in the middle; there
weremanyboothsthatwouldsellacupofteatowashitdown.Moretastywere
sushi,
rolls
of rice wrapped in dried seaweed, which could include pieces of raw fish, or cooked oc-
topus. Hard-boiled eggs were peeled and eaten as one walked along. To keep out the cold
in winter,
oden
—boiled vegetables, roots, and bean curd in sauce—was a favorite. Steady
favorite brewwasnotaccompanied byfinickyetiquette. Street-entertainers (
94
)weretobe
seen at nearly every corner, and from time to time a more enthralling show occurred when
rowdy
samurai
drew their swords, although it was then better to keep at a distance.
