Japan and the Japanese

HIGHWAYS. 289
highway, showing what province or dominion they lead to, and the
distance in leagues to the next remarkable place. The natives, as
they improve every inch of ground, plant firs and cypress trees in
rows along the roads over the ridges of hills, mountains and other
barren places. No firs or cypress can be cut down without leave of
the magistrate of the place, and they must always plant young one*
instead of those they cut down.
" In our journey to court we pass along two of these chief highways,
and go by water from one to the other, so that our whole
journey is divided into three parts. AVc set out from Nagasaki to
go by land across the island KIUSIU, to the town of Koliura, where
we* arrive in five days. From Kokura we pass the straits in small
boats to Simonoseki, a convenient and secure harbor, about two
leagues off, where we find our barge, with the baggage, riding at
anchor and waiting our arrival. The road from Nagasaki to
Kokura is called by the Japanese Saikaido, that is, the west
sea way.* At Simonoseki we go on board our barge for Fiogo,
where we arrive in eight days, more or less, according to the wind.
Osaka, a city very famous for the extent of its commerce and the
wealth of its inhabitants, lies about thirteen Japanese water-leagues
from Fiogo, which, en account of the shallowness of the water, we
make in small boats, leaving our large barge at till Fiogo our return.
From Osaka we go again by land, over the great island Nipon, as
far as JEDO, the emperor's residence, where we arrive in about four-
teen days or more. The road from Osaka to Jedo is by the Japanese
called TaJiaido, that is, the east sea or coast way. We stay at
Jedo about twenty da} r
s, or upwards ; and having had an audience
of his imperial majesty, and paid our respects to some of his chief
ministers and favorites, we return to Nagasaki the same way, com-
pleting our whole journey in about three months' tinie.t
* For a part of the distance across Siusiu (or Ximo), different routes -were
taken in the first and second of Kampfer's journeys.
In the first he crossed
the gulf of Omura ; in the second, the gulf of Simabara, these two gulfs en-
closing the peninsula of Omura, the one on the north, the other on the east
t The distance is reckoned by the Japanese at three hundred and thirty
two to three hundred and thirty-three leagues ; but these Japanese leagues
are of unequal length, varying from eighteen thousand to about thirteen
thousand feet, and the water-leagues generally shorter than those by land,
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