Japan and the Japanese

290 JAPAN. A. D. 1000109'.'.
"In most parts of Saikaido, and everywhere upon Tokaido,
between the towns and villages, there is a straight row of firs
planted on each side of the road, which by their agreeable shade
make the journey both pleasant and convenient. The ground is
kept clean and neat, convenient ditches and outlets are contrived to
carry off the rain-water, and strong dikes are cast up to keep off
that which conies down from higher places. This makes the road
at all times good and pleasant, unless it be then raining and the
ground slimy. The neighboring villages must jointly keep them in
repair, and sweep and clean them every day. People of great
quality cause the road to be swept with brooms, just before they
pass it ; and there lie heaps of sand in readiness, at due distances
(brought thither some days before), to spread over the road, in order
to dry it, in case it should rain upon their arrival. The lords of
the several provinces, and the princes of the imperial blood, in their
journeys, find, at every two or three leagues' distance, huts of greenloaveJ
branches erected for them, with a private apartment, where
they may step in for their pleasures or necessities. The inspectors
for repairing the highway are at no great trouble to get people to
clean them, for whatever makes the roads nasty is of some use to
the neighboring country people, so that they rather strive who shall
first carry it away. The pine-nuts, branches and leaves, which lall
down daily from the firs, are gathered for fuel to supply the want
of wood, which is very scarce in some places. Nor doth horses'
dung lie long upon the ground, but is soon taken up by poor coun-
try children, and serves to manure the fields. For the same reason
care is taken that thefi.th of travellers be not lost, and there are in
several places, near country people's houses, or in their fields,
houses of office built for them. Old shoes of horses and men,
which are thrown away as useless, are gathered in the same houses,
burnt to ashes, and added to the mixture. Supplies of this com-
position are kept in large tubs or tuns, buried even with the ground
in thoir
villages and fields, and, being not covered, afford full as
ungrate! ul and putrid a smell of radishes (which is the common
food of country people) to tender noses, as the neatness and beauty
of the road is agreeable to the eyes.
In the proportion of five to three. Kampfer makes the whole distance two
hundred German or about eight hundred English miles.