Japan and the Japanese

ENTRANCE INTO JEDO. 359
nothing to separate them but a small guard-house. The hay conies
here so close to the foot of the hill that there is but one row of
small houses between it and the road, which, for some time, runs
along the shore, but soon widens into several irregular streets of a
considerable length, which, after about half an hour's riding,
became broader, more uniform, handsome and regular; whence, and
from the great throngs of people, we concluded that we were now
got into the city. We kept to the great middle street, which runs
northward across the whole city, though somewhat irregularly,
passing over several stately bridges
laid across small rivers and
muddy canals, which run on our left towards the castle, and on our
right towards the sea, as did also several streets turning off from
the great one.
" The throng of people along this chief and middle street, which is
about one hundred and twenty-five feet broad, is incredible. We
met as we rode along many numerous trains of princes of the em-
pire and great men at court, and ladies richly apparelled, carried
in norimons ; and, among other people, a company
of firemen on
foot, about one hundred in number, walking in much the same
military order as ours do in Europe. They were clad in browu
leather coats to defend them against the fire ; and some carried
long pikes, others fire-hooks, upon their shoulders. Their captain
rode in the middle. On both sides of the street were multitudes of
well-furnished shops of merchants and tradesmen, drapers, silk-mer
chants, druggists, idol-sellers, booksellers, glass-blowers, apotheca-
ries and others. A black cloth hanging down covers one half of the
shop, of which the front projects a little way into the street, so as
to expose to view curious patterns of the goods offered for sale.
We took notice that scarce anybody here had curiosity enough to
some out of his house to see us go by, as they had done in other
places, probably because such a small retinue as ours had nothing
remarkable or uncommon to amuse the inhabitants of so populous a
city.
"Having rode above iw~> miles along this great street, and
passed by fifty other streets, which turned off on both sides, we at
last turned in ourselves ; and, coming to our inn, found our lodgings
ready in the upper story ol a back access but through a by-lane.
house, which had no other
We arrived at one in the after-