Village Squire, 1979-08, Page 23will take you 17 miles for 30 cents. Factory
workers earn about $230 a month for a
10-12 hour day, six days a week. Four and a
half million people live here and there is
only one university with an enrollment of
only 4000. Business and commerce are
centred in the sky scrapers of Hong
Kong. -(this area was also the location of
the Susie Wong movie). Tourists shop.
take tour -hour city bus tours. ride the cable
car to Victoria Peak,- see the typhoon
shelters and the huge Aberdeen Harbour.
This is the famous harbour where 20,000
people live on boats - many are born and .
die without ever having stepped on solid
ground. An evening tour begins with
dinner on a floating restaurant in Aberdeen
Harbour. continuing to a night club to see a
show of oriental dances and viewing the
city lights from Victoria Peak. A day -long
tour is provided to see country living in the •
"Nem Territories". which border on Red.
A day was spent on the island of Macau.
reached by a smooth. 70 -minute hydro fail'
ride. Macau is owned by the Portugese and
statues of Jorges Alvares and Vasca da
Goma reminded us of old history lessons.
Macau is noted for two very active
gambling casinos and possible gold and
drug smuggling and is also a gateway to
Red China with Canton only 80 miles away.
After four days in Hong Kong we arrived
in Tokyo on a Sunday evening. landing at
the new super efficient and clean Norita
airport. Itis extremely well guarded by
moats, fences, lights and militia. The
airport is a 40 mile ride from the Prince
Hotel at the base of the Tokyo Tower. We
rode on a freeway sometimes four tiers
high.
Japan is a very different country from
the others we visited. The climate is similar
to ours, but they have about 2000
earthquakes a year, saying they only
"feel" about 20. Japan had a long period
(three centuries) of strict isolationism of no
contact with any other country, ending
about 1850 when the American Commod-
ore Perry sailed over and began trading.
Chinese customs are well mingled with
their owh. Now Japan is a wealthy country
and expensive by our standards. The
modern cities have been built since World
War 11 and the hotels and transportation
systems built to accommodate the 1964
Olympics. Tokyo's population is 13
million. They are a very polite people and
life consists of much tradition and many
rituals, including the giving of gifts for any
reason at all. Shopping in Japan is
expensive, but products are of the best
quality. You can be sure the pearls are the
best. Ice cream is $1.50 a scoop, an orange
$1.00. Kalie beef $44 a Ib., a hotel room
$90 a night. There is no bargaining. nor
tipping.
We were thrilled to be hosted by a
young Japanese lady and her parents who
spent three days with us, showing us about
Tokyo and treating us to several dinners.
They took - us to the Imperial palace
gardens, The Meiji shrine and gardens
(The iris were in bloom), The Asakusa
shrine and shopping centre, and we
strolled the famous Ginza street (similar to
5th Ave. of New York) and shopped in a
Mikemoto store.
Our most memorable dinner was a
fantastic tempura meal. We had our own
tea house, cook and two waitresses. We sat
at a low table on tatami mats and ate many
strange things dipped in a light batter and
quickly deep fried. This meal included sea
urchin (raw), several different fish,
scallops, prawn, latus root, mushroom,
asparagus, pumpkin, ginger, salted
greens, raw tuna, rice, tea and sake. This
tea house was part of the Chinzan-so
restaurant situated in a garden that after
dark was twinkling with fire flys.
We saw a performance by a Kabuki
dancer. These men portray the history of
the country by dance. These special people
practice all their lives and some become
"national treasures" with other venerated
artists and places in Japan.
A beautiful fashion show one afternoon
showed 25 kimonos. One model demon-
strated the ancient style of dress for the
Imperial court. The outfit of several coats
eventually weighed 40 Ib. Colours of the
kimono denote the season and your class.
Very few Japanese wear kimonos now.
Japan is a fascinating, beautiful country
and we would really like to go back to see
the countryside and other cities. Each
region has something different to offer.
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The Grand Central Hotel built in
1843, was for decades a welcom-
ing place to spend the night.
Today it is a group of three
connecting shops. What was once
the lane for horses & buggies to
reach the stable at the back is now
a charming CARD & CANDLE
SHOP. The original bar is now the
LADIES WEAR with its handcraft
wonj' section. Browse on into the GIFT
SHOP, once the dining room.
inhere full use has been made of
the charm of this old building.
.Many of the original antiques are
used to display imports from
around the world.
�IRRSHflL�'S o,
Si. fflRYS
"WHERE THE UNUSUAL IS USUAL"
GIFT SHOP LADIES WEAR CARD SHOP
150 QUEEN ST.
"DO COME VISIT US SOON"
284-3070
August 1979, Village Squire 21