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EAST ASIA.
The vast and fertile plain of Kioto, which amongst other produce yields the best
tea in the kingdom, contains a number of other towns, which depend for their trade
and industries on the capital. Thus Fusimi, which might be regarded as a suburb
of Kioto, is its chief port on the Udzi-gava, now regularly navigated by steamers.
Another outlet of its trade is the port of Yodo, lying lower down at the confluence
of the Kitzu, the Udzi, and the Kamo, whose joint streams form the Yodo-gava, or
"
Sluggish River." The Kitzu, which here unites with the emissary from Lake Biva,
flows by Nara, one of the oldest cities in Japan, and amongst the earliest imperial
residences. Here are some magnificent sacred groves, and especially a park, in-
Fig. 202. LAKE BIVA.
Scale 1 : 320,000.
. 6
Miles.
habited for a thousand years by herds of tame deer, whose antlers are worked into
all kinds of little fancy objects, which are regarded as sacred. Here also is the
sumptuous temple containing the Dai Butz, a bronze statue over 50 feet high, and
weighing 450 tons. It is one of the largest and oldest in Japan, dating from
the eighth century. Kasiva-bava, one of the suburbs of Nara, is the ancient
Asivara, capital of the Kingdom of Zinmu Tenno, founder of the dynasty of the
Mikados. From the name of this place, Nip-pon was long known as Asivara, the
" Valley of the Pliant Reeds." Not far from Nara is Kori-yama, another city of some
importance.
Kioto is connected by rail with its sea-port of Ohosaka, which,
like the two