Anna Louise Tittman Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Anna Tittman 103
poor as they were reported to be. She advised us to get Wics."
Artics, I guess she =ant overshoes. Yes, that's what we didn't get.
"Jm 20, 1919; we all, except about six, ate breakfast a$ the Grand ,
Hotel at 6 : 30 a.m. Went by rickshaw to station, took train to Tokyo.
Went acmss in taxicab^,^ to the railrcrad station where we tmk the train
to Nikko, the first horn of the shoguns, l1 And I have it fixed for pronunciation,
a line over the "otl, shoguns. They rnust9e been a class of
the people there.
'The journey was most pleasant. Mr. Teddy Ywe, a Japanese pntlew
fmmthe International Sleeping Cw Company, accompanied us. We had a reserved
car, half of which was reserved for the second claw and haft for
first class passengers. The Japan ra9lroad also cavries third class passengers
in a< cramped-up carr. The car we had was like this. " [refers to illust
rat ion]
Q. (chuckles) Your drawing are wonderful.
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A. The washroom was in between the two classes, see. Sekond class over
here; first class here.
Q. You traveled first class?
A. I guess. I think so. "The little railroad stations all along the way
were very interesting and even built something like our Wway stat om,
except newer. There was a station man at each station wklo received the
train by calling out the nane of the station in loud mnchonous ton s. When
he decided the train should proceed, he made a flagging motion to t e en@-
neer and blew a shrill whlstle. Then there were always roany native standing
about who seemed greatly armed at the Americans. WE were vendors df
kznit and candies, of flowers and m@;azines.
One thing which we do not see in America was a washhouse iat each station.
These washhouses were not enclosed, but were right on thg station platfomn
like this.!' [refers to illustration] And there's the wqshpens.
Q. You mean they were just out in the open?
A. Yes, they were ri@t on the station; they were not enclosed, but were
ri@t on the station platform like thgs. And the rfilrrom, the sq& things
are the mimm and the round thin@ were the basins, br~t~s-wash b ins.
"The toilets at the railmad station pre not built for &rericans,"% ut for
Japanese >ladies who are swathed in Wnos . The toilet Is a china gffair ,
the shap of an old fashioned cradle pd set into the fl~r."
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Q. !key1 d have em,&@ skirt $0 protect them?
A. I how this, that the mn\s toilets somtimes had-wqll, the to
b
lets
s o ~ t hhad s a wall, but he was a space like this, am$ you could see
the anatoqy down back here, see, because there?d be 3a wall up ove.
But it would be a back. I know why. Just to air the place, 1 guess,
I don1 t know. (chuckles)
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