Sun 27 [27 March 1898] Grey at first but cleared into a lovely day.
Shopped extensively, great fun: tea and cakes at the pawn broker's.
After lunch we rode up to the Hoso otoge[?]. Exquisite view of the
valley with Toyama standing up out of it. Lots of ice and snow. Trains
of pack horses and bullocks. While I was leading my pony he fell
over a precipice into a snow drift. Mr de R. [de Rutzen] got him out.
Walked up to the pass, tea in a chaya. View of snow clad mountain
tops and a steep wooded valley. In at 5.45. Wrote my article. After
dinner to a geisha house one of our shopkeepers as guide. 3
geishas and 2 halves[?] who played the drum and danced. Sat on
the matted floor of a delicious room, the shoji drawn, eat oranges,
drank sakÈ, smoked pipes. Songs, snow dance, cherry viewing
dance, maple viewing dance, joke dances. Much talk about my
clothes and complexion. 3 samisen players, Miss Stop and Miss
Fortune and another who sang well. Curious strained voices.
Dancing all attitudes. The dancers gave little shrieks. Great deal of
action with the big toe. The entertainment lasted 2 hours.