Catharine Robb Whyte – Letters

3 TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS "IMPHO TOKYO" Imperial Hotel Tokyo toy fingurie on to. One man driving two standing behind. It was the most remarkable sight, but the only thing for the narrow streets and quite necessary in a city like this. We went out on an inter urban sort of electric one car, but they run every three or four minutes and it was a very easy way to get out. Tokyo is like Boston. Providence or any other city that is growing and new houses are springing up all around like Bellmont or Arlington. There was about a five or ten minute walk from the station to their house, which reminded me a lot of the section around Wellesley. Their house is modern but very attractive. They take their shoes off before entering and provide nice soft carpet slippers. In consequences the floors are much more polished than most dining room tables, especially the stairs. It must save a lot of sweeping. We sat for a little while and Mrs.Urinatsu came in looking very pretty in a lovely Japanese costume. I think most people must wear their native costume when indoors for it is more becoming and more comfortable. Mr. Botta showed us how much better the Japanese style of dress is for him as he can sprawl in any way on the floor while painting and yet be comfortable and nothing bind. Mr. Urinatsu had told us he would take us for a walk around the country there, but neither of us thought by that he meant at least four miles. However we enjoyed every minute of it and it felt nice to be walking briskly once more. It was cloudy and rather grey when we started and I expected it would soon be dark however we were gone an hour and twenty minutes and the lights were first coming on as we got back. The country reminded me a lot of that around Boston, a few hills but not clear enough to see very far. The distance fading off to nothing,

[[page number]] 6 [[/page number]] shoes before entering the house. A good idea really. [[?]] were [[?]] a few fruit trees in [[?]] when [[?]] around the [[?]] and the farmyards always had a rather dreary look. especially with a few lights. As we went by one farm we re[[?]] on all the wooden farm implements being [[?]] under the eaves protected from the weather and [[?]] showed us the damned place in the brook nearby where the implements are washed after work each day. We also saw later in an old picture, a farmer washing his [[?]] feet.

Then we walked through a village, a [[?]] [[?]]. dozens of children and several couples of little boys who were players of some game. [[?]] a box at the others box on the ground a trying to make it [[?]] [[?]] over [[?]] something. As we [[?]] [[?]] [[?]] [[?]] [[?]] the low land from the river beyond in the flood time. There was a Korean woman with a child on her back. It was a perfect picture. She wore a red jacket and [[?]] suede skirt. the Korean costume and the misty affect behind her was lovely. The newer bed is very wide and wood to be a great place for boating and fishing. Sweet as it is [[?]] the Tokyo water supply there is just a little stream winding to way down [[?]] the gravel. In some places it would be very easy to wade across. Even [[?]]. there are buildings a new reservoir & [[?]]. there was one [[?]] boat being poled down the stream. exactly as a Japanese boat should look. The trees are all so very Japanese. I can hardly believe they are trees. In the garden opposite the [[?]] house there was a pine tree being [[?]] across the gate, and they say its quite a long job, for a man has to come every day or two to change it a little. Some trees have tall bamboo posts beside them with strings [[?]] from the top. Some have the strings tied to a loop as large as the widest part of the tree. Others have the strings [[?]] to the ground [[?]] it is to protect the tree from snow in the winter. How it does it i don't know as the strings are at least three inches or more apart at the bottom.

When we got back we had a very refreshing hot cup of tea and then went into the living room for Sukiyaki. They had an electric plate in the center of the table, a large plate of thin slices of beef another large plate with vegetables, onion, a riot of water cress and stringy stuff, on a try the soya sauce, sugar and a very sweet white wine. While they cooked it we all ate a spinach salad, cold spinach and shrimps. They cooked the thing together. He put in the meat and sauce, she put in the vegetables. Then we had raw eggs to beat up and a cup of rice. We had to eat steadily it seemed, for as fast as we ate the faster the stuff seemed to cook. It was a small dish but served to keep us well supplied. The we finished off with a sort of sweet pickle, egg plant and radish etc. tea and then oranges in the other room. We looked at various beautiful books of repoductions of Japanese art, and talked and had a very pleasant evening. When we started to leave, they insisted we have another cup of tea and then Ur?inatsee? took us to the station and insisted he go with us to Tokyo and put us in a taxi. I can imagine how many people from say Brookline or Newton would go way into Park Street and put their guests into a taxi for their hotel. He also is going to take us Monday afternoon to a ski store to show us what kind of equipment they have.

Today it has rained all day long, but we were glad of a quiet day, for we have done a good deal for the first week, and ??inting hard so many hours is a bit trying in itself. We slept late having breakfast at ten and then read while our suite was being made up in the library where they have all the periodicals. There was some mistake and our room didn't

get made up till lunch time. This afternoon Pete made some experiments in printing pictures and I tried some painting and now am writing you so we are all up to date, and no boat to take it on for some time.

{far right}Monday - April 2nd - I think I'll have to start a collection of things carried by bicycle. Today coming back from Mr Hotta's? we saw a boy peddling away with a pier glass about five feet high standing on the rack above the rear wheel and back to back with the boy. It did look funny. Another man had six milk cans hung on all sides of the rear wheen and on the rack a box with two dozen milk bottles - quite a load. Another had a wooden [beechet?] and on top a box full of empty bottles, and a fourth a large box of all sorts of plants. It really is amazing. Another man had three orange boxes piled one on top of another though empty, and then equally ridiculous is the man with a tiny box two by four, tied on the same place, in comparison with some of the large loads.

Another way of hauling stuff, rubbish or furniture is on a two wheel dray, the wheels in the center and the flat part ten or twelve feet long. The stuff carried piled high on top but well balanced so that both ends stay about the same level. The man walks at the side with a wide strap over his shoulder and in this way he can just pull it along at the same time holding the thing up by one hand. It must be awfully hard, for the loads are equal to those drawn by a horse at home, only better balanced.

{far right}later.

I'll send this and start another - you can tell by the dates if you miss a letter, but then if you do miss one there isn't much you can do about it.

Loads of love to you all, and we do love Japan and wish so you were with us.

More love Catharine

{to the right of the signature: P.S. Please send my letters to Aunt Neh? and save them and the enclosures too, which might be fun to keep.

3 Monday we had an all day lesson at Mr Botta's. and then we got back went to a movie"Victoria's ???? It was all for pictures of the ????? and ???? thing ??? we could only guess at it all as there was nothing in English. That evening Pete tried printing pictures in a sort of printing machine we have. The same size as a piece of canvas, but a roll of paper is put in and the film ??? through outside you expose one after another of the pictures with an electric light and then develope it. We did two rolls and unfortunately fogged the film. Some light leaked in from outside. So Pete is trying again tonight. We got pictures but not clear enough. Tuesday Mr & Mrs Myaoka came for us as it was some holiday and we went to see the opening news of an Independant Art Exhibition in the Art Gallery in ??? Park. It was very interesting going with them as we could get their ideas of what was good and not good. Most of the Japanese style paintings were

4 painted in ???? or opaque water color. on silk or large pieces of paper or screens. There were some old style ??? of flowers and ??? and birds etc typically Japanese. But unfortunately in many cases they have attempted to be modern and have missed out on the part that was so wonderful in Japanese art there were some lovely ???? though. One a landscape in very soft tones beautifully done looking down on a river. The portraits had the ???? after standing up in space but some were beautifully done- In one section which we ran through in two minutes had modern ??? sort of french looking. The worst modern style I've ever seen. I was glad to see that it was the same here as in Chicago. The real painting had rooms full of people. The modern stuff had one or two people like us any thing but admirers- Its too bad they have to ??? ??? ??? European stuff to (?) base their modern art on.

11 was carefully lifted, turned this way and wiped with this folded silk in a certain way turned that way and wiped up and ??. Then ?? spoon replaced carefully the silk is folded into a triangle tucked into the obi. The spoon lifted in one hand the tea jar in the other. Two spoonfulls measured into the cup. the (person)? placed the spoon replaced resting on top of jar. Then the wooden laddle lifted (I forgot the spoon was wrapped against the cup) a laddle full of water lifted from (??) half only poured into cup onto tea. other half poured back into boiling water. (??) the litttle whisk (??) up and the tea was beaten together in certain way, ending the beating gradually. The whisk replaced the bowl or cup of tea lifted in both hands the green tea made to roll around inside the bowl the cup turned and carefully placed on the mat to the ladies left. Then the young girl rose walked with measured step

{printed letterhead:TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS "IMPHO TOKYO"} {pencilled in red, large:6} {printed letterhead:

Tuesday, April 10 1934

9 letters go back where i left off maybe thursday the 4th. We were at Mr. Hottas all day having lunch brought in us there. Each day is very much the same . We have the directions? of how to get there written on a card which we show the Taxi driver . We can always direct him the last part of the way. The house is open and we walk in, leave our shoes and go upstairs to the room in which we work. The charcoal fires are there trying to heat the room and the felt blanket we draw on is there, with the water + brushes etc so we start in painting. The student who works for Mr Hotla, hears us and arrives with tea. Mr. Hotla comes soon after and we are busy painting and copying the drawings he has already put in our books. Pete lost a little interest in copying flowers which he didn't know much about it and so did,