life as an upper and unpaid servant to her husband's friends and relations.
But at the present moment, for great sections of Japanese society, the old
ways still stand, and stand firmly.

It was formerly the custom for a woman to make herself as ugly as possible
when she was married. This was to show that she wished to draw no attention
from anyone outside her own home. As a rule she blackened her teeth, which
gave her a hideous appearance when she smiled. This custom is now dying
out, though plenty of women with blackened teeth are still to be seen.

Should a Japanese wife become a widow, she is expected to show her grief
by her desolate appearance. She shaves her head, and wears garments of the
most mournful look. It has been said that a Japanese girl has the look of a
bird of Paradise, the Japanese wife of a dove, and the Japanese widow of a
crow.




CHAPTER VI

IN THE HOUSE


A Japanese house is one of the simplest buildings in the world. Its main
features are the roof of tiles or thatch, and the posts which support the
latter. By day the walls are of oiled paper; by night they are formed of
wooden shutters, neither very thick nor very strong. As a rule, the house
is of but one story, and its flimsiness comes from two reasons, both very
good ones.