Tea was amusing, for Captain S---- would not take off his boots, and therefore had to walk with his feet in the air; which he did on his knees or hands. The tea-house was perched on the side of a hill, and looked down on rice fields and woody patches on little elevations. After tea we explored the temple and its pretty groves, and had a lovely merry-go-round ride on the old revolving library, a huge thing, but so perfectly poised that we could all sit on it and go round without its even creaking.
=March 16.=--Called on Mrs. P---- on my way to the Institute in the morning. She captured me, and then and there my clothes were taken off and I was put to bed--and was secretly thankful to be there. She is quite exceptionally kind to take me in in this way.
=March 25.=--At work all day over fossils--then dressed in my green-and-gold Venetian dress and called on Mrs. G---- on the way to the Embassy dinner. She and her children were having a preliminary view of some of the gowns--she is, alas, still in bed. The party was splendid--several Japanese were there in magnificent old court dresses and simply marvellous arrangements for their hair. Baroness _S----_ also wore Japanese court dress. Perhaps I had better shortly describe it. The lower part consists of scarlet trousers with extremely wide stiff legs, and the garment is much like our “divided skirt” of some years ago, but the cloth is much stiffer. Over it is a gorgeously embroidered kimono, with sweeping train. Some of the hair ornaments are extremely bizarre, others (according to the period) rather simple, the hair falling down the back and tied in three places.
One, something like the sketch, was very effective, the funny little brush of hair coming straight out at either side being its speciality. Several of the Englishmen came as Japanese pirates, etc., with great wigs of long hair, rich gold-embroidered robes and swords; the girls were not remarkable. After dinner we all went along to the German Embassy, and met there the parties from all the other Embassies. The scene in the reception-rooms and in the beautiful white ball-room was vivid and gorgeous beyond my power to describe. Whom to describe, when nearly all were beautiful or striking, and nearly all of the important folk in Tokio were present? Count _H----_ (the foreign minister) was in old daimio dress, with two swords and rich brocade--and one could not imagine how he ever came to wear anything else! The evening was one to remember, with its brilliance and beauty and courtliness.