Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1877 — A Japanese Eating-House. [ARTICLE]

A Japanese Eating-House.

The most popular of all the eatinghouses of the capital is the Matsuda, on the Ginza, at Kiobashi. This is really an immense establishment, having accommodations for 2,000 customers at once. It is owned by a wealthy woman named Matsuda Kane, by whom it was opened in 1873. No rooms are let for lodging purposes, and the patrons are mostly residents of Tokio, though occasionally ft rural party may be seen staring at the unaccustomed sights about them, to the no small amusement of their urban neighbors. The customer is given a numbered ticket on entering, by which his account with the house is kept. A few rooms are furnished in semi-foreign style, but most preserve their Japanese character, and the food is almost entirely native. The “ bill of fare” includes some twenty different dishes, ranging in price from 5 to 15 sen each, the charges depending largely on the state of the fish market. While no meat is served, fowls are cooked in a number of forms, and all kinds of liquors can be obtained. The Matsuda is opened about 8 o’clock in the morning and closed at 9 or 9:30 in the evening. The busiest hours are at midday and after sunset, when the fifty attendants are kept very active by the crowds and thirsty patrons. To the passer-by, the restaurant looks most attractive at when the rows of lanterns under the eaves, and the illumination of the whole building, showing through panes of colored glass, present a very gay appearance. — Tokio (Japan) Times.