Life, 1920-03-18 · page 15 of 54
Life — March 18, 1920 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a humorous letter from a Japanese schoolboy visiting California, satirizing both Japanese visitors' enthusiasm for America and California's self-promotional boosterism. The main illustration depicts **Santa Claus unable to descend a chimney** because too many rosebuds obstruct it—a visual joke about California's abundant flowering plants and agricultural wealth. The figure caricatures Santa with exaggerated features typical of early 20th-century ethnic humor. The accompanying letter mocks how Japanese people romanticize California as a paradise ("Heaven all saved up into real estate and grape fruit"), while also gently satirizing Californians' reluctance to advertise their own abundance. The writer ironically suggests universities teach poetry about the "Native Sun climate" to promote tourism. The satire targets both tourist stereotypes and regional pride through the naive perspective of the foreign observer.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE- Letters of a Japanese Schoolboy Togo Discovers Hon. California O Editor “ Life,” STEWED DOWN BOOK OF The soil is rolling, arable and bunga- noble printer with CALIFORNIA low. whose brain I have Geography — California sets still and Climate—Continuous, not shook hands for — Watches Japanon West and Carranza Principal Cities —San Francisco are some time, on South. Oregon is sometimes on the considered the largest city in the orth and Tourists on the East. State except in Los Angeles where Drakest Sir: My cousin Nogi, who have opened photo gallery to manufacture portraits of Japanese brides, al- lure me out here where I are now residing among beautiful Cali- fornia scenarios. Mr. Editor, have you ever been to this gold State? If not you can not know why all Japanese love it too much to get off of it. Crank up your mind sifficiently to en, imagine Heaven all sawed up into estate and grape fruit where everybody got an ottomobile or some- thing that looks like one. Imagine Nature so steam heated that Hon Santa Clause cannot slide down chim- ney for Xmas because too many rose- buds got in his way, Imagine anything and I will show you where it grows in California. ast week while setting in Cousin »gi's Japanese Bride Photo Parlor, Los Angeles, Cal., I enjoy slight chatter with Miss Annie Furioki, Japanese bride, who come there to purchess % doz cabinet portraits for her new hus bands. “Hon. Annie,” I say that, “how could California remain here so long yet so few peoples know it?” “Californians are peculiar about that,” she negotiate. “They hate to advertise.” I stand ghast for this phenomenal. “Perhapsly University of L. Stan- ford or Berkeley Engineering School should give lessons in poetry so that Native Sun climate could be described to tourists,” I connubiate. “Togo, while you are here,” she corrode, “why should you not set downward & write some slight natural histories of Cal so that Americans will know it?” “Shall do!” TI ollicute exactuately. a Therefore I do. Following is it. “He cannot slide down chimney because too many rosebuds” comicbooks.com