Among the many proposáls for economy was one for the shortening of match-sticks, but this has not been adopted because of objections by the manufacturers, who feared that their markets abroad would be lost if they adopted this suggestion. Another proposal which has also failed to receive support was for the non-use of neckties.
With the ban on the use of leather for the manufacture of non-essential articles, the price of existing. stocks of shoes has soared, becoming prohibitive to the majority of the population. As a consequence, geta (wooden sandals) have once again come into fashion, and a "back-to-geta" movement is in full swing. In some cases, the pupils of entire schools have discarded ordinary shoes for geta Messures reminiscent of England's wartime "Dora" (Defence of the Realm Act) have made Tokyo's night life even duller than it was before the Sino-Japanese hostilities started:
Bars and cafes are closed well before "midnight, and the pleasure-seeker is out of luck unéss he finds any which operate surreptitiously.
But despite early closing hours and official frowns on excessive gaiety in time of national crisis, Tokyo, on the surface, still presents to foreign visitors the aspect of a happy, care-free city.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.