The Washington Post, Thursday 28th September 1905 (Page 1)
The San Francisco Call, Tuesday 28th September 1905 (Page 1)

TAFT TELLS OF TRIP

Party Warmly Welcomed in Japan

(edited to remove non sumo content)

    San Francisco, Sept. 27. - The Pacific Mail Steamship Company's liner Korea, Capt. Zeeder, arrived today from the Orient, beating the trans-pacific record by several hours. Among her passengers, were Secretary of War W. H. Taft and about sixty members of a party which left with him for the far East on the Manchuria on July 8 last.
    The party as organized consisted of twenty-three Representatives and several Senators. O these, thirteen were accompanied by their wives. In addition, Miss Alice Roosevelt and her friends, Miss Boardman and Miss McMillan, were of the party, and then a number of other persons, pleasant associates. joined the party. The official party numbered about fifty people and the unofficial party about eighty more.

Pleasant Stop at Honolulu

    "We left Washington over the Baltimore and Ohio Railway on the 13th of June, and reached Chicago the afternoon of the 1st of July, and took a special train over the Chicago and North-western and the Union Pacific, gathering the various members of the party as we went. We spent four or five days of very hot weather in San Francisco, enjoying the boundless hospitality of the people, and set sail on the 8th day of July on the Pacific Mail steamer Manchuria. We reached Honolulu on the 14th, and spent there only the hours between sunrise and sunset of that day, when we sailed again for Yokohama. The stop at Honolulu was one of pleasure, as it always is.

Reception at Yokohama

    "We arrived in Yokohama on the 24th, and were greatly surprised by the elaborate reception which had been prepared for us by the Emperor, his cabinet ministers, the governors of the provinces, the mayors of the towns, and the Japanese people. For five days we were the guests of the government, and nothing could have exceeded the kindness and enthusiastic manifestations of the people, which were shown to us. It was chiefly due to the presence of the daughter of the President to whom the people wished to show their gratitude for his efforts for peace. We were housed in Tokyo, and the whole of the official party, fifty-three in number, lunched with the Emperor and Empress after each member had had a personal audience with them. The premier, Count Katsura, gave the whole party a banquet at the Hotel Imperial, and the minister of war gave a garden party at the arsenal gardens, which added much variety of interest. After the beautiful luncheon and speeches which we made, we were given an exhibition of famous wrestling by the professional wrestlers of Japan. We saw the champion wrestler, who was said to weigh somewhat more than four hundred pounds.