Seeing as this was a few years after Perry's gunboat diplomacy, Japan had finally opened up trade relations with the rest of the world. It's no wonder that during this period, Japanese items were a huge hit with the upper classes at the time, birthing the first Japanophiles. In other words, weebs were a 19th century thing! (Edited cuz typo)
Money can't buy happiness, but I'd rather cry in a house than cry on the streets.