For all the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, about 60 miles away one can find pockets of quiet, natural serenity. My good friends the Kataokas have found a wooded haven from the busy cities in the beach-side village of Akiya. I spent my last 24 hours in Japan there. The beach of Akiya has some interesting rock formations that have been featured for hundreds of years in woodblock prints and photos. It was a beautiful place to end a very successful trip to Japan.

If you look closely, you might see the famous silhouette of Mt. Fuji. This was the first time I had seen it in 5 visits to Japan!

I am always looking for interesting plants and animals wherever I travel.

This is an intriguing little ground flower I found near Zushi.

This colorful garden spider’s body was about an inch long, so with its legs outstretched it appeared gigantic!

Japan has wonderful cuisine and there was always a delicious meal or dinner party waiting for me! Here are some of the tasty treats I had the pleasure of sampling:

Well, I did not eat this, but these are plastic representations of the meals this restaurant offers.

This is a common way to show off the menu in Japan.

This cluster of tiny mushrooms was dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried in light vegetable oils.

Oh, was it good! We were given kitchen scissors to cut it into bite-size pieces.

Every evening found us at a dinner party in “Sakura” the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel. In the front row from left to right are Valentine and Eyvonne Vox, Wendy Morgan, me, and Dale von Seggen. Behind us are Shu-san, Atsuko Yasuhara , and Manami Iimuro.

This is only part of the delicious meal set out by my friend Ike-san when I visited with her and her husband Akira Kataoka and son Megu in Akiya near Zushi.

Add Denny’s to the list of American eateries in international markets.

I had a Japanese soup and tofu salad at this seaside restaurant.