Ulysses S. and Julia B.D. Grant

“My visit to Japan has been the most pleasant of all my travels,” wrote Ulysses S. Grant in a letter. “The country is beautifully cultivated, the scenery is grand . . . . My reception and entertainment has been the most extravigant [sic] I have ever known, or even read, of.” Following their eight years in the White House, he and First Lady Julia Grant spent three months in Japan, where they were hosted by Emperor Meiji (1852–1912).