Japanese hospitality: caring for a guest before they've had to ask.

When is the best time to visit Japan?

Late March to April for cherry blossom and November for autumn color, both peak season. December to February brings onsen, snow and lower prices.

Is Japan safe for Black travelers?

Japan is very safe. People may stare outside the big cities, but it's almost always curiosity, not hostility.

How long should I spend in Japan?

Two weeks if you can. There's too much here to rush.

Japan Redefined Luxury for Me | Caviar in the Air

In the West, luxury is accumulation: more square footage, more thread count, more courses. In Japan, luxury is taking things away. It's a single flower placed just so, or a ryokan room with nothing in it but tatami mats, a low table and a view of a garden someone has tended for generations.

What makes luxury travel in Japan different? It's about care, not excess. Japanese hospitality, called omotenashi, means looking after a guest before they have to ask. You feel it most in a top ryokan, at a Tokyo counter dinner and in a quiet garden, so give Japan two weeks and travel in spring, autumn or winter.

Key facts

Best months: late March to April for cherry blossom, November for autumn color (both peak season), December to February for onsen, snow and lower prices.
Where to stay: ryokan such as Hoshinoya Kyoto, Gora Kadan in Hakone, or Beniya Mukayu in Yamashiro Onsen.
How long: two weeks if you can. There's too much here to rush.
Our trip: the Japan Experience, eight days in Tokyo at the Kimpton Shinjuku, currently on the waitlist while dates are set.

Why Japan Deserves Two Weeks

Cherry blossoms along a moat with rowboats in central Tokyo at dusk Photo: Yu Kato / Unsplash

Japan welcomed a record number of international visitors in 2024, and Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in the world. There's simply too much here to rush.

The Ryokan Experience

The Mori Suite at Amanemu, with a wall of glass facing the forest Photo: Courtesy of Aman

At a top ryokan you get a kaiseki dinner, onsen baths, a futon on tatami, yukata robes, and a nakai-san who looks after your room. Once you've felt that kind of quiet attention, it's hard to go back.

Hoshinoya Kyoto: riverside in Arashiyama, reached by the hotel's own boat
Gora Kadan: a Hakone classic, set in a former imperial family retreat
Beniya Mukayu: quiet, minimalist perfection in Yamashiro Onsen
Amanemu: hot-spring pavilions above Ago Bay in Ise-Shima, with three MICHELIN Keys

Where we stay on our trip: the Kimpton Shinjuku in Tokyo.

Rates change a lot by season, so we quote them for your dates.

Tokyo: The Greatest Food City

The restaurant at Amanemu under a vaulted timber ceiling, looking over Ago Bay Photo: Courtesy of Aman

You can eat a bowl of tsukemen at Fuunji in Shinjuku for the price of a sandwich at home, then sit at a kaiseki counter that night and feel like royalty. That range is the magic. For sushi, kaiseki and tempura counters, book well ahead and let your concierge handle it. My Tokyo food guide has the full 48 hours.

What Black Travelers Should Know

Covered wooden walkway through a Kyoto garden with red autumn leaves Photo: Samuel Berner / Unsplash

Japan is not very diverse, and people may stare outside the big cities. It's almost always curiosity, not hostility. The country is very safe, omotenashi extends to everyone, and hip-hop culture is hugely popular here.

When to Go

Cherry blossom (late March to April): sakura and hanami picnics. Peak prices.
Autumn colors (November): koyo, when the leaves turn red and gold. Also peak.
Winter (December to February): onsen, snow and skiing, with lower prices.

If Kyoto is on your list, read my guide to Kyoto's temples.

Our Japan group trip is on the waitlist while the dates are set. Join the Japan waitlist or book a free consultation. You deserve a trip where someone else thinks of everything first.

6X Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist with 65+ countries visited across all 7 continents.