Make Your Dream Japan Trip Happen

Getting There

Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com)

offers connecting flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Tokyo Narita, the main airport. Vistara (airvistara.com) offers nonstop flights from Delhi to Haneda, just 15 minutes from downtown.The Japan Rail Pass (from `20,568; japanrailpass. net) gives discounted access on rail travel throughout the country.

Tokyo

We stayed at the 508-room Okura Tokyo

(doubles from `49,136; theokuratokyo.jp), which recently replaced the iconic 1962 Hotel Okura. Another option is the new Trunk House

(from `3,42,844; trunkhouse.com), a former geisha house that can be reserved for groups. I loved a tiny izakaya on Drunkards’ Alley called Enoki (dinner `2,286–`3,047; nonbei. tokyo/shop/enoki), which seats eight only.

Koshu

Take the train from

Tokyo to this gateway to Japan’s wine region. Here, we visited wineries including Lumière (lumiere.jp), Katsunuma

Jyozo (katsunuma

winery.com), and MGVs (mgvs.jp). It’s an hour’s drive south through Yamanashi Prefecture to HOSHINOYA Fuji (doubles from `41,141; hoshinoya.com), which offers spectacular views of the mountain.

Kanazawa

Go back through Tokyo by train to Kanazawa. Be sure to stop at the “perfect” Kenroku-en Garden jp). We stayed at

Uan Kanazawa (doubles from `15,618; uankanazawa.com), a blend of traditional and Western hotel styles, and Kikunoya (doubles from `29,256; machiyakanazawa.jp), a former teahouse converted into an exclusive-use

machiya, or town house, in the style of the Meiji era. Kaga

We chose to drive to the onsens in this spa town, but the journey can also be made by train. Communal bathing is an important part of Japanese life; at hotspring ryokan Kai Kaga (doubles from `13,332; kai-ryokan.jp) and the nearby public bathhouse Kosoyu (yamashiro-spa.or.jp),

genders are separated, and no clothes are worn. Tattoos should be covered if possible.

Kyoto

In the ancient capital, we checked in to Shiki Juraku (doubles from `30,475; shikijuraku. com), a stylish new machiya hotel close to the Imperial Palace (sankan.kunaicho.go.jp).

Ask your hotel or travel advisor to secure a table at Farmoon (tasting menu `6,095; instagram. com/farmoon_kyoto), which adheres to ichigen-san okotowari,

a system whereby new guests must be invited by regular customers.

Tour Operator

This trip was planned by InsideJapan Tours (insidejapantours.com).

Their on-the-ground consultants have been planning in-depth, tailor-made itineraries around the country for 20 years. Prices for a similar nine-day tour start at `7,23,781.