A trip to Japan – the fulfillment of one of my biggest travel dreams
Designing tailor-made trips is a passion with one beautiful quality: it allows me to personally experience the best of what's possible. I traveled to Japan at the invitation of one of our top local partners. A week in Japan—Tokyo, Kyoto, Yamashiro Onsen, Kanazawa—was one of those trips that will stay with me for a lifetime and makes me feel grateful for where I am in life.
How was it? It's so hard to describe... The Japanese have a word that has no good equivalent in any other language: omotenashi. A philosophy of hospitality that doesn't wait for you to ask. It simply knows. The waiter brings you tea before you even have a chance to ask. Service is invisible and yet omnipresent. At a ryokan in Yamashiro, before I tried on the kimono she'd left for me, the owner knocked on my door and offered me a longer version because she thought my height would make me more comfortable in a longer one. Little things. But after a week in Japan, I realized that it's precisely these little things that make up the true luxury we experience in this country.
Tokyo is a good place to first become acquainted with Japan, because it's intense but not overwhelming. It's a city that functions like a clock. The scale is abstract: thirty-something million people in a metropolitan area, a multi-line subway. And yet, there's zero aggression. There's order and neatness. People don't push or shout. Lines form themselves, without markings or security. Tokyo is noisy, but not aggressive. There's an inner peace that's hard to explain—you can only feel it.
I quickly learned to read the language of gestures: a slight bow replaces greeting, thanks, and apologies all at once. Items are exchanged with both hands. I enter a restaurant and take off my shoes (actually, almost everywhere I go, shoes are left at the entrance). These are small details that, when combined, create a completely different... exceptionally good atmosphere.
From a luxury travel perspective, Tokyo offers something rare: a combination of absolutely futuristic infrastructure with Michelin-starred restaurants on every corner, as well as street food that can be equally exquisite and delicious. The city has the most Michelin-listed restaurants in the world, along with places like Tsukiji Market, where at 6 a.m. you can eat the best sushi of your life at a plastic table. As a side note, sushi is dipped fish-side down, not rice-side up. Learn it once, and you'll remember it.
I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo and the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo – two completely different characters, both flawless. The Mandarin offers a view of the city that won't leave you sleepless. The Bvlgari, on the other hand, is a hotel that is a work of art in itself – the materials, proportions, service at a level that's hard to replicate, and the location – it occupies the top floors of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu skyscraper.
For those looking for a more tranquil vacation, I recommend Aman Tokyo, nestled high in the Otemachi skyscraper; it offers the peace and quiet you've been searching for in this city. And that's exactly where you'll find it.
Read more about Japan – the country of longevity, delicious cuisine and distinguished hotels:
Tokyo to Kyoto is less than three hours away by Shinkansen—and it's like stepping from one world to another. The journey itself is an experience in itself: the train stops every second. This isn't a detail—it's the essence of all of Japan.
At large stations—and Japanese stations can be multi-level mazes—an assistant is truly appreciated. Our local partner provides on-site assistance, and it's one of those things that, at first glance, sounds like a formality but in practice proves invaluable: someone who knows the context, speaks a language that works, and guides us through the logistics before we get lost. And Japan rewards those who know how to navigate it.
I arrive in Kyoto. It's slower, more collected, as if it always remembered that for centuries it was the capital. And here lies one of the most important discoveries of this trip: it's not about seeing as much as possible—it's about being in the right places at the right time. The bamboo forest in Arashiyama at 11 a.m. is crowded and buzzing with phones. The Philosopher's Path in the early morning—a completely different story. Similarly, Adashino Nembutsu-ji, a small temple with a bamboo forest, almost unknown to foreign tourists, with memorial stones scattered among the trees to the nameless dead—one of those places that possesses a mystical atmosphere.
During the day, there are workshops. Japan offers a multitude of ways to spend your time. Calligraphy, where you spend an hour trying to write a single character and understand that it's an exercise in presence, not skill. A tea ceremony that forces even the most impatient to slow down. Or private sushi lessons.
For the night, The Mitsui Kyoto , a historic residence transformed into a designer Japanese synonymous with luxury and country atmosphere, has become my evening ritual. A private onsen, fueled by natural thermal water, has become my evening ritual – you enter the water after a few hours of intense sightseeing and relax in the silence, steam, and warmth – and feel everything melt away. Plus, there's exquisite cuisine and service in kimonos (yukatas).
Alternatives I would add to the list without hesitation: Aman Kyoto, tucked away in a private garden behind Kinkaku-ji Temple, accessed literally through a gate in the forest. And The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu, a historic school overlooking the Yasaka Pagoda.
If you are interested in other Aman hotels, be sure to check out:
Kanazawa and Kaga Onsen are the holiday destinations in Japan for those who want more than just the guidebook routes.
Kanazawa has none of the tourist rush. It doesn't try to be trendy. Craftsmanship is still a part of everyday life here: gold plating, Kaga yuzen fabrics, Kutani pottery, lacquerware. I spent an hour in a small pottery workshop and left feeling like I'd seen the real Japan there—more so than in many museums.
In Kaga Onsen, I stayed at Beniya Mukayu – and this is a ryokan that changes the meaning of the word "recreation." Minimalist architecture surrounded by nature, top-notch kaiseki, an onsen powered by natural water, and staff so discreet they're almost invisible.
A stay at a ryokan has its own rules, which are worth following: yukata are worn throughout the property, dinner and breakfast are served at set times with a set menu, and dietary restrictions are communicated in advance. These aren't restrictions—they're part of the experience.
If only I had more time…
Two destinations that, if I were to stay longer, I would add to my Japan itinerary without a second thought?
Koya-san – a mountain Buddhist settlement, about two hours from Osaka. You can stay overnight at a temple there – for example, Eko-in Temple is one of the most famous sites – and participate in a morning ceremony and eat traditional vegetarian cuisine with Buddhist monks. The place itself is very spiritual.
Okinawa – an archipelago in the south whose climate, cuisine, and pace of life are more reminiscent of Southeast Asia than mainland Japan. For accommodations, stay at Rosewood Okinawa, a new address and the only luxury hotel with access to the paradise beaches of Mijakojima Island.
I flew to Japan with a completely blank slate and an open mind. And yes, that legendary precision, silence, and perfect organization—it's all there.
But finally, I'll tell you what captivated me most – that I experienced my most beautiful moments in places you won't find in the top 10 online guides. Off the beaten track. And I know one thing for sure: in Japan, a good guide who knows these hidden gems is an absolute treasure.
Want to learn more about individual sightseeing tours in Japan and its most intriguing attractions? I'll tell you more about what surprised me most during my trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. I invite you to contact me and chat!
Text and photos: Kasia Deptuła, tel: 517 500 558, kasia@carter.eu
