Why Japan now

For a long time Japan was the trip people meant to take one day. It no longer needs to wait. There are non-stop flights from Delhi of about eight hours, the visa is straightforward for Indian passport holders, and the country is easier to travel in comfortably than its reputation suggests.

What makes it special is the detail. A ryokan in Hakone where dinner arrives in twelve small courses. A counter in Tokyo with eight seats and a chef who has made the same thing for forty years. A temple in Kyoto that is almost empty at seven in the morning and impossible by ten.

The question is how to see it well. Timing matters most. Late March and early April bring the blossom, and the crowds that come with it. Mid-November to early December brings the autumn colour, cooler days and, for many of our travellers, the better trip.

Then there is pace. The mistake is to fit too much in. A week works beautifully as three stops: a few nights in Tokyo, two in the hills of Hakone with a view of Fuji on a clear day, and the rest in Kyoto, with a private guide for the temples and gardens.

Food is the other reason to go. Vegetarian travellers are well looked after if the restaurants are chosen with care, and that is exactly the kind of thing we plan before you leave. The rest is simple: good rooms, the right guide, and enough time to notice things.