Japan

Japan rewards precision. The cherry blossom front moves north from Kyushu through late March and early April and lasts about a week in any one city, so a fixed-date trip either catches it or misses it. We plan two locations and a flexible day or two rather than gamble on one. November is the more reliable of the two great seasons, with maples in Kyoto and Nikko and clear, cold air. Winter belongs to Hokkaido, where Niseko and Furano take some of the most dependable powder anywhere.

Tokyo and Osaka both take large-cabin aircraft, and Haneda is the arrival most members want for its proximity to the city. Inside the country the Shinkansen genuinely beats flying between Tokyo and Kyoto, so we book it rather than fight it.

Japan is unusually well covered by our preferred hotel partners. Aman Kyoto sits in a private forest garden north of the city and Aman Tokyo occupies the top floors of the Otemachi Tower. Park Hyatt Tokyo is the Shinjuku classic. Four Seasons operates at both Marunouchi and Otemachi, Mandarin Oriental is above Nihonbashi, and the Ritz-Carlton has Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nikko and Fukuoka. That density is why we can still hold a real choice for members in blossom week.

Japan is the April leg of the OUIJETS twelve-month calendar, built around blossom and onsen. Ask your advisor about ryokan nights with a private rotenburo, sumo tournament dates, and the private viewing arrangements that peak-season temple gardens require.