Krista’s Thoughts on Travel This Week…

Sadly, it’s only June and I’ve already experienced Lost Luggage #2 and #3 of the year. Last year, I made it all the way to December before this happened! The lost bags were in quite a unique situation. The solution was somewhere in between Delta, Aegean, and me calling in a favor to my friends at the Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens, Greece! Thank you also to my clients for listening to me and using AirTags. Lost luggage can really affect a trip, and it’s one of the reasons all my clients are covered by Blue Ribbon Bags, a lost luggage retrieval service.

In less stressful news, I had dinner with Cheval Blanc and Ani Private Resorts here in Palm Beach on Tuesday at the lively Lola41 at the White Elephant Hotel. Such dreamy properties. Ani Private Resorts are particularly interesting for anyone looking for a full buyout. (6 room minimum.)

On Wednesday, I met with one of the tech platforms I work with for straightforward hotel bookings. They taught me some new tricks which I am very excited about. (There is a surprising amount of technology involved in booking travel.) I also met with one of my travel insurance partners where we talked about the pros/cons of annual travel insurance policies. I am not a licensed insurance agent, but my takeaway is there are more cons than pros to annual policies…IMHO!

Then on Thursday, I met with one of my partners in France who organizes the most unique of unique experiences. Super special behind-the-scenes access. Opportunities you didn’t even know existed. Incredible, actually.

But Now, Let’s Talk about Japan…

The Japanese yen is really weak against the US dollar right now, down nearly 12% over the last 12 months! We are close to historic lows. Your money goes significantly further in Japan right now than it has in years — and that gap won't last forever. If you can handle the long flight, now is a GREAT time to see Japan. BUT…be ready for the crowds. You won’t be the only one taking advantage of the exchange rate. (That’s one more reason to work with me — I’ll help you get off the beaten path…IF you have time for it!)

Here are eight ways to see Japan that go beyond the standard Golden Route of Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka.

1. By Active Travel

For the traveler who wants to move through a destination rather than sit in it, There are some amazing trips that weave through ryokans and onsen baths, with hiking in Nikko National Park, cycling through rice paddies and rural villages, and time in the Northern Japanese Alps — the kind of Japan that most visitors never see because it requires someone else doing the logistics.

Check out these itineraries…

Women’s Hiking & Walking Tour of Japan (8 days)
Active Luxury Japan (14 days)

2. By Sea — Mitsui Ocean Cruises

You’ve probably never heard of Mitsui. So let me let you in on a little secret. The Mitsui Ocean Fuji is an all-suite ship built around Japan's four seasons, running 22 itineraries in 2026 from five to eleven days — cherry blossoms in spring, summer festivals, autumn coastlines. What sets it apart from any Western cruise line doing Japan itineraries: this is a Japanese cruise line, and the omotenashi service and cultural programming are the real thing, not an interpretation of Japan. Departures from Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Kobe. There's even a culinary sailing with Chef Andrew Zimmern in late July. My friend (and coincidentally West Palm Beach neighbor!) Kelly is the business manager so I have all the connections to make Mitsui happen for you.

3. By Luxury Train

Japan understands trains in a way no other country does — and its luxury sleeper trains are genuinely unlike anything else on earth.

There are four worth knowing: the Twilight Express Mizukaze, running from Kyoto through the lesser-known San'in coast along the Sea of Japan; the Train Suite Shiki-Shima, departing Tokyo for Tohoku and Hokkaido; the Seven Stars, which circles Kyushu; and The Royal Express. Each one is a moving boutique hotel — kaiseki meals, private suites, off-train excursions to places not otherwise accessible.

One honest caveat: these trains are typically accessed via a public lottery, which means booking through an advisor with connections is not optional — it's the only way most people get on. Plan at least a year out.

BUT…if a luxury sleeper train is not your style, I can put together other train-heavy itineraries for you…

Kaiseki meals in Japan — a series of small dishes.

4. Culinary Japan

Tokyo has more Michelin stars than any city on earth — which tells you something about what's possible. But culinary Japan goes well beyond that. A private sushi-making class in a centuries-old fish market. Ramen in a basement counter with eight seats and a one-hour wait. Sake from a Hokkaido brewery. Wagyu in Kobe, where it comes from. Osaka's street food scene, which locals call kuidaore — "eat until you drop."

Food and drink is a lens through which to see the entire country, and the best Japan itineraries are built around this lens as much as the temples.

If you’re interested in a package tour, check out this two week Culinary Japan itinerary.

If you just want to dive into Tokyo, Aman Tokyo and Mandarin Oriental Tokyo are both Virtuoso properties — book through me for complimentary breakfast, hotel credits, and priority upgrades. The Mandarin Oriental has held a Forbes Five-Star rating for eleven consecutive years and has three Michelin-starred restaurants on-site. Aman Tokyo sits high above the Imperial Palace Gardens with views of Mount Fuji on a clear day — 84 accommodations built from stone, camphor wood, and traditional washi paper, with an Aman Spa integrating herbal therapies from classical Japanese medicine.

For something newer: Janu Tokyo, also Virtuoso, opened in 2024 in the Azabudai Hills development. It has one of the largest wellness centers of any hotel in Tokyo — 43,000 square feet — and is a short walk from teamLab Borderless, the digital art museum.

One of many Yayoi Kusama installations on Naoshima

5. Art Island Japan — Naoshima

In the Seto Inland Sea, there is an island that has been entirely transformed into an immersive contemporary art destination. Naoshima's museums include the Chichu Art Museum and the Lee Ufan Museum, and the island's accommodation is Benesse House — a Tadao Ando-designed hotel that is itself a contemporary art museum. It's a two-hour journey from Osaka or Hiroshima by train and ferry, and it's the answer to the client who has done Tokyo and Kyoto and wants something that feels completely different.

For Kyoto before or after, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, Park Hyatt Kyoto, Six Senses Kyoto, and Capella Kyoto are all Virtuoso properties — Virtuoso benefits apply when you book through me. Six Senses Kyoto is the brand's debut in Japan, with 81 minimalist guestrooms overlooking the serene Toyokuni Shrine gardens. Park Hyatt Kyoto sits in the Higashiyama Hills with views of the Yasaka Pagoda and 70 rooms designed around Japanese craftsmanship and local art.

For packaged art-loving itineraries, check these out…remember I can make any of these private…

6. Skiing Japan

More Americans are going to Japan to ski — and once you've done it, you understand why. The powder in Hokkaido is legendary. And when the lifts close, you're still in Japan: ramen at a tiny local counter, an onsen soak, sake from a Hokkaido brewery. The après-ski is as good as the skiing. Virtuoso did a great article on Niseko last year.

For the 2025–26 season, Hakuba overtook Niseko in international booking share for the first time — a sign of how quickly Japan's ski scene is maturing beyond its most famous name.

Niseko in Hokkaido is the most developed for international visitors, with English widely spoken and extraordinary powder. The Ritz-Carlton Reserve Higashiyama Niseko Village is ski-in/ski-out with its own onsen. Setsu Niseko — Japan's best ski hotel per the World Ski Awards two years running, and a Michelin Key holder — is the choice for clients who want something more intimate and distinctly Japanese in its design and feel. And then there’s also the Park Hyatt Niseko.

Hakuba, in the Nagano Alps (host of the 1998 Winter Olympics), has over 200 kilometers of slopes and a quieter, more authentic mountain atmosphere. The right choice for repeat visitors who want fewer crowds and more terrain.

One critical note: book Niseko and Hakuba accommodation 6 to 12 months in advance. The good properties go fast.

Interested in a packaged program? Check out this Piste-Carving and Storm-Chasing itinerary along with Japan’s Winter Wonderland.

7. Anime and Pop Culture Japan

This one is for the family traveling with teenagers, or anyone curious about contemporary Japan rather than just the traditional side. The Studio Ghibli Museum outside Tokyo requires tickets booked months ahead — and is worth every bit of that effort. TeamLab Borderless in Azabudai is a full-scale digital art universe that has no equivalent anywhere else in the world. Akihabara in Tokyo is the epicenter of gaming and anime culture. And Shibuya at night, with the famous crossing and the neon, is something every visitor should see regardless of their interests.

8. The Onsen Holiday Japan

This is the thread that runs through every other experience on this list. At the end of a day skiing Niseko, riding a luxury train through the Alps, or wandering Kyoto's back streets, there is an onsen waiting — and it changes the trip completely. Although I need to be very transparent here: in public onsen, everyone is wearing their birthday suit. (Although baths are generally segregated by gender.) Bathing suits are considered unsanitary.

Bathing is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, and onsen hot springs remain some of the country's most beloved travel experiences. A proper ryokan stay is built around them. You arrive, you're shown to a tatami room, you're dressed in a yukata robe, and the rhythm of the place takes over. Dinner is kaiseki. Breakfast is kaiseki. Yum!

Three onsen destinations worth knowing:

Hakone, 90 minutes from Tokyo by train, is the most accessible introduction. Gora Kadan occupies the former summer villa of Japan's imperial family, set in Hakone's forested mountains, with wellness programming that includes forest bathing, shiatsu massage, rice extract facials, and hinoki cypress soaking tubs.

Kinosaki Onsen is a centuries-old hot spring town with seven public baths, where guests walk between them in robes. Nishimuraya Honkan — a two-Michelin Key recipient — has been welcoming guests for more than 165 years.

Kurokawa Onsen in Kyushu is the one for the client who has already done Hakone and wants something genuinely off the radar — a village of traditional inns tucked into a forested gorge, no chain hotels, no crowds.

A Few Practical Things Worth Knowing

Japan is best in spring (late March to early May, cherry blossoms) and autumn (October to November, fall foliage). Both seasons book out fast — particularly for onsen ryokans with seasonal views, where many travelers reserve six months ahead.

The Shinkansen bullet train network makes the country more navigable than it looks on a map. Tokyo to Kyoto is two and a half hours. Kyoto to Hiroshima is another 45 minutes.

Japan is also one of those destinations where having an advisor makes a material difference — not just for the hotels and logistics, but for the things that are genuinely hard to access without connections: the ryokan waitlists, the vetted English-speaking guides, and the private experiences that don't exist on any booking site.

If Japan has been on your list, reply to this email and let's figure out what your version of it looks like.

About Krista

I’m a Virtuoso travel advisor based in Palm Beach, Florida. I attended the University of Notre Dame for undergrad and I have my MBA from the University of Chicago. Before building my travel business, I spent 20 years in the investment management industry and over a decade living and working in London, England. I’ve personally traveled to 80 countries and now design thoughtful, highly customized trips for travelers who value expertise, access, and a seamless experience.

I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation for travelers considering a custom itinerary or luxury cruise.c

For travel inspiration and real-time updates, you can follow along on Instagram or connect with me on Facebook. I also share a curated list of travel products I genuinely use and recommend in my online store.

What I Offer…

Custom itinerary design for complex, multi-stop trips
VIP hotel benefits through Virtuoso and preferred partner programs (including complimentary breakfast, hotel credits, and priority for upgrades where available)
Luxury ocean, river, and expedition cruises with added onboard credits
Vetted villa rentals with concierge services worldwide
Private guides, small-group touring, and unique local experiences
Private aviation and yacht charters through trusted partners
Airport transfers, VIP arrival and departure services, and full ground logistics
Travel protection and support when plans change

I work best with travelers who want expert planning, trusted partnerships, and someone in their corner from start to finish. That’s what I am best at! Ready to talk travel? Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.

Eight Intriguing Ways to Experience Japan