Japan

What a Japan trip actually involves

Most first trips to Japan follow the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka corridor. The three cities sit on the same bullet train line, so you can cover all of them without internal flights and without long transfer days. Eight days is enough to see them properly; eleven lets you add Hakone, Nara or a free day without rushing.

When to go

Late March to early April is cherry blossom season — the most photographed time of year and the most expensive. October and November bring autumn colour, comfortable walking weather and noticeably lower prices. June is the rainy season and the one window most travellers should avoid.

What it costs

Budget roughly ₹1.4–1.9 lakh per person for a group departure excluding international flights, depending on length and season. Japan is not a cheap destination, but the cost is predictable: transport runs on time, hotels deliver what they advertise, and there is little scope for the hidden add-ons that inflate budgets elsewhere.

What to expect day to day

Expect a lot of walking — 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day is normal, much of it through train stations. English signage is reliable on transport and at major sights, less so in smaller restaurants. Cash still matters outside big cities.

Food, if you are vegetarian

This is the question we get asked most by Indian travellers. Pure-vegetarian food is genuinely harder to find than in Southeast Asia, because dashi — a fish-based stock — appears in many dishes that look vegetarian. It is manageable with planning: our Japan departures include daily Indian dinners for exactly this reason.