In a country where precision is art and hospitality is ritual, even 48 hours can feel decadently complete. But as many discerning luxury travellers discover, what begins as a tightly-planned itinerary often evolves into an invitation to stay longer and delve deeper.
A High-Design Rush: 48 Hours, Curated
Images from Bulgari Hotel Tokyo
Begin in Tokyo, where luxury probes details. Check into the Bulgari Hotel, perched high above the skyline, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame the city’s electric sprawl. At dawn, visit Tsukiji Outer Market with a private guide, before retreating to a quiet sushi counter, curated by a fourth-generation itamae.
Credits: Michael Wu
Late morning, a chauffeured car delivers you to TeamLab Planets — a sensorial art experience, improvising a deliberate immersive scheme that breathes escapism between you and your surroundings.
Credits: Note Thanun
And by afternoon, gear up for a bespoke shopping session in Omotesando, or a pull over at Ginza’s flagship beauty sanctuaries, designed to empower your inner glow.
Credits: Squid Z
Finally, end the day in a discreet Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant where each course is meticulously plated, delicately paced, and deeply rooted in the region’s terroir. From the umami-laced dashi to the final matcha ritual, it’s less a meal and more a meditation in taste, time, and tradition.
Images from Michelin Guide Kyoto
And as for day 2? Kyoto. Travel via first-class Shinkansen with views of Mount Fuji. Upon arrival, delight yourself in a pleasant but private tea ceremony, in a restored machiya townhouse, and later, followed by an afternoon stroll through Arashiyama’s whispering bamboo groves.
Images from Offbeat Japan
As night falls, a Gion dinner in the company of a geiko, completes the perfect 48 hours’ immersion.
Luxury in Stillness: Stay Longer
But Japan’s most exquisite luxuries are often found in slowness. Extend your stay, and you enter a different rhythm — one of elemental beauty and intentional living.
Images from The Ryokan Collection
Retreat to Hakone’s ryokans, where bespoke kimono robes and open-air onsen frame views of mist-shrouded forests. On Naoshima Island, sleep inside a contemporary art museum, and your suite overlooking the Seto Inland Sea.
Images from Song Saa Niseko
Besides a slow ascent by rail or road, charter a helicopter to Niseko’s private chalets in winter, where champagne flows in snow-draped silence and personal butlers ready your post-ski onsen. Here, alpine luxury meets Japanese minimalism — think crackling fireplaces, curated tasting menus, and panoramic views of untouched powder from your cedar-framed suite.
Beyond locations, Japan’s luxury lies in its invisible gestures: the perfect bow, the exacting pour, the sense that everything — and everyone — is in harmony with the present moment.
A Timeless Return
Credits: Ben
Many travellers arrive chasing cherry blossoms or autumn’s golden trees, but it’s the still moments — incense curling in a Kyoto temple, a handwritten menu in a hidden bar — that linger far longer.
So, 48 Hours… or More?
Begin with a weekend, if you must. The beauty of Japan is that even two days makes for the most memorable experience. But allow yourself the gift of time, and sure enough, the country unveils its subtler riches. It does not just lie in the cultural popularity of these destinations, but more so, the emotion of being exquisitely cared for.
Credits: Jase Bloor
Because in Japan, luxury isn’t deliberately theatrical, it’s layered. And the longer you stay, the deeper it becomes a beautiful epitome of itself.
