Get the Best Fares to Japan
Revised January 29, 2006
There are a variety of choice of airlines to Japan. What you will pay we be based on:
- When you are going
- How long you are staying
- Where you are going
- Whether you arrive and depart from the same airport
- How many other tourists are travelling during that season
- How you buy your tickets
- Whether you can be flexible on departure and return
Start your search at an online travel site:
This will give you a general idea of the price of the tickets. Be sure to use a date that is close to the time that you would like to depart because prices reach their highest in the summer and are the lowest during the dark days of winter. You may also want to sign up for alerts that notify you if the price of tickets drops. We were about to pay $1030 for tickets through a broker, after weeks of shopping online, when Orbitz sent us an email telling us about tickets available at only $634.00 per person. The other key is to be patient without waiting to long. Based on past experience, it seems that prices on tickets are at their highest about three to four months before departure.
If you have the option, you can save money by traveling in the spring or fall when fewer tourists are crossing the Pacific or visiting from Australia and New Zealand. Even better prices are available in the winter season but the short days, limited hours at tourist attractions and cold temperatures make it a less pleasant time to visit. In Japan, the month of August is vacation time with major holidays and festivals celebrated throughout the country when most hotels are filled If you are committed to a specific season, you may still save money if you have some flexibility in your plans. Summer travelers will get a better deal if they can start their trip in late May or early June rather than mid-June. You may also want to see if you get a better price if you book a trip that returns after September 14, which will typically be less expensive than prime summer travel.
Under current airline policies you save more if you leave on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and return on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The other days are the days normally selected by frequent business travelers to Japan making prices a bit higher.
Also, if you leave from the major international airports, you will probably get a lower price: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, BC, Seattle, and now Portland are major points of departure to Japan; and Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Atlanta and JFK are primary US originations. We found, however, that it was cheaper for us to fly directly from out local airport than it was to drive or book a separate flight to a major airport. But it is worth trying the alternatives to see if you will save money. On the other end, we found that Osaka (KIX) is usually more expensive than Nagoya (
Generally, you are going to pay more if you stay in Japan for more than a month. Current ticket fares usually are based on a return trip scheduled in less than 31 days and you pay significantly more if you stay over a month during the summer. Checking current fares from my home town, air tickets were almost 50% more expensive for a six week stay than they were for a two week stay.
Once you have a general price of the tickets, you may want to search for an even better price with an online travel agent. You also may want to contact the major airlines that serve Japan, including American, Northwest, Delta, Air Canada, Thai, Japan Airliens, ANA (Air Nippon) and United.
If you use what is called an air travel "consolidator" who sells seats that might otherwise be open, you can sometimes beat both direct airline prices and the websites. On our first trip to Japan, we found a great price on Thai Airways through a consolidator who was able to beat listed prices by about $300.
If you have many frequent flyer miles and can use them to upgrade to business or first class, this is probably the trip to do that on. Generally, the price of a business class seat to Japan is about 4 times the economy fare. You are paying, primarily for having a comfortable place to sleep on the long flight; note that it is about 14 hours from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Japan, plus any time you spend getting to those cities and layovers. If your route is not direct because the plane stops in Honolulu, you can add even more time. Then add the affect of the international date line and you'll understand that the flight from the North America to Japan is more tiring than a flight to most places in Europe....the opportunity to sleep is really valuable if you have the frequent flyers to spare. But if you don't, you'll be o.k. when you get to Japan and when you get home, but you will have to deal with jet lag on the flight back to North America