Hi there!

 

So you are looking to book a flight to Japan!

After pretty much 2.5 years of being completely closed to independent tourism, Japan finally opened up to international travelers in October 2022!

As of spring 2023, the easiest way to get into Japan is to show that you are fully vaccinated.

There is also an app to download before you go to Japan that will make getting into the country easier.

But, that’s an issue for another day, after you’ve booked your flight. 😉

 

 

Now…

Back to looking for flights to Japan!

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to fly to Japan, Asia. When is the cheapest time to fly to Japan? Backpacking Japan on a budget. Japan travel blog.

 

This was written pre-covid, but the basics still apply.

So, if you’re looking to fly to Japan, probably one of the first questions you’ll ask is…

 

What city to fly to in Japan?

Well, this can somewhat depend on the places you want to visit in Japan.

 

If you’re just starting your trip planning without a clue of specifically where you want to go, have a look at the worst time to visit Japan.

And for more of Japan on the cheap, one of the top backpacker hostel chains in Japan is located in some of the top places to visit in Japan too.

 

That said, the most popular route for a first-time trip to Japan is to follow the “Golden Route,” and this can include Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, and Hiroshima.

 

With this in mind, if you’re flying internationally on a long-haul flight to get to Japan, there are 3 main cities to know about:

  • Tokyo
  • Kyoto
  • Osaka

 

Of these cities, Tokyo and Osaka have major international airports in which you may be able to find the best flight deals. The closest airport to Kyoto is in Osaka.

 

Airports in Japan

So the main airports on the Golden Route of Japan are the airports in Tokyo and Osaka:

  • Haneda airport HND Tokyo
  • Narita airport NRT Tokyo
  • Kansai airport KIX Osaka

 

Haneda airport is the more convenient airport when you’re staying in Tokyo.

But with Narita airport being a major international airport, you’ll find plenty of transportation options to get to the main part of Tokyo from Narita too.

So basically, flying into either airport will be just fine.

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan. Public transportation, bus, train from airport. Backpacking Japan on a budget. Japan travel blog.
👆 Airport train! No matter which city you fly into, you’ll find a pretty convenient way to get to the city.

 

If you will be visiting both Tokyo and Kyoto (common on a first trip to Japan), it could be a good idea to search for flights from both Tokyo and Osaka.

 

One more airport that you may look into:

  • Chubu Airport NGO Nagoya

 

Depending on your Japan trip itinerary, you may also consider flying into Nagoya.

Nagoya is not too far from Osaka or Kyoto.

And it can be an ideal base for exploring the Japan Alps too, if you want to get off the typical route of Tokyo – Mt Fuji – Kyoto – Hiroshima a little bit.

 

 

Flight deals to Japan from U.S.

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to fly to Japan from US. What is the cheapest city to fly from US. Backpacking Japan on a budget. Japan travel blog.

 

Sometimes airlines will have flight deals listed on their websites.

You may consider looking at some of these airlines to fly to Japan:

 

 

Sign up for Japan-specific newsletters

I haven’t specifically used either of these travel companies, but you seem to be able to be alerted sometimes if certain airlines are having a deal on flights to Japan.

So you might consider signing up for their newsletters:

These are both Japan-based companies.

 

Another cheap flights newsletter

Another newsletter that you may consider signing up for to be alerted of cheap flights that is NOT Japan-specific is Scott’s cheap flights, which has now changed their name to “Going.” (This is primarily for flights from the U.S. and Canada.)

 

Here are a few examples of e-mail alerts on flight deals for Japan.

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan - Scott's cheap flight to Tokyo during cherry blossom season. Backpacking Japan on a budget

How to find cheap flights to Japan: Flight deals to Tokyo (Haneda HND, Narita NRT). From Detroit DTW, from Minneapolis MSP, from Seattle SEA. Air Canada. October, November, December, not christmas or new year's. Backpacking Japan on a budget

How to find cheap flights to Japan: Flight deals to Tokyo (Haneda HND, Narita NRT). From Cleveland CLE, from Orlando Florida MCO, Pittsburgh PIT, Raleigh RDU. American airlines, Delta, JAL, United. January, February, March, April, May. Backpacking Japan on a budget

How to find cheap flights to Japan: Flight deals to Tokyo (Narita NRT). From Chicago ORD, from NYC New York JFK. Singapore airlines. January, February, March, April, May. Backpacking Japan on a budget

How to find cheap flights to Japan: Flight deals to Tokyo (Haneda HND). From Atlanta ATL, Detroit DTW, Minneapolis MSP. Air Canada. October, November, December. Backpacking Japan on a budget

 

You can get e-mail alerts like this for free by signing up for the newsletter.

There’s also a paid “premium” version in which you will be alerted of a few extra deals.

If you go for the premium version, you can also set up your home airport to only be alerted of flight deals from a specific airport.

 

Will this help you find a good deal on a flight to Japan?!

Well, some of this DOES have to do with luck, as well as when you go to Japan.

But if you do luck out, the $40 annual fee will surely pay itself back, especially if you’re traveling as a family.

 

 

Now…

How I booked a flight to Japan!

This was a pre-covid flight.

At the time of this particular flight booking, my preferred website for looking up cheap flights is kiwi.com.

It’s the first place I was looking when I was searching for flights to Asia, from Asia, and within Asia for travel between countries.

Basically they do the flight hacking for you so that you don’t have to buy separate tickets.

Nowadays I also use kayak.com to search for flights. (And then I book direct.)

 

Booking direct vs booking with kiwi.com

Well, booking direct is my preferred way of booking flights.

But sometimes that doesn’t always offer the cheapest flights.

How do you know when it’s worth it to book with kiwi.com instead of booking direct?

This is pretty easy!

 

Look at any given flight itinerary, and see who covers the flight connection if you miss it.

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan: best flight booking site - does kiwi.com guarantee work. Detroit DTW to Los Angeles LAX to San Francisco SFO to Tokyo Haneda HND. ANA and spirit airlines baggage fees. Backpacking Japan on a budget

 

So in this case, the search has found the individual flights from Spirit Airlines and ANA to put them together to give you the cheapest ticket possible to fly to Japan.

So if you don’t make it to Los Angeles in time for your next flight because of your Spirit airlines flight, then kiwi.com will find you a new flight.

 

Sometimes, they may also find individual flights even on the same airline are actually separate tickets.

In this case, you may find that it’s still kiwi.com that will cover a missed connection.

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan: best flight booking site - does kiwi.com guarantee work. Detroit DTW to St Louis STL to Houston HOU to Los Angeles LAX to Tokyo Narita NRT. ANA and southwest airlines baggage fees. Backpacking Japan on a budget

 

So the other thing to keep in mind when you are booking individual flights like this on the same flight itinerary through kiwi.com is that you may have to check-in again once you are at another airport.

This is especially important if you are checking in any baggage.

In which case, you may need to go to baggage claim to pick up your bags before you’ve reached your final destination, and you could be hit more than once for baggage fees.

So ideally, you’d be traveling carry-on only when you do this. Although it’s not necessary, it can make things easier.

If you don’t plan to go carry-on only for your trip to Japan, you’ll also want to be sure to check what the baggage fees are for the airline before you book.

The major airlines will typically allow at least one free checked bag for international flights, but discount airlines will likely come with checked bag fees.

And depending on the airline (like AirAsia), you want to make sure you pay for this before you show up to the airport. It can cost more if you pay at check-in.

 

And then finally…

You may also see search results that don’t display any “kiwi guarantee” on the itinerary.

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan: best flight booking site - does kiwi.com guarantee work. San Francisco SFO and San Jose SJC to Los Angeles LAX to Tokyo Narita NRT. American Airlines and JAL. Backpacking Japan on a budget

 

For these flights, you can book through kiwi.com, or you can also check the website directly to see if the price is the same.

So in this case, you can look to book directly with American Airlines to fly from Los Angeles LAX to Tokyo NRT.

 

 

What does the “kiwi guarantee” really mean?!

In short, if you miss a flight that’s covered on the guarantee, you’ll be re-booked onto another flight at no extra cost to you.

 

So then more importantly…

Does the kiwi guarantee work?!

Well, I’ve only had to use the kiwi guarantee once, and it worked for me!

 

So there was a typhoon that resulted in an airport closure.

This airport closure happened on the day I was supposed to fly out of Japan. (This is also a good reason to get travel insurance for natural disasters! My food and accommodation was covered for my extra days in Japan.)

I booked my flight to/from Japan through kiwi.com.

It was an AirAsia flight from Osaka KIX to Honolulu HNL, and then an Alaska Airlines flight from Honolulu to the mainland United States.

Well, my flight from Osaka got canceled because of the airport closure which means that I missed flight from Honolulu.

Eventually what happened was that my flight to Hawaii was re-scheduled for a few days later from another airport. (And my travel insurance covered the transportation to the alternative airport too.)

Then once I was in Hawaii, I called kiwi.com and they scheduled a new flight and booked me in a hotel since my flight wasn’t until the next day.

Now, I was on the phone with them much longer than I would have liked, but in the end, I was happy that the kiwi guarantee DID work!

 

What to do when you miss a flight connection that’s not covered by the airline

It’s important to know that kiwi.com will ONLY reschedule your flight after you have actually missed the flight AND you are at the airport from which you need a new flight.

So even though I knew before I left Japan what time I would be arriving in Honolulu, I could not get a new flight booked until I actually landed in Hawaii.

 

 

If you want to take a further look at where to base yourself in Japan to help you decide what city to fly into…

Have a look to these cities along Japan’s golden route to get you started!

 

1. Tokyo

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit Tokyo. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

2. Mt Fuji climb

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit for climbing Mt Fuji. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

3. Mt Fuji views

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit for Mt Fuji views. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

4. Kyoto

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit Kyoto. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

5. Osaka

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit Osaka. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

6. Hiroshima

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit Hiroshima. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

7. Miyajima

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to visit Miyajima. Backpacking Japan on a budget.

 

And to find more places to visit, also have a look to destinations that have cheaper places to stay!

 

How to find cheap flights to Japan for the best time to fly to Japan, Asia. When is the cheapest time to fly to Japan? Backpacking Japan on a budget. Japan travel blog.

 

HAPPY FLYING TO JAPAN!

 

 

Traveling around Japan and can't read Japanese? No problem! Just use the camera on the google translate app!









Is a JR pass worth it?!

  • Google maps can make it easy to figure out whether or not you should get a JR pass!
  • In google maps, type in your departure and arrival city, and choose the transit icon. The route will come up, and so will the estimated cost at the bottom!
  • Here is an example of a train route with cost on google maps.
  • So do that for all of your long distance routes to figure out how much it might cost.
  • Next, go here to see how much a JR pass costs from an official JR pass vendor (and partner of this website).
  • And compare!
  • Not all forms of public transportation are JR, but long distance shinkansen bullet trains are, and that's where the most cost savings will come.




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