Cheap flights to Japan in 2023/24 
from US, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Asia

The cheapest time to fly to Japan

During the peak summer months, all of Japan’s top attractions get rather busy. If you plan to do some sightseeing in Japan, try to be flexible with your trip dates. Aim for the quieter “shoulder” months between the seasons – from March to May, and from September to November.

It is an ideal time to visit the country to avoid peak-season flight prices and tourist crowds. You’ll also be rewarded by the things other visitors will miss out on: spring cherry blossoms during the Hanami season, amazing warm fall colors, and historic structures such as Fukuoka Castle blanketed in snow.

Know your time zone

Japan has only one time zone, despite being a large country that stretches almost 2400 kilometers through the western North Pacific Ocean and over 30 degrees longitude. It observes Japan Standard Time (JST) all year, which is UTC/GMT+09 time zone. As a result, clocks in Japan are 9 hours ahead of London and 14 hours ahead of New York. JST does not have an associated daylight saving time.

When checking flights and airport transfer times, ensure you know the local time zones. The departure time on your plane ticket is always listed based on the time zone of the departure airport. We suggest resetting your watch during the flight – it will help your brain adjust to the new time zone and to deal with jet lag.

Relax in KIX Airport Lounge

If you are traveling from Osaka, Kyoto, or Kobe and you are stuck at the Kansai International Airport (KIX) for long hours, head to the second floor of Terminal 1 and find the KIX Airport Lounge. It’s one of these rare airport lounges that don’t require you to be part of any loyalty program to use it.

Entry fees start at just ¥310 (~$2.80) for the first 30 minutes (all-you-can-drink soft drinks included). You can also use shower booths for ¥510 (~$4.60) or rent a private booth for nine hours at ¥3,900 (~$35.60) – which is a pretty good alternative to a hotel far out in the city.

Shinkansen, Japanese bullet train

Japan’s famous train lines are some of the best ways to see the country on a budget. Trains are punctual, comfortable, safe, and clean. The best of these is the Shinkansen Bullet Train: with a front car that resembles a space rocket, it can travel at a maximum speed of 320kmph making a trip such as Tokyo to Fukuoka – 1,170 kilometers away – doable in just over six hours.

Be sure to pick up your Japan Rail Pass – which allows unlimited travel – before departure to ensure savings (you can’t purchase a JRP inside of Japan).

Use coin lockers for your luggage

Nearly every train station and department store in Japan is equipped with wall coin lockers that offer temporary storage. Costing around ¥500 (~ $4.5) they are ideal for day trips. However, be careful as they usually have 24-hour limits and will charge you extra for overtime.

Ship your extra baggage via Kuroneko Yamato

Yamato Transport (aka “kuroneko” – literally “black cat”) is the largest door-to-door delivery company in Japan. Conveniently located at the airports and many other locations in Japanese cities, Kuroneko Yamato will ship your extra baggage to your next destination – at a very reasonable cost. Enjoy hands-free travel, shopping, and sightseeing!

Avoid Japan’s public holidays

Prices skyrocket during holidays in Japan – adjust your travel dates to avoid expensive tickets. Cheap flights to Japan are non-existent during popular “red days” such as New Year’s Holiday (January 1-3), Golden Week (April 29-May 6), Obon (August 11-19), and Silver Week (September 16-23). If you must travel to Japan during these peak periods it’s wise to book the flights well in advance.

Save on local fares with JAL and ANA passes

ANA and Japan Airlines have an interesting “special fares” option for foreign tourists visiting Japan.

JAL Japan Explorer Pass is a fare that can be used to access over 30 cities across JAL’s domestic network. The pass provides an easy solution to traveling beyond Tokyo and the well-trodden tourist routes. You must already have a return ticket (out of Japan) to be eligible for JAL Explorer Pass three price points: JPY 5500 (~$38), JPY 7700 (~$52), and JPY 11000 (~$75).

ANA Discover Japan Fare is a discounted fare explicitly aimed at foreign visitors. It can be used across ANA’s entire domestic flight network; however, the pricing has been structured to encourage exploration of Japan’s diverse islands. With different fare rules, you can choose between two fare types – Value and Super Value.

Check different departure airports

Consider neighboring cities when choosing the departure airport – especially look for larger cities with airports that serve as hubs for multiple airlines.

For example, if you live in West Europe, check prices for flights departing from Paris, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome, or Vienna. In 9 out of 10 cases, the cheapest flight to Japan will depart from one of these hubs, and it may be €500 less or more than your first choice. Yes, you may have to fly a few hundred kilometers to this hub, but low-cost airlines like EasyJet, RyanAir, or WizzAir will happily take you there for €50 – €100.

Use a similar tactic if you depart from the US or another region. It’s one of the best ways to save hundreds on trips.

Last-minute flights to Japan. The real cost of convenience.

Last-minute flights are often touted as a great way to save money, but the reality is far from it. Booking last-minute flights to Japan almost always never works out. The convenience of being able to book a flight on the fly is a dangerous game of chance, and you will most likely end up paying significantly higher than booking in advance.

The common perception may be that airlines decrease ticket prices to fill empty seats as the departure date approaches. However, the truth is that airfares depend on demand. Based on years of research and current customer data, the airlines know what people are willing to pay for specific flights and dates. They are also well aware that people are willing to pay a premium for flights they need to take immediately. To make the most money, the airline will sell its cheapest fares first and then increase the prices right before the flight to take advantage of business travelers and others who are willing to pay the premium price for late booking.

Occasionally, airlines can put some seats on sale to fill the remaining seats, but these are for unusual times and unpopular places. Popular destinations and dates around peak travel times tend to sell out quickly.

Planning ahead is key to securing a good deal on your flight. Last-minute flight deals are hard to come by, so as soon as you have a tentative travel timeline, book your flight. The earlier you book, the more likely you are to save money. If you are looking for a good deal, the best time to book your flight to Japan is around 60-90 days before the departure date.

“Hot seats” on long-haul flights

Those days seat selection is considered an optional, extra paid service – seats with extra legroom (front and exit rows) are usually priced higher. However, if you’re about to take a long-haul flight to Japan, those “hot seats” are worth considering – expect to pay $50-$100, which is much less than upgrading to Premium Economy.

If you want to choose your seats, do this early (ideally during the booking) for a more extensive selection of available options.

Lost baggage prevention

Avoid lost luggage nightmares by removing old tags on your suitcases. Tags are printed with a barcode for identification and tracking, so the old tags can confuse baggage handlers and the conveyor belt scanners. They are one of the reasons so many bags miss their flight or get misrouted.

“Book Flights Now, Pay Later” — is it worth it?

Booking a flight and paying for it later has recently become a popular trend in the travel industry, with many airlines offering delayed payment plans. They will allow you to make flight reservation to Japan now and then pay the bill in installments. But should you take advantage?

Book Now Pay Later (BNPL) plans are essentially short-term personal loans. By partnering with financial companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, PayPal Credit, Postpay, and Uplift, airlines can offer their loan services on the checkout page. When you book the flight with the BNPL option, the company pays the airline, and you repay the loan in installments over a set period (usually up to 24 months), with a set interest rate.

BNPL providers have varying terms and fees. Some may offer interest-free loans but have fees for late payments and require forced autoplay on your bank account, while others may have high annual percentage rates (up to 30-40% APR). There may also be transaction fees, down payment requirements, and many companies even run a credit check on the traveler.

Among the airlines that offer a “fly now, pay later” option are American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Qantas, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Southwest, and Virgin Atlantic.

Is BNPL financing worth it? If paid off on time, interest-free delayed payment on your flight ticket to Japan can be a great way to free up your cash flow. However, there may be safer alternatives available – such as taking advantage of an introductory 0% interest offer on a credit card or using flight price “freezing” services like Hopper.

Hidden-city ticketing hack

Hidden-city ticketing is a less-known money-saving tactic where you buy a plane ticket with a layover, with the intention to get off at the layover rather than the final destination. For example, a flight from New York to Tokyo might be $600, but a similar flight from New York to Singapore with a layover in Tokyo might be only $350. Choosing the latter and ending the trip in Tokyo would save you $250.

It seems counterintuitive that a fare from A to C via B could possibly be cheaper than a simple fare on a shorter route from A to B. However, airlines use dynamic, computer-driven price models calculated with little human intervention, and such deals happen quite often.

Booking a hidden city ticket isn’t as easy as booking a standard itinerary. There are some things to be aware of: (1) don’t check baggage — bring only hand luggage that can fit under the seat or an overhead compartment; a large checked bag will end up in the final destination C; (2) don’t use it for return flights — airlines often void any subsequent tickets if any segment of the first ticket is missed; (3) Do not overuse this tactic with the same airline — hidden-city ticketing is legal but airlines don’t like it and may try to punish you; (4) Don’t associate your frequent flyer account — the airline might invalidate any miles you’ve accrued with them.

How to find hidden-city tickets? The easiest way is to use Skiplagged website, which was designed for unearthing hidden-city deals — give them a try for your flight to Japan.

Get cheaper business class by bidding on airline upgrades

A growing number of airlines are auctioning upgrades to their business class seats. Once you book your economy ticket to Japan, you can offer to pay a bit more in an attempt to get a premium seat. 2-3 days before your flight, an airline will send you an email with a link to their website where you can place a “blind” bid. There’s usually a minimum bid amount. If you win the auction, you’ll be informed, and your seat will be upgraded.

How to choose the right bid amount? Just check the airline website for the regular cost of a business class seat to Japan, then subtract what you paid for the economy fare. Place your bid for around 10% to 30% of that price. The alternative strategy is to bid slightly above the competition. If, for example, the minimum bid is $500, try to bid $550-$600, as most people will offer the baseline amount required.

The more available business class seats the airline has on your flight, the lower bid can be successfully used. Check the airline’s daily schedule for flights to Japan – if there is more than one flight on your chosen route (more available seats), you can safely bid close to the minimum required amount.

Among the airlines that allow bidding for seat upgrades are: Air Canada (AC Bid), Air New Zealand (OneUp™), Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways (Bula Bid), Garuda Indonesia (BidUpgrade), Qantas, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, and Virgin Australia (UpgradeMe).

Fly early in the morning

Early morning flights (6 am or earlier) are usually cheaper than other day schedules. It’s because of lower demand – most people are not willing to go to the airport so early. Use it to your advantage.

Moreover, airports are also less crowded, and there tend to be fewer delays if you fly early in the morning. Due to increasing air traffic, delays get worse throughout the day – starting around 8-10 am and reaching a peak at 4-6 pm. If you are flying to Japan with a connecting flight, arriving on time at your layover airport may be critical to catching your next flight!

Take advantage of loyalty programs

Choose an airline that suits you the best, then stick to it. By becoming a ‘regular’, you will be able to use its loyalty program and earn “miles” (or points) – not only for flying but also for everyday expenses (if your card is affiliated with an airline).

Points earned this way often add up over time and are extremely helpful in flying at reduced fares. Airlines offer not only ticket discounts for their frequent flyers, but also special travel perks such as cabin class upgrades, increased checked baggage allowance, or access to their airport lounges so you can relax during long layovers.

If you often fly with Emirates, opt for Skywards, with Qantas – for Qantas Frequent Flyer, with Singapore Airlines – for KrisFlyer, etc.

Proof of onward travel – a simple hack

Travelers who go on long trips often don’t have a set itinerary and fly on one-way tickets. The problem? For many APAC countries, proof of onward travel is a legal requirement. If you arrive at the airport without an onward ticket (from Japan to another country), you’ll either be forced to buy one online or forbidden from boarding the plane altogether.

The cheapest solution? Renting an onward ticket! Use the websites such as OneWayFly or OnwardTicket to get a flight reservation for a limited amount of time (usually 2 to 14 days). They work by actually booking you on a real flight out of Japan and giving you a confirmable flight reservation with a PNR (Passenger Name Record) under your name. After the time limit, your spot on the flight is automatically canceled. Such “temporary tickets” tend to cost anywhere from $10 to $20.

How to book a superdeal to Japan?

Every superdeal you receive from Air Traveler Club includes a link you can use to book a flight. It always directs you to the website that offers the lowest price. Sometimes it’s an airline website; in other cases, Google Flights or a similar flight booking platform.

This video explains how to use Google Flights to book a plane ticket.

Dealing with the jet lag

Jet lag affects people differently depending on age, physical fitness, and genetics. The most accepted rule suggests that you should allow one full day to recover from jet lag for every time zone (hour gained) you traveled east and a number of days equal to half the time zones crossed when you traveled west.

The most effective natural jet lag remedy is to force your body into its new routine. You can begin before getting off the plane: set your watch to the time in Japan, then do your best to sleep and eat based on the new time zone. Close the window shade when it’s time to simulate darkness. During your first day on the ground in Japan, get outdoors, stay physically active during the day, and absorb sunlight.