Cheap flights to
Japan

One of our favorite tricks for finding the cheapest flights is to book during the Goldilocks Window. That’s about 1-3 months before a domestic flight. But for international flights to Japan, you have a bit more time, around 2-8 months. If you plan to travel during the high season, for a holiday, or another occasion where your dates are not flexible, look on the earlier side.

An easy way to think about it is to book in opposite seasons. So, if you want to visit Japan for the cherry blossoms in the spring, start looking for flights in the fall. If at all possible, don’t wait until the month of your departure to book a flight. Fares almost always rise at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day points before trips.

Some fares never seem to get any cheaper, no matter how often you check them. But don’t stop dreaming about fresh sushi just yet. Try our Greek Islands Trick. We came up with it as a great way to get to the busy Greek Islands for cheaper, but it can work for lots of places. The goal is to get as close as you can to your final destination, then find a budget flight for the last leg.

If flights to Japan are prohibitively expensive, try looking for flights to Seoul and then finding a budget airline flight from Seoul to Tokyo. Plus, from South Korea or other nearby countries, you can often fly to other airports around Japan that you can’t get to from the US.

This is like the Greek Islands Trick but in reverse. If flights from your home city are too expensive, look for flights from other airports. If you live in Austin, for example, consider driving to Dallas or Houston, which both have direct flights to Japan and could have better deals. You could even consider departing from somewhere out of state. If you see a $350 deal from San Francisco to Japan, it might be worth booking a $200 flight to San Francisco. Do some playing around with airports and prices, and you could be surprised how much money you can save if you’re willing to do a little extra travel.

Traveling in the off-season is a great way to take advantage of low fares. Summer is slow in Japan, meaning cheaper flights and hotels. It can be hot and rainy, but if you’re planning indoor activities or don’t mind walking around with an umbrella, it can still be nice. Shoulder seasons, the periods rolling off high season and before low season, are also a great time to visit for good weather and lower prices. In most of Japan, that’s February, June, and October. Thanksgiving is also a hidden cheap week to fly overseas because most US travelers are flying domestically.

If you do plan to travel during spring or fall, the high seasons, try to book on cheaper days of the week. Fridays and Sundays are expensive days to fly, but Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are often cheaper.

One of the easiest ways to save on flights is to set a fare alert so you don’t miss any price drops. Simply set up an alert for your dates and wait for an email telling you prices have fallen into your price range. If you’re flexible on dates and departure airports, set a few alerts. Or, sign up for Going, and we’ll monitor all flights from your home airport and let you know when we find the best deals. Take these steps ahead of the Goldilocks Window we talked about to make sure you’re getting the best deals.

Tokyo is decently serviced from the US. There are 11 airports with direct flights and three with additional flights to Osaka. From the US, most travelers in mid-size or larger cities will only need to make one connection.