This is the part of the trip where you need to think about what is important to you, as flights are the most expensive component of budgeting a trip to Japan.

What I Actually Spent on Flights (And What You Should Expect)

In my case, about 50% of my $6,000 total trip budget went to airfare alone.

I booked my flights in December 2025 and paid roughly $2,400 for a direct flight from JFK to Tokyo on All Nippon Airways (ANA), flying into Tokyo Haneda International Airport.

A few important notes about that:

• This was premium economy, not standard economy.
• The flight time from New York is about 12–14 hours.
• And yes—it was worth it.

Is Premium Economy Worth it?

If you can afford the expense, absolutely. In my case, my premium economy ticket came with several perks on top of having a larger seat, which included:

• Access to a lounge at both JFK and at Tokyo Haneda. In both lounges you can reserve a shower to use. It might seem trivial, but feeling refreshed before going on a 12-14 hour flight does make a difference.
• Your checked baggage (if you choose to do this) gets priority–meaning less of a wait upon arrival.

You’re starting your trip the moment you get on the plane. Being slightly more rested when you land in Japan makes a bigger difference than people expect—especially when you’re dealing with jet lag.

When to Book?

1. Book Earlier Than You Think
   • Japan isn’t exactly a hidden destination—flights fill up and prices climb quickly.
   • A good rule:
     • 3-6 Months in advance for decent prices
     • Book even earlier if you are traveling during peak seasons (spring cherry blossoms, fall foliage)
   • Additional information worth knowing
     • If there is one specific time to avoid going to Japan, it is during Golden Week. Golden Week is a series of national holidays held the last weekend of April into the first week of May, and many people take time off during this week, making domestic and international travel far more demanding. I booked my trip the day after Golden Week ended for this reason.
2. Be Flexible With Dates (If You Can)
   • Even shifting your trip by a few days can make a noticeable difference in price.
   • Midweek departures are often cheaper than weekends.
3. Set Price Alerts
   • Use tools like Google Flights or Hopper to track routes and wait for price drops
4. Decide What You Care About: Price vs. Comfort
   • You’ll usually be choosing between: Cheapest flight (long layovers, basic economy), balanced option (1 stop with reasonable timing), or Premium/direct (least hassle but most expensive)
   • There is no right answer, but really consider what matters to you most.
   • I was okay paying what I paid because it meant getting to Japan directly with some degree of comfort, and it being closer to the city center.

The Reality Check

You can absolutely get to Japan for less than what I paid. But the trade-offs usually include:

• Longer travel time
• Less comfort
• More complicated itineraries

If this is a once-in-a-while trip, it’s worth thinking carefully about where you want to save money—and where you don’t.

Some Other Things Worth Your Consideration:

• Where the flight lands: Tokyo has two main airports: Tokyo Narita International Airport and Tokyo Haneda International Airport. Of the two, Tokyo Haneda is the preferred airport to arrive in, since it is significantly closer to the city center.
• Which airline you fly does matter: Generally, Japanese Airlines (JAL and ANA), have better customer service than their US counterparts. Japan has a very high standard for customer service, and that absolutely carries over to their airlines. On a 12–14 hour flight, that difference matters more than you’d expect.
  • Added Bonus: ANA (A Japanese airline), had the cheapest fares for a direct flight to Tokyo even when compared to American Airlines and United Airlines.

Added Bonus: For Travelers Coming from New Jersey

If you live in the Northern area of New Jersey (like I do) you may make the assumption flying out of Newark Liberty International Airport is the move. However, I picked JFK, and here’s why:

• Flights out of Newark Tended to be More Expensive: This is because Newark is smaller, and United Airlines has a monopoly on flights to Japan. Generally, flights out of Newark were $500 dollars more one way when comparing economy and premium economy fares.
  • JFK on the other hand, is the bigger airport, and as such, more airlines fly to Tokyo, driving prices down due to demand.
• Even With Transportation, JFK Can Still Be Cheaper: At first, JFK feels like a hassle if you live in New Jersey. But when you run the numbers, it can still come out ahead. An uber/taxi round trip from Northern NJ is around $400. But that’s still less than the extra $1000 total you’d be paying to fly out of Newark. You now have ~$600 to play with for other things, like souvenirs from your trip.
  • If you’re flying on a threadbare budget, you can still use mass transit to get to JFK–a combination of NJ transit, LIRR and the AirTrain can get you there, but that’s a 3 hour trip before you check in, so take that into consideration.
• United does not fly into Haneda, but Narita: Again, after being on a long flight, do you really want to spend an extra hour plus on a train or airport limousine bus to get into Tokyo?

Once your flights are picked, you are ready to move onto the next stages of your trip: Reservations–especially for hotels, rental cars, and bullet trains.