#Ikimashô: travel cheaper with low-cost flights to Japan!

A trip to Japan has to be prepared. Especially if you want to see as many places as possible during your stay. Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Hokkaido and the thousands of islands of the archipelago of Japan are waiting for you! So in this new Ikimashô, I reveal the good plans to travel with low-cost flights in Japan and enjoy them while taking care of your expenses!

Travel to Japan and follow your desires

Are you preparing to travel to Japan soon? And you'd like to see more than the main island of Honshu? Do not panic, it is quite possible and not so excessive if you know some good plans! The key is to know your desires and establish a schedule. Depending on your desires, many places are available to you, some touristic for foreigners, others more local that are worth a look. You want calm and see beautiful wild landscapes, far from tourists and the city? Shikoku is for you ! Do you like the hustle and bustle of cities, but also the old and the tranquility? You will love visiting the Kantô region! Do you want to see wide open spaces and enjoy a cool climate? Hokkaido is calling you!

In short, you have to listen to your desires and create YOUR trip to Japan! Give yourself a budget and take a serious look at these few tips to make your desires come true!

Main flight France – Japan

First of all, you obviously need to book your flight to Japan. If you have a good budget, you may be able to board a direct flight and in this case, go to the Air France, ANA or JAL websites. If not, don't panic! Going to Japan is not an unimaginable and crazy dream as some claim. Let go of prejudices, they will always have a hard life. When I announce that my last round trip cost me about 560€, people look at me with big eyes and a: "I thought it was at least 1500 round trip!". Nothing beats good research.

If you have a limited budget, forget about the big European companies. In the ones I borrowed, only one caught my attention: that of the SAS (Nordic Country Company). With a stopover in Copenhagen or Stockholm, you will leave for 15 hours of flight, a stopover of 3 to 5 hours and a little less than 600 € with luck. Middle Eastern airlines and Korean Air can also be very interesting, as can China Eastern.

For those who choose China Eastern: some luggage has already been lost on their flights (this was not our case). Also be prepared for the possibility of receiving a frosty welcome on board. Everything will depend on the team you come across. The reception at the airport will be even colder and if you were counting on Wi-fi (Shanghai here) to occupy your stopover, write it off and plan a book! (lived experience)

And if you do not plan to land at the main airports (Narita, Haneda or Osaka Kix), put the destination of the airport you want (Kochi, Sapporo, Okinawa …). We had the unfortunate surprise to discover that a flight was from Shanghai to Matsuyama, while we had to go through Osaka and wait 6 hours to have our local flight of 30 minutes… A lost day. So if you land in China, Korea or an Asian country for a stopover, think about it!

In short, nothing beats a daily detour and at changing times on different flight comparators such as Kayak, Liligo, eDreams or Skyscanner ! Afterwards, you are free to book in advance or at the last minute!

Low-cost flights to Japan

Here you are! Your trip is booked or you have already set your dates, remains the choice of planning! Want to visit Hokkaido for 3 days after a week in Tokyo? These are the good sites to know to save!

For all internal destinations, you will have to learn to compare. And Google Maps and Hyperdia (Japanese SNCF) will prove to be your best friends, before departure and especially on site! In Japan, the train service is excellent in every respect. However, depending on the train you choose, the prices will have nothing to do with it…But that's not the point, an article will be specially dedicated to train travel!

And then, this good plan? Low-cost flights! In Japan as with us, small companies allow you to travel cheaply! Of course, you will have to comply with the flight schedules unlike trains where you can easily shift an hour. And you will have to arrive one hour before boarding. But for the price, I assure you that it is worth it! Three major low-cost airlines in Japan can make you happy:

Let's see in practice what our low-cost flights offer in Japan. Remember our round trip Tokyo/Kyoto by Shinkansen? This is a comparative simulation, for two different destinations. Note that air travel often requires you to take the train before and after the flight. So you may take twice as long if it's a short trip. But at the end of the day…

Note: beware of the "checked baggage" surcharge on low-cost flights in Japan. If you can't travel with a cabin-sized suitcase (or leave your main suitcase at the hotel or in a locker corner), find out about the price of checked baggage. If it is too high, you may need to send it to Takkyubin (delivery to a hotel or a specific address) with the Yamato company for example. For a suitcase of about 14kgs, the price was less than ¥1400, delivered to the door itself! With this great service that I will tell you about soon, you will travel lighter!

On some destinations, you will be more winners on travel time and less on price. But conversely, for shorter trips, you can almost halve your budget by flying… However, by increasing your travel time by two. Always remember to compare and explore all possibilities!

In short… It's up to you to create your tailor-made trip! There is no point in running, it is better to compare! Hope that this little overview will help you better plan and organize your stay in Japan!

A glimpse of our stay in 2016, where we took 3 low-cost flights to Japan…

https://vimeo.com/173315674