Airfare will probably be the most expensive hurdle you need to overcome to get to Tokyo. Luckily there are several tools you can use to save as much money as possible. I recommend using AirfareWatchdog.com’s fare alert feature. To set up an alert, visit AirfareWatchdog.com and click on “My Alerts” at the top of the screen. Enter your email address and then select “City-to-City” from the list. You will then be prompted to type in the departure city you want to travel to Tokyo from. You'll also have the option to receive alerts as often as you want. If you’re really hardcore you can be sent travel alerts 7 days a week. I opted for the “2-3 times a week” alert option and was sent deals for as low as $450. Keep in mind that you’ll receive deals with a wide range of travel dates. Some could require booking and travel within the next month or two, while other deals are for over six months down the line.
Another tool to use is Kayak.com’s fare advice. To use this, go to Kayak.com and click on flights. Enter the dates you are thinking about traveling and then search for fares. In the top left corner you will see text that says "Our Advice." There will also be a text line underneath that says “Buy Now” or “Wait.” To test this out I’ll type in a random date right now.
As you can see, Kayak is advising me to buy the tickets now because they are confident that the price will go up in the next 7 days. Kayak bases their prediction on analysis of historical price changes, and they have a good reputation.
Google Flights is another solid option to search and book flights. After entering your destinations and travel dates, several tools will be presented to you, including a price graph that shows recent trends in airfare prices. Google Flights also makes it very easy to "hack" fares, meaning it will show you options to book flights from different airlines to give you the cheapest fare possible.
As far as airports, you’ll either fly in to Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT). Narita is the more common of the two for flights coming in from the U.S. If you have the choice, I’d pick flying in to Haneda because it’s both closer to Tokyo, and closer to Tokyo Disney Resort. If there is a large different in cost, go with whichever is cheaper.
If you don't live in a major "gateway city," your airfare to Tokyo may be a bit more expensive. Something you may want to consider is buying the cheap airfare you find departing from the gateway city nearest you, and then looking for another cheap airline ticket to the gateway city.
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Last updated by Guy Selga on April 26, 2022
