Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [644]
Lonely Planet, together with Rough Guides and other concerned partners in the travel industry, supports the carbon offset scheme run by climatecare.org. Lonely Planet offsets all of its staff and author travel.
For more information check out our website: lonelyplanet.com.
* * *
FUKUOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Fukuoka, at the northern end of Kyūshū, is the main arrival point for western Japan. Fukuoka International Airport (FUK; www.fuk-ab.co.jp/english/frame_index.html), conveniently located near the city, has flights to/from the following cities: Bangkok, Beijing, Busan, Dalian, Guam, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.
HANEDA AIRPORT
While most international flights to/from Tokyo use Narita International Airport, five airlines (Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Air China) operate a few international flights out of Haneda airport (HND; www.tokyo-airport-bldg.co.jp/en). This airport, a 22-minute monorail ride southwest of Tokyo, also handles the great bulk of Tokyo’s domestic flights. International destinations served by Haneda are Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong (note that all three destinations also have flights to/from Narita).
NAHA AIRPORT
Located on Okinawa-hontō (the main island of Okinawa), Naha airport (OKA; www.naha-airport.co.jp, in Japanese) has flights to/from Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei.
NIIGATA AIRPORT
Located north of Tokyo, Niigata airport (KIJ; www.niigata-airport.gr.jp, in Japanese) has flights to/from Guam, Harbin, Honolulu, Irkusk, Khabarovsk, Seoul, Shanghai, Vladivostok and Xian.
OTHER AIRPORTS
On Kyūshū, Kagoshima airport (KOJ; www.koj-ab.co.jp, in Japanese) has flights to/from Shanghai and Seoul; Kumamoto airport (KMJ; www.kmj-ab.co.jp, in Japanese) has flights to/from Seoul; and Nagasaki airport (NGS; www.nabic.co.jp/english) has flights to/from Shanghai.
On Hokkaidō, New Chitose Airport (CTS; www.new-chitose-airport.jp/language/english/index.html) has connections with Beijing, Dalien, Guam, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenyang and Taipei.
At Northern Honshū’s Sendai airport (SDJ; www.sdj-airport.com/english/index.html), 18km south of the city centre, there are international flights to various destinations in Asia, such as Beijing, Dailan, Guam, Seoul and Shanghai.
Tickets
The price of your ticket will depend to a great extent on when you fly. High-season prices are determined by two sets of holidays and popular travel times: those in the country you’re flying from and those in Japan. Generally, high season for travel between Japan and Western countries is in late December (around Christmas and the New Year period) and late April to early May (around Japan’s Golden Week holiday), as well as July and August. If you must fly during these periods, book well in advance.
Australia
Jetstar now operates between Australia and Japan’s Narita and Kansai international airports, and it often offers the cheapest fares for Australia–Japan routes. Garuda, Malaysian Airlines and Cathay Pacific also offer competitive fares, usually with a stop somewhere in Southeast Asia en route. Direct flights to Japan with airlines such as Qantas and Japan Airlines (JAL) are more expensive but convenient if you’re in a hurry.
Two well-known agencies for cheap fares are STA Travel (134 782; www.statravel.com.au), which has offices in all major cities, and Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com.au), which has dozens of offices throughout Australia. For online bookings, try www.travel.com.au.
Canada
There are direct flights between Japan and two Canadian cities: Toronto and Vancouver. Carriers to check include JAL, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Air Canada. If you’re on a tight budget, consider flying with a Chinese, Taiwanese or