JAL and ANA have surprising deals that allow you to see more of Japan while saving time and money.
When you’re planning a trip to Japan, you might find yourself umming and ahhing over whether or not to purchase the Japan Rail Pass, which used to be a great deal for exploring the country by train… before they raised the prices. But did you know that travelling around the country by plane might be a better option? Not a lot of people are aware of it, but the top two Japanese airlines, JAL and ANA, have special deals exclusively for foreign visitors that are designed to save you time and money, and give you better access to off-the-beaten path destinations in Japan.
Both deals require your permanent residence to be outside of Japan and you must possess an international airline ticket to and from Japan. Only flights during your stay qualify for the special offer and you’ll need to show your passport at check-in. If you meet those requirements, then read on to find out how you can start exploring Japan on a discount, starting with the offer from ANA, which is called the ANA Discover Japan Fare.
The ANA deal is only available until 28 March 2026, with new bookings closing on 18 May, and you can purchase it up to 355 days before boarding. It must be booked and purchased at least three days before departure, via the ANA website or through ANA offices or travel agents outside Japan, with no refunds or changes after purchase.
The JAL deal, called the JAL Japan Explorer Pass, has no end-date as of yet, and it too, must be purchased at least three days before departure, with no refunds or changes after purchase. Unlike the ANA deal, however, the JAL Explorer Pass can only be purchased from JAL websites outside of Japan, using English or local-language sites only.
In addition to having less purchase options than ANA, the JAL offer has two other main drawbacks, although they may not be major dealbreakers for international visitors. Firstly, the JAL Japan Explorer Pass is exclusively for foreign passport holders, while the ANA offer can also be purchased by Japanese passport holders with international airline tickets and permanent residency outside Japan. Secondly, ANA serves more domestic airports than JAL, and because codeshare flights operated by partner airlines aren’t included in the deal, you’ll have your choice of roughly 50 airports nationwide with ANA, compared to roughly 30 with JAL.
As for prices, however, both offer substantial discounts, with the same three fare tiers — 5,500 yen (US$37.44), 7,700 yen, or 11,000 yen per segment, depending on distance. While fares are displayed at the time of booking, an example of a return trip from Tokyo to Osaka shows how much you can save, as it’ll cost you 7,700 yen each way, totaling 15,400 yen for a round trip compared to 29,000 yen for regular-priced airfares during standard seasons and over 42,000 yen during peak seasons. Even comparing it to the bullet train shows there are savings to be had, as the JAL and ANA deals will cost you roughly half the price of a return trip from Tokyo to Osaka on the Hikari Shinkansen, which generally costs 28,800 yen.
Flying even further afield, say to Hokkaido or Okinawa, will give you even more savings, both in money and time. Travelling from Tokyo to the tonkotsu ramen paradise of Hakata in Fukuoka, for example, will only take you an hour and 40 minutes by plane, compared to roughly five-and-a-half hours on the Shinkansen.
If you’re worried about luggage, don’t be — the deals allow for two pieces of free check-in baggage, up to 23 kilograms (50 pounds) per item, which is more generous than the standard domestic baggage allowance on regular domestic fares, which is typically one piece up to 20 kilograms. You can also accrue mileage points on these deals, making them even more tempting for frequent travellers.
So whether you’re thinking about exploring the abandoned railway that runs through a bamboo forest in Tottori Prefecture or the mysterious octagonal tunnel hidden in the mountains of Kyushu, these deals are well worth looking into. They’ll help to expand your options when travelling and allow you to pack even more into your Japan itinerary, so you can discover more than you ever thought possible.
Sources: ANA Discover Japan Fare, JAL Explorer Pass
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2)
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