Japan has had increasing popularity in the past several years. Although the first couple of times I went to Japan, I scored airfare for $500 round-trip from Los Angeles, which has now become increasingly hard to find. Instead, you may want to visit Japan using points to save on hotel and airfare. No matter what, Japan will be a trip of a lifetime. If you want specifics about visiting Tokyo Disney using points, check out this post.
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Table of Contents
Japan Using Points
First, you will want to figure out how many days you want to spend in Japan using points, or if you want to pair it with another country. There is so much to see in Japan. We have only visited places in Japan during our trips, but South Korea or Taiwan is a great country to pair with a visit to Japan.
I would spend at least four days in Tokyo and at least four days in the Kyoto and Osaka area. This past trip, we opted to spend time in Sapporo and Niseko to go skiing. I booked this trip about 10 months ahead of time because I knew visiting during the holiday season would make award tickets harder to find. The more flexible you are, the better deal you can find.
Japan Airfare
After deciding on flexible dates, the first thing you will want to look for is airfare. There are quite a few routes that will get you to Tokyo. We flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo on American Airlines. We paid 47,000 +$5.60 each on American Airlines booked via American Airlines. This was a great deal for the holiday season.
To get to and from Sapporo, we paid 5,000 +$4.80 each on ANA booked via United Airlines, so 10,000+$9.60 total per person. To get home, I opted to also book through Singapore Airlines to Los Angeles. This flight cost 65,000 points and $45 a person. In total, we paid 122,000 points +$60 each for all of our Japan airfare.
If you opt to go to the Osaka/Kyoto area, I would opt to take a budget Japanese airline or take the train! Other options to fly to Japan would be through Japan Airlines, booked through American Airlines or Qantas, and ANA.
The following are airlines you can use points to book flights to Tokyo Haneda.
- American Airlines
- United Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Japan Airlines (using American Airlines Points)
- ANA Airlines
Additionally, you could book flights to Tokyo Narita, which is a bit further from the city center.
- Japan Airlines (using American Airlines points)
- United Airlines
- Singapore Airlines (can transfer most major partners to Singapore)
- Zip Air (not on points but has cheaper cash rates)
You can also fly into Osaka International Airport (KIX) on Japan Airlines using American Airlines points.
Japan Hotels
There are so many amazing hotels you can stay at in Japan using points. On our last trip to Japan, we opted to visit Tokyo Disney, Sapporo, Niseko, and Tokyo using points. You can read more about the Tokyo Bay hotels in this post. We opted to stay at the Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, which costs 15,000 points a night, or you can use a free night certificate.
Sapporo
In Sapporo, we stayed at the ANA Holiday Inn Sapporo Susukino for 32,000 points total. With IHG, if you hold their credit card, you get the 4th night free on points. Another option for Sapporo is to stay at the Fairfield Inn Sapporo (around 25,000 points/night) or the Courtyard Sapporo (around 22,500 points/night).
Niseko
One of the post options when visiting Japan using points to stay at in Niseko is the Hilton Niseko Resort. We stayed here for 80,000 points a night. You can also use a Hilton free night certificate. Other options to stay in Niseko are the Park Hyatt Niseko (45,000 points/night) and the Higashiyama Niseko Village Ritz Carlton (around 130,000 points/night).
Tokyo
Tokyo has a ton of amazing hotels to stay at when visiting Japan using points. This trip, we opted to stay at the Hyatt Centric Ginza for 46,000 points for two nights. The points price has since gone up. Other highly recommended hotels in Tokyo include the following:
- Conrad Tokyo
- Intercontinental Tokyo
- Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya
- Hyatt Regency Tokyo
- The Tokyo Edition Ginza
- Courtyard Tokyo Station
Kyoto and Osaka both have an extensive number of options you can book using points as well. The following are some of the best options.
Kyoto
- Park Hyatt Kyoto
- Hyatt Regency Kyoto
- Double Tree Kyoto
- Hilton Kyoto
- Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto
- Moxy Kyoto
- ANA Crown Plaza Kyoto
Osaka
- Hilton Osaka
- Conrad Osaka
- DoubleTree Osaka Castle
- Aloft Osaka Dojima
- Caption Osaka
- Voco Osaka Centra
- ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka
Other Expenses to Keep in Mind
Aside from paying for hotel and airfare, another expense you will need to keep in mind is transportation around the cities or trains to and from the various cities. I recommend getting a JR area rail pass if you are going to be doing a lot of travel between cities on the main island of Japan. Alternatively, you can use flights to fly between some of the cities (and sometimes it is cheaper than the train).
Total Costs for Tokyo Using Points
- LAX to Tokyo: 47,000 +$5.60 each on American Airlines booked via American
- Tokyo to Sapporo: 5k +$4.80 each on ANA booked via United
- Sapporo to Tokyo: 5k +$4.80 each on ANA booked via United
- Tokyo to LAX: 65,000 +$45 each on Singapore booked via Singapore
- Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay: Use 2 FNC (would have been 15,000 Hyatt points/night otherwise)
- ANA Holiday Inn Sapporo Susukino: 32,000 IHG points total for 4 nights. (Used 4th night free perk with IHG card)
- Hilton Niseko Resort: 160,000 Hilton points total for two nights.
- Hyatt Centric Ginza: 46,000 (25k+21k) Hyatt points total for 2 nights
Total: 122,000 points for airfare +$60/person and 2 Hyatt FNC, 46,000 Hyatt points, 32,000 IHG points, and 160,000 Hilton points.
Total Value of Points Used
- Hotel: $1320 total or $660/person
- Airfare: $1300/person
- $1960/person
Final Thoughts on Japan Using Points
Visiting Japan using points can be a great way to save some money and splurge on experiences in Japan. If it is your first visit to Japan, I highly recommend splitting your time between Tokyo and Osaka and taking day trips from those cities to places like Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hakone, and beyond!
