National Holidays
Get a list of the major Japanese holidays for the year, including Oshogatsu (New Year), Obon, and “Golden Week”.
Do not travel when everyone travels
Keep these holidays in mind when planning your air travel out of Japan because they are exactly when you DO NOT want to travel! If you work for a company that limits your “escape” plans to these holidays, our hearts go out to you!
Not impossible, but…
It is not impossible to leave the country during these festive occasions but you’ll probably be forced to fork over more than three times what you’d normally pay in the “low seasons”.
Cheap Flights
Companies often advertise reasonable (sometimes even CHEAP by gaijin standards!!) rates on international flights. Next, you drop by the travel agency and try to make a reservation, only to be told you’ll have to be placed on a waiting list.
It would be nice, if…
It would be nice if they could tell you what days/flights WEREN’T on the waiting list, but then that would sabotage the system.
“No way!”
So, you make your reservation for your trip scheduled six months in advance and the travel agency calls you in a few weeks to tell you that you’re still on the waiting list, but if you don’t mind paying a few tens of thousands of yen extra, you can be guaranteed a seat on a different flight with another airline. “No way!”, you say.
Deal with the stress
Then you get another call a few weeks later with something a little cheaper but still more than the ticket you are on the waiting list for, and so on and so on. Yeah, sure, if you can deal with the stress of not knowing whether or not you can get your ticket until just a few weeks before your departure date you will most likely get your ticket - but don’t be surprised if half of the seats on your flight are empty!
Our recommendation
Now for something more positive - a recommendation. Most of the discount travel agencies offer special package tours that are often cheaper than purchasing a roundtrip ticket to the same destination. The tour might only include the airfare & hotel, but that’s good enough, right? Some even throw in breakfast and/or evening meals and other types of perks. Of course, the cheapest deals are only available in the “low seasons”, so if at all possible, you should plan your trips accordingly.
Finally
There are many fascinating and beautiful places to visit within a few hours flight from Japan, so we encourage you to do as all of us old-timer expats do: travel to as many places as you can during your stay in Japan and have a lot of fun! HAPPY ADVENTURES!
