‘Don’t Be Me’: Woman Buys $1,200 Plane Ticket To Japan. Then She Realizes She Could’ve Got 1 For $500—Here’s How

Japan is one of the most popular travel destinations for United States citizens in the world. There’s been exponential growth in the amount of people traveling there in recent years. 

With thousands of newcomers heading to the country, it’s no wonder that a few of them could have saved money on their flights, hotels, and other accommodations. The average expenditure for a U.S. tourist in Japan in 2024 was ¥348,895, or roughly $2,300 USD.

Flights can easily become budget killers. But is there a cheaper way?

TikTok creator Kylie (@kylie.nbt) says you can save a lot of money on travel to Japan. She recently posted a number of tips in a slideshow with over 388,000 views. Her costliest mistake? Taking a direct flight instead of taking a detour.

According to her, she could’ve saved several hundred dollars simply by having a layover in Shanghai, China or Seoul, South Korea. In an on-screen caption, she calls this her “$700 flight mistake.”

“Mistakes every Japan tourist makes. I’ve made all of them. Don’t be me,” she adds.

How Much Does It Cost To Travel To Japan?

The costs of flights to Japan range widely, with flights from the West Coast generally costing less ($650-$850 off-season; upwards of $1,300-$1,500 for peak season) than from the East Coast ($800-$1,000 off-season; as much as $1,500-$1,800 during peak season).

To cut costs, Kylie recommends considering a layover in a country like China or Korea. According to her, this can reduce the cost $500-$600.

According to Cheapo Tokyo, the best budget airlines offering layovers that can save you on a flight to Japan are Air Canada, Air China, Aeromexico, China Eastern, and Korean Air. Each of these airlines offers indirect flights from New York.

It’s important to be cautious though, as the connection time between cities like Seoul and Tokyo can be incredibly long, even if the flight time isn’t. Cheapo Tokyo recommends avoiding any layover times that are longer than nine-10 hours, because it can hamper travel plans and leave you exhausted before the trip even begins. If the layover is two hours, like Kylie mentions, it’s definitely worth a short detour to save some money.

What’s The Best Season To Travel To Japan?

Potential savings generally shrink during peak travel seasons, which means that some of the most popular times of year to travel to Japan are also budget killers. Cherry blossom season in late March and early April, as Kylie points out, comes with higher priced flights and hotels. 

There’s still a number of other travel windows that have cheaper prices, however. Kylie suggests considering January, February, June, October and November. 

A few viewers opined that June really isn’t one of the best times to go to Japan, though. It’s just one of the cheapest.

“It’s less crowded, but that’s because it’s super hot weather. Not ideal unless you don’t mind very hot temperatures,” the viewer said. 

“DONT GO IN JUNE?! Unless you like unbearable heat & I’ve lived through tropical heat and desert heat. Japan heat just hits different,” another agreed. 

Expedia and other travel websites currently offer round trip flights to Japan in July for around $1,000, but viewers generally thought the savings weren’t worth it.

Other Tips On Travelling To Japan

Kylie says that she made some other mistakes that cost her extra when she first went to Japan.

In addition to taking a more direct flight instead of a cheaper one with a layover, she says that travelers should consider landing in Haneda rather than Narita to save money. The former typically costs less to fly into and is only about a half-hour metro ride from Tokyo.

She cautions most travellers against getting a JR pass. This unlimited rail travel pass costs $330 for a seven-day trip; for 14 days, it’s $528.

Instead, she suggests you get a Suica card. This is a train and bus card. It covers a number of popular tourist destinations and costs a fraction of the cost of a JR pass.

“For most itineraries, a Suica card covers everything you need,” she says.

We’ve reached out to Kylie via TikTok direct message for more information. We’ll let you know if she responds.