Flights to Japan

Japan is easily reached from the UK with a huge choice of direct and connecting flights...

Direct flights to Japan all take off from London Heathrow. There are daily departures with British Airways, JAL, Virgin Atlantic and ANA to Tokyo’s Narita airport, while BA also offers a daily service to Tokyo Haneda. Flying time is around 12 hours non-stop.

All other Japanese destinations are served by connections on arrival in Tokyo or via Europe, the Middle East or Far East. Lufthansa has flights via Munich and Frankfurt, Air France via Paris and KLM via Amsterdam, while SAS and Finnair travel through Copenhagen and Helsinki. Such departures can be taken from many UK airports.

Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad fly via their hubs in the Gulf from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. You can also find extensive connections with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong from Manchester and London or on Singapore Airlines from the same UK cities. Connecting flights take around 14 hours.

This is the home of the high-speed bullet train, so you know that getting to and from the airport is going to be fast (and fun!)...

Road, rail, and even ferry services are on hand to get passengers from airport to city upon arrival in Japan.

At Tokyo Narita International Airport, the high-speed Keisei Skyliner train whisks passengers into central Tokyo in a little over 40 minutes for around 2,500 yen (£13.50 per person). The Narita Express train is slightly slower (50 minutes), but return tickets cost from 4,000 yen, saving you a few pounds. Bus services can be much cheaper, though heavy Tokyo traffic can lengthen the journey considerably. A taxi fare from the airport to central destinations in Tokyo costs around 20,000 yen (a little over £100).

At Japan’s other major airports you can expect bus, rail and taxi transfers.

Alternatively, pre-book car hire in Japan and collect upon arrival to save on the cost of airport transfers.