Japan

Plans changed

We're doing the South Island

The trip is now ten days hiking out of Queenstown. The new flights, dates and hikes are on their own page.

The short version

Leave Australia Day

26 January came out cheapest across the board. Fly into Tokyo, each from your own city, and catch the shinkansen to Osaka during the trip.

• Cheapest, still sensible $2,949for both Jetstar, leave Tue 26 Jan, back Fri 5 Feb

  Jacob non-stop Brisbane to Narita, $1,516. Damo via Cairns, $1,433. Bags are extra on Jetstar, roughly $100 to $200 return each.

• Most comfortable ~$4,800for both Both on non-stops

  Jacob on Qantas from Brisbane, $2,322. Damo on Qantas or JAL from Melbourne, about $2,100 to $2,500. Bags and meals in, about nine to ten hours.

• Fly together ~$2,800for both Meet in Cairns

  Jacob leaves Brisbane 6:40am ($1,336 to $1,381), Damo leaves Melbourne 6:15am ($1,433 to $1,525). Both land at Narita at 6:10pm, so most likely the same plane from Cairns. Check the flight numbers before booking.

Into Tokyo, home from Osaka

Fly home together

Jetstar flies Osaka to Brisbane non-stop, so you can land in Tokyo, work your way down to Osaka and fly home from there instead of backtracking.

• Jacob $1,599vs $1,516 return Brisbane to Tokyo, Osaka to Brisbane

  Jetstar non-stop to Narita on Tue 26 Jan for $642, then Jetstar non-stop home from Kansai on Fri 5 Feb for $957 (9:45pm, into Brisbane 7:35am). $83 more, but it saves a shinkansen ticket back to Tokyo, which costs more than that, plus half a day.

• Damo $1,491plus points to MEL Melbourne to Tokyo, home with Jacob via Brisbane

  Jetstar via Cairns to Narita for $534, then the same Osaka to Brisbane flight as Jacob for $957, and Virgin home to Melbourne on Velocity points. Flying Osaka to Melbourne direct is worse: about $1,050 via Singapore.

These are separate one way tickets, so Jetstar bags are paid on each, and leave a few hours in Brisbane before Damo's Melbourne flight. Use Multi-city in Google Flights to compare a single ticket on a full service airline.

Later in 2027

Cheaper if you can wait

The same trip drops to about $1,000 to $1,300 each from March. These skip late April and Japan's Golden Week (29 April to 5 May), when prices spike.

• Best weather $2,405for both Late May, Tue 18 to Fri 28 May

  Jacob on Jetstar non-stop, $1,108. Damo on Cathay via Hong Kong, $1,297, or Qantas non-stop for $1,968. Warm, dry and past the holiday crowds.

• Cheapest month $2,585both non-stop Early June, Tue 8 to Fri 18 June

  Jacob on Jetstar non-stop, $1,006. Damo on Qantas non-stop, $1,579, the cheapest Qantas fare we found all year. The catch is the start of Tokyo's rainy season.

• Early blossom $2,315for both Mid March, Tue 16 to Fri 26 March

  Jacob on Jetstar non-stop, $1,265. Damo on Jetstar via Cairns, $1,050. Cherry blossom usually starts in Tokyo in the last week of March, so a few days later catches more of it and costs more.

September onwards isn't on sale yet. Airlines open about 11 months out, so check again in the new year.

China instead?

Shanghai for less

$878Jacob, Brisbane to Shanghai, May 2027

China is the cheapest option we found. In late May, Jacob flies China Southern via Guangzhou for $878 and Damo flies Cathay via Hong Kong for $1,003. That's $1,881 for both, about $500 under Japan the same week. Late January is $1,261 and $1,077.

• The visa is the catch. Australians get 30 days visa free, but it's only confirmed to 31 December 2026. China has extended it every November so far. Check before booking anything for 2027.
• Late January runs into the Chinese New Year rush (New Year's Day is Sat 6 February 2027), so trains and hotels are packed. May is the better China trip.
• Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with your own card before you leave, and get a travel eSIM so Google and Instagram still work.
• There are non-stops (China Eastern from Brisbane, several airlines from Melbourne), but they didn't show at a good price in these searches.

Or stay closer

South Island, on foot

$1,351for both, non-stop, late January

Virgin flies straight into Queenstown from both cities: Jacob $756 from Brisbane, Damo $595 from Melbourne, about three hours each. Because it's Virgin, you can use Velocity points. A Brisbane or Melbourne to Queenstown reward seat is about 17,900 points one way in economy, plus taxes, so check it live in Velocity.

• The big Great Walks are booked out. The Milford Track sold out in 34 minutes when bookings opened in May. Routeburn and Kepler huts (NZ$132 a night for internationals) are likely full in late January too, so watch the DOC site for cancellations.
• Plenty needs no booking. Roys Peak and Isthmus Peak near Wānaka (16 km, 5 to 7 hours, big climbs), Ben Lomond above Queenstown, Rob Roy Glacier (3 to 4 hours), Key Summit, and Gertrude Saddle on a dry day (expert route).
• Mueller Hut at Mount Cook does need booking (NZ$55 a night, no walk ins).
• Base in Queenstown and hire a car. Wānaka is an hour away, Te Anau and the Milford Road about two, Mount Cook about three.
• Late Feb or early March is quieter, with steadier weather and the same flights for about $1,480 for both (2 to 12 March). Late January has the longest days, light until about 9:30pm.

Every option worth a look

The flights

No layovers over about six hours. Each one opens that exact search in Google Flights, dates filled in, ten days return.

Your own dates

Try another day

Damo's free from about 16 to 18 January through to 13 or 14 February, so there's room to move.

Velocity points

Only worth it in business

82kpoints one way, per person

ANA non-stop from Sydney to Haneda, plus about $62 to $102 in tax. Economy is 45k, which is poor value against a $1,500 cash fare. Virgin no longer flies to Japan (Cairns to Haneda ended in Feb 2025), so it's Virgin to Sydney, then ANA.

• Book on the ANA flight number (NH), not the Virgin codeshare, or it costs more points.
• Peak season, so saver seats are scarce. seats.aero Pro (about $13 a month) searches Velocity. A seat that shows on KrisFlyer can usually be booked with Velocity too.
• Backup is Singapore Airlines via Singapore, roughly 50k in economy. Not confirmed.

Worth knowing

• Prices are Google Flights' lowest return fare on that route and date, per person in economy. A starting price, not a quote.
• December runs about $200 to $300 cheaper per person if January falls over.
• Osaka is always one stop from Brisbane or Melbourne. Tokyo is the easier way in.
• Not searched: into Tokyo and home from Osaka on one ticket. Use Multi-city in Google Flights.