Air Passes for foreign visitors only:

JAL (oneworld) and ANA (Star Alliance) are each offering air passes for exclusive use by foreign visitors to Japan, which enable holders to fly anywhere within Japan for around 12,000 Yen per flight. This is an excellent price on many domestic routes, especially on longer flights, such as from Tokyo to Kyushu, Okinawa or Hokkaido.

Like the Japan Rail Pass, air passes have to be purchased outside of Japan and before you leave for Japan. They can only be used by non-residents of Japan who arrive to and depart from Japan by international flights. There is a limit of one air pass of the same airline per person and visit. The passes can be purchased through JAL, ANA and other member airlines of the Star Alliance and Oneworld.

Air passes are valid for a minimum of one or two to a maximum of five domestic flights, also called sectors. The number and routes of the sectors must be specified when you purchase the pass, but the actual flights do not need to be booked until later, except the first one, which has to be booked at the time of purchase. Air passes are valid for 60 days after the date of the first domestic flight.

Note that there are some blackout periods, during which air passes cannot be used. The typical blackout periods are mid December to early January (winter holidays), early to late March (spring holidays) and mid July to late August (summer holidays).

Below are the available types of air passes in more detail:

Oneworld Yokoso Visit Japan Pass
Price:	10,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity:	1-5 domestic flights by JAL Group
Blackout:	Blackout periods through September 2012: December 23, 2011 to January 5, 2012 August 9, 2012 to August 20, 2012
Eligibility:	Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by oneworld, which includes JAL, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Qantas and several other airlines.

JAL Welcome To Japan Fare
Price:	13,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity:	2-5 domestic flights by JAL Group
Blackout:	Blackout periods through March 2012: July 8, 2011 to August 31, 2011 December 9, 2011 to January 5, 2012 March 4, 2012 to March 31, 2012
Eligibility:	Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by any airline.

Star Alliance Japan Airpass
Price:	11,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity:	1-5 domestic flights by ANA Group
Blackout:	Blackout periods through September 2012: December 22, 2011 to January 9, 2012 March 16, 2012 to March 31, 2012 August 3, 2012 to August 16, 2012
Eligibility:	Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by Star Alliance, which includes ANA, United, US Airways, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Lufthansa and several other airlines.

ANA Visit Japan Fare
Price:	13,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity:	2-5 domestic flights by ANA Group
Blackout:	Blackout periods through September 2012: December 9, 2011 to January 9, 2012 March 2, 2012 to March 31, 2012 July 6, 2012 to August 31, 2012
Eligibility:	Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by any airline.

* not including taxes and surcharges of a few hundred yen

 
Discounts for foreign visitors and residents of Japan:

Advance Purchase Discount

Most airlines offer discounts on domestic flights, if you reserve your ticket in advance, as shown in the table below. The biggest discounts are offered on popular routes on which competition is high. Some of the discounts are reduced or not available during peak travel seasons. These fares are available on each airline's website, but note that some airlines do not have English websites.

Advance Reservation Typical Discounts at least 45 days in advance 30% - 75% at least 28 days in advance 25% - 70% at least 7 days in advance 20% - 40% at least 1 day in advance 10% - 40%

Discount Airlines
Around 20 percent cheaper than JAL and ANA

Discount airlines, such as Air Do and Skymark Airlines, offer many of the same types of discounts as JAL and ANA, but prices are typically at least 20 percent lower:

Skymark Airlines Haneda-Fukuoka, Haneda-Kobe, Haneda-Okinawa, Haneda-Sapporo, Haneda-Kitakyushu, Haneda-Kagoshima, Haneda-Kumamoto, Narita-Asahikawa, Narita-Sapporo, Narita-Okinawa, Ibaraki-Sapporo, Ibaraki-Kobe, Nagoya-Sapporo, Nagoya-Okinawa, Kobe-Okinawa, Kobe-Sapporo, Kobe-Kagoshima, Kobe-Kumamoto, Kobe-Nagasaki, Fukuoka-Okinawa, Okinawa-Miyako, Narita-Fukuoka (from February 2012), Haneda-Kansai (from March 2012), Narita-Kobe (from March 2012), Kansai-Sapporo (from March 2012), Kansai-Okinawa (from March 2012), Narita-Sendai (from April 2012), Sendai-Sapporo (from April 2012), Sendai-Kobe (from July 2012), Sendai-Nagoya (from October 2012) Skymark is the cheapest and has the most extensive route network among Japan's discount airlines. A particularly good offer is the "Skymark Sky Bargain", a one way ticket on any Skymark Airlines route for around 10,000 yen, if reserved at least 35 days in advance. Only available on specified dates. Service on board of the planes is reduced to an absolute minimum (e.g. no complementary drinks). Air Do Haneda-Sapporo, Haneda-Asahikawa, Haneda-Hakodate, Haneda-Memanbetsu, Haneda-Obihiro, Sapporo-Sendai, Sapporo-Niigata, Sapporo-Fukushima, Sapporo-Toyama, Sapporo-Komatsu A particularly good offer is the "Air Do Special", a one way ticket on any Air Do route for around 10,000 yen, if reserved at least 45 days in advance. Not available during peak travel seasons. A certain service level is maintained, including complementary drinks. Starflyer Haneda-Kansai, Haneda-Fukuoka, Haneda-Kitakyushu Starflyer offers not only inexpensive rates, but also a comfort level that exceeds that of conventional airlines, by offering complementary drinks and an on-demand video system for every passenger. Solaseed Air (formerly known as Skynet Asia Airways) Haneda-Miyazaki, Haneda-Kumamoto, Haneda-Nagasaki, Haneda-Kagoshima, Haneda-Oita, Okinawa-Kagoshima, Okinawa-Nagasaki, Okinawa-Miyazaki, Okinawa-Kumamoto In addition to its regular discount fares, Solaseed Air offers a special fare for foreign tourists: 10,000 yen on any of their flights on a stand-by basis (no advance reservation is possible). A certain service level is maintained, including complementary drinks.

Roundtrip Fare
Around 10 percent off domestic flights

On domestic routes, roundtrip tickets are typically around ten percent cheaper than two one way tickets. Note, however, that the return trip has to be made within a certain time frame, usually within 90 days following the outward journey.

Early morning and late night flights
Around 10-20 percent off domestic flights

Some early morning and late night flights are discounted by around 10-20 percent.

 
Typical one way fares for selected routes:

Route	Airline	Approx. Regular One Way Fare	Typical Discounted One Way Fare
Tokyo - Sapporo	JAL/ANA Air Do Skymark	34,000 yen 26,000 yen 17,000 yen	12,000 - 31,000 yen 10,000 - 22,000 yen 8,000 - 15,000 yen
Tokyo - Fukuoka	JAL/ANA Skymark	37,000 yen 17,000 yen	12,000 - 33,000 yen 9,000 - 16,000 yen
Tokyo - Osaka/Kobe	JAL/ANA Skymark	23,000 yen 10,000 yen	9,000 - 21,000 yen 9,000 - 10,000 yen
Tokyo - Okinawa	JAL/ANA Skymark	41,000 yen 18,000 yen	13,000 - 37,000 yen 10,000 - 16,000 yen
Osaka - Sapporo	JAL/ANA	41,000 yen	13,000 - 38,000 yen
Osaka/Kobe - Fukuoka	JAL/ANA Skymark	22,000 yen 12,000 yen	10,000 - 12,000 yen 6,000 - 10,000 yen
Osaka/Kobe - Okinawa	JAL/ANA Skymark	34,000 yen 15,000 yen	12,000 - 31,000 yen 8,000 - 12,000 yen
Nagoya - Sapporo	JAL/ANA	38,000 yen	13,000 - 34,000 yen
Nagoya - Fukuoka	JAL/ANA	25,000 yen	11,000 - 23,000 yen
Nagoya - Okinawa	JAL/ANA	39,000 yen	13,000 - 35,000 yen