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How to Fly to Japan in Business Class for ~$100 Round Trip: Part 9 – Flights to USA – Japan Airlines Business Class

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    Ever dreamed of visiting Japan?  Credit card rewards can help get you there for a fraction of the price!

    Using miles & points, I recently flew round-trip from Austin, Texas, to Japan for ~$110 in Business Class.  The retail cost was ~$11,000!  And for 3 weeks of lodging (including some fancy hotels), I spent ~$450!

    Japan is a beautiful country, filled with a lot to see and do.  You’ll find everything from high-rise skyscrapers to old temples and hot springs.  I loved Tokyo’s energetic neighborhoods, shopping, and delicious restaurants.  And Kyoto is a fantastic place to ride bicycles, and to explore the bamboo forest and monkey park.

    Participating in a cooking class and meeting new friends was the highlight of Osaka.  And a day trip to feed the deer in Nara was unforgettable!  Plus, Okinawa is known for its beautiful beaches and scuba diving.

    Asian Airlines Have Never Let Me Down. But This Was One of the Best I’ve Ever Flown!

    Wherever you go, you’re sure to have an amazing time!

    In this part of the series, I’ll share my experience flying Japan Airlines Business Class from Japan back to the US.  And I’ll tell you how you can do it, too!

    How to Fly to Japan for ~$100 Trip Report Index:

    Japan Airlines Business Class Flight

    At the end of our trip, we flew Business Class back to the US using American Airlines miles.

    Transpacific award flights will cost different amounts of points depending on where you are in Asia.  That’s because American Airlines divides Asia into two categories.

    One of Our Last Views in Japan. Always Sad to Leave!

    Because we were flying from Japan, we spent 95,000 American Airlines miles and $110 in taxes & fees for each one-way Business Class flight.  That’s a great deal, considering Business Class seats can easily cost $2,500+!

    If you need more American Airlines miles, you could consider cards like:

    The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer. Note:   American Airlines has pulled a huge amount of saver level availability.  So you’ll have to be extra flexible if you want to book an award seat with the least amount of miles.

    If you’re using American Airlines miles for your flight, an award seat on a partner airline will cost the same, no matter which partner you choose.  And the quality of the seats can vary dramatically!

    Our Business Class Seats Looked New and Modern

    If you’re flying from Asia, I highly recommend trying to book Cathay Pacific or Japan Airlines.  We decided to fly Japan Airlines’ Business Class on the way home.  The seats were very comfortable!

    We Enjoyed Japan, but Were Looking Forward to Getting Home

    The seats had all of the regular Business Class conveniences, including a lie-flat bed and lumbar support.

    The Massage Feature Had Me Screaming Domo Arigato!

    Because I have a severe food allergy, I always bring my Chef Card with me on flights and show it to the purser (most senior airline attendant).  Chef Cards are small cards that warn others about a food allergy in pictures and in words.  You can get them in hundreds of languages.

    The flight attendant returned with a page of menu items and allergens warnings of each dish.  However, I noticed that the menu guide did NOT have fish, my allergy!  It had shrimp and crab (which is shellfish, NOT fish).

    Fish Is Very Common in Japanese Cuisine – It Wasn’t Listed on the Allergen Sheet

    This was concerning, because fish is so deadly to me.

    I stayed away from any questionable foods, and instead ate things that were clearly NOT fish, like cheese and crackers!

    I Can Always Trust a Cheese Plate!

    I also felt safe enough to eat the beef.

    The Beef Was Tasty, but I’ve Had Better. Japan Airlines Specializes in Seafood

    They served chocolate pudding for dessert.

    It Tasted Much Better Than It Looked

    My boyfriend tried ALL the Japanese food.

    He’s the Japanese Food Expert, So I Rely on Him to Tell Me the Quality and Authenticity of the Food

    He got a bento box filled with an assortment of foods to sample!  It had gorgeous presentation.

    I Wanted to Stuff the Box Into My Carry-On

    For his main course, he got fish.

    How Can Something So Pretty Be So Dangerous for Me? 🙁

    Bottom Line

    Flying in Japan Airlines Business Class was a real treat!

    One-way Business Class flights from Japan to the US cost 95,000 American Airlines miles plus $110 in taxes & fees.  That’s a great deal for a ticket that can easily cost $2,500.  I was able to get ~4 cents per American Airlines mile ($2,500 ticket – $110 in taxes & fees = $2,300 / 60,000 American Airlines miles).

    I’m always surprised by the amenities, attention to detail, and beautiful food when I fly Business Class.  But that might be because I’m only paying a fraction of the price for the ticket! 😉

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)