$307 Find Cheap Flights from Japan to California

1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
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Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to California?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to California from Japan found in the last 72 hours was to San Francisco, at $369 round-trip. The most popular route is Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $417.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Japan to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from Japan to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Japan to California is February, when tickets cost $799 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,596 and $1,171 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Japan to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Japan to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 28% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 10 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in California?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in California is San Jose Airport (SJC), with an average flight price of $362.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$307
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 4% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 16% lower on average.
Flight from Tokyo Narita Airport to San Francisco

Flights from Japan to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Japan to California 
Verified travelerFlew with ANANRT-SFOMay 2025
Bring your own meals like sandwich, nuts, fruit, or protein bar, because the food not only smells fowl but tastes even more so. Jesus, I’d rather just eat a protein bar.
Verified travelerFlew with Japan AirlinesNRT-SFONov 2024
This trip seemed shorter than I thought. Sleeping helps pass the time. Also take an aspirin and wear compression socks
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesNRT-SFOOct 2024
Procedures in Tokyo Narita airport are very efficient. Transportation to and from Tokyo is also efficient, economical, and available.
Verified travelerFlew with Japan AirlinesNRT-SFOOct 2024
Get a butt pillow for the long flight and a neck pillow to sleep comfortably
VictorFlew with American AirlinesHND-LAXOct 2024
Make sure to eat before you get on, as the food options aren’t the most appetizing.
JohnjimyFlew with ANANRT-SFOAug 2024
If you have multiple carry-on. You may be subjected to have tags or have to pay, due to limited spaces. I was fortunate to have my bag under seat for take off. Other passengers decided to bring the whole room with them without me having space to put my backpack carry on.
Verified travelerFlew with ANANRT-SFOMay 2024
Haneda airport now handles most of the international traffic. It's much closer to downtown Tokyo. Narita is 45-55 minutes out of town. Do online and complete you immigration documentation before your flight. Print the QR code and the machine will scan it along with your passport. Much faster.

FAQs for booking flights from Japan to California

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Japan to California?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Japan to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Japan to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Japan to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Japan to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Japan to California with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Japan to California?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Japan to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $976. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $1,142 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $1,039 on average. Morning departures are around 6% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,242.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Japan to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from Japan to California. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Japan to California? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.3
Japan AirlinesOverall score based on 1552 reviews
8.2Comfort
7.7Food
8.4Boarding
7.8Entertainment
8.7Crew
Airline reviews

Boarding, crew, and seating were great. The food needs to improve.

8.0 ExcellentEugene, Aug 2025NRT - LAX
Read more Japan Airlines reviews

Boarding, crew, and seating were great. The food needs to improve.

JAL is an exceptional airline that shows the true heart of Japanese omotenashi service. If the option is available I’ll always chose it

I avoid American Airlines for a reason. Our flight was delayed at LAX. The situation at the gate was chaotic. The woman making announcements wasn't being clear or transparent regarding why there were delays. There was a lot of confusion regarding flight and gate status. Other passengers were pretty rude. I was elbowed in the eye by someone who was in a hurry to get their bags from the overhead bin immediately after the flight landed. Ultimately, I will avoid AA as much as possible in the future.

I love Japan Airlines! I go out of my way to book with them. It is regrettable that the One World Alliance includes American Airlines though. The last leg of my flight from LAX to Austin was easily the worst, most disorganized part of the trip. Next time I will plan to fly directly from DFW to Haneda to avoid American Airlines as much as possible.

Issue 1: We had a 2 hour delay to repair a windshield wiper, during which we sat on board on the runway. Issue 2: it was VERY HOT in the cabin for most of the flight, we were sweating. We asked to make it cooler. They didn’t succeed in doing so. Other than that, it was great. Fantastic food, and extremely pleasant, accommodating flight crew.

We asked for Hindu vegetarian meal in advance and the quality of the food was horrendous. Never flying JAL again!

My total experience was good. The food and entertainment need improvement.

I wish I was able to flew with JAL all the way to DFW. After my JAL flight to Japan it was taken over by a flight with AA which is another experience, the plane was not as roomy like JAL. I was terrified to drop anything in the floor and not have the room to bend and pick it up. My wifi din not work at all, l just slept through majority of the flight. Although not a bad experience, I still wish that I flew JAL straight to DFW for the experience.

I would like to add American food so tired of rice after being there for 10 days didn’t want anymore to pay an airline did not have my bag marked right so it is still sitting in O’Hare. I am home.

Flight from New Delhi to Tokyo was mediocre. The seats were not of business class as we are used to. They were not wide enough. On the other hand the seats on the flight from Tokyo to San Francisco were excellent every thing were great except the food. Tokyo business lounge was excellent. The whole experience was great except the food on the plane. Will still fly JAL.

The staff on the plane were attentive and friendly. The frustration with the cabin crew was that we were served second to special diet people. And, we were in economy section. The boarding staff was mediocre. Got scolded for requesting to sit with spouse on 14 hours long flight home. Was told they cannot break up families for us. Didn’t understand how we were denied sitting together as we are husband and wife. After many words of exchange, we were accommodated. Cleaning crew did a horrible job! Bathrooms were unsanitary or dirty from beginning of flight! Didn’t expect sparkling as its economy, but did except decent.

The usual excellent experience with Singapore Airlines. The airplane was on time and actually early to Haneda Airport. The onboarding experience was pleasant with no delays, perhaps owing to the fact that the flight was not full. Nevertheless, the air crew were their usual outstanding standards in serving the passengers.

Construction at PDX resulting in very lung walk from the rental car to the gate. SFO, extremely long walk between terminals to get to connecting Singapore airlines flight. My smart watch recorded a total of 3 miles.

So happy I flew with Singapore Airlines. The customer service is top notch. I am terrified of flying and the staff made me feel so at ease. Will only fly Singapore internationally moving forward.

Food could have been better. Too many passengers getting up and down all the time.

Check in was easy through self-check-in kiosks just like domestic flights. Staff onboard were fantastic. Some "book the cook" good options weren't great, others really good. Entertainment options a bit limited to what I've experienced on Qantas. Overall a good flight though, especially for the price.

I very much liked and appreciated the service on board. The seating arrangement in Business feels uncomfortable. It's not made for tall people, in any case.

Great airline. Excellent service, good food & lots of TV movies/shows to choose from.

Everything was good except food , food choices was very less. Washrooms were closed.overall good experience.

Crews were very caring and polite. Washroom was surprisingly clean. Overall experience was good , only food choices was very limited. Thanks

Easy to board and fly, no frills. Yummy ramen on board.

It was for the most part a 10/10 they said they had entertainment options but all they had was old movies for streaming from the mid 2010’s so like 10 years ago

all good for a very budget flight - well priced and excellent service. Will fly again

Couple of the crew members were really nice and the rest are really rude and didn't help when we needed help, food was not worth it at all and most importantly there's no even entertainment system other than a very interruptive and slow internet and some movies.

I appreciate the economy price of the tickets. The long flight made the comfort level on the lower average side. Wi-Fi connection was not consistent but working. Overall, I would fly again with zip air but next time get the flat, premium seats with the amount of money I would save otherwise.

Comfortable seats and lucky no one was in middle seat. No water on the plane. Plane was on time and staff was fast.

You get what you pay for and nothing more. Wanted a cheap flight and that’s exactly what I got, though it’s human nature to wanting to feel like you got a good deal as well. There was none of that here. I was cheap and they were too. Got to my destination safely and that’s all that really matters.

Nice service. I wish it could provide hot water on the flight.

internet didn't work. No offer of drinks or snacks.

Flight was seamless. Free wifi helped pass the time. Food was okay, just make sure you pre order or pick something up from the airport

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

I found the staff to not be very attentive at all. When paying for Business Class you expect a certain type of service and that was not found. They were almost rude even

Ok. Get a different kosher caterer. The food was odd.

Our experience on United Airlines was extremely poor. The plane was extremely cold throughout our entire flight- which multiple people complained about- and we had to wait 2 hours to get a blanket which was too thin and barely helped warm us up. As well as this, none of the entertainment features were working so we had to sit through a roughly 10 hour flight with nothing to keep our attention, including the actual flight path screen. It was an extremely disappointing experience and I would hope that this gets fixed if we ever choose United Airlines again.

I really enjoyed flying with United airlines amazing experience , good customer service and great food

1.It will be better if sandwich is warm. 2.The food is too salty. 3.Breakfast needs some vegetables or fruits.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

It was all good flight was on time, service was good I enjoyed a few movies and everything was smooth

My flight was delayed for several hours. Sitting at gate 16 for several hours, I got a text from Kayak the gate changed to 9 before it was announced. Very bad communication at each gate from American Airlines employees. I received 10 notifications of delay from Kayak. My vacation started off horrible! I will write to American Airlines corporate office also.

Delayed flight that lead to a missed connection and a 5-hour trip became a 12-hour flight 🙄

There is no room, no gluten free options, or any free internet/entertainment. You have to bring your own tablet or smartphone because there are no screens.

American Airlines is a mediocre airlines: they do not maintain the highest standard of cleanliness in the cabins, and the food is not well thought out. Service is not at top of mind compared to other international airlines such as Singapore Airlines, JAL or others.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

Boarding gate in Honolulu was staffed with a great clerk with a soothing voice despite the flight delay of over an hour. Flight attendants in the plane were all grumpy, not pleasant looking bunch. Their sour attitude showed throughout the flight. Inly able to get a select few movies started. Most of the movie links in the “free entertainment” did not work.

I flew Business Class. Rory, one of the Cabin stewards, was attentive, explained the menu, provided appropriate drinks. was

This was a horrible experience. For a first class experience, my chair was held together by 3M tape - and I have a photo. The crew weren’t very attentive, somewhat dismissive and forgot my drink and snack, the chair reclined about 3 inches on a 6-hour cross country flight. I was also not informed that there was no lounge available in Newark airport because of renovations, so all around this was one of the worst experiences and I would actively avoid both American and Alaska Air going forward.

Boarding was very efficient. Everyone got on board and we got on our way very quickly. It was frustrating that the entertainment app was not functioning properly. I was not able to activate some of the movies offered. The crew on this flight appears to be pretty grumpy. They had no smile on their faces. I felt like they were doing us a favor for being there.

Loved the staff, boarding and drink options! Wish the comfort of the seat could have been better nevertheless

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to California

Cabin classes available on flights to California. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

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