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Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Japan

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Tokyo
Tokyononstop$785
Osaka
Osaka1 stop$809
Okinawa
Okinawa1 stop$800
Fukuoka
Fukuoka1 stop$758
Ishigaki
Ishigaki1 stop$1,176
Iwakuni
Iwakuni2 stops$1,205
Hakodate
Hakodate1 stop$951
Sendai
Sendai1 stop$958
Komatsu
Komatsu1 stop$826
Aomori
Aomori1 stop$1,011
Miyazaki
Miyazaki2 stops$2,109
Tokyo
Tokyononstop$785
Osaka
Osaka1 stop$809
Okinawa
Okinawa1 stop$800
Fukuoka
Fukuoka1 stop$758
Ishigaki
Ishigaki1 stop$1,176
Iwakuni
Iwakuni2 stops$1,205
Hakodate
Hakodate1 stop$951
Sendai
Sendai1 stop$958
Komatsu
Komatsu1 stop$826
Aomori
Aomori1 stop$1,011
Miyazaki
Miyazaki2 stops$2,109
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to Japan flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Japan to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest San Francisco to Japan flight route?

The cheapest ticket to Japan from San Francisco found in the last 5 days was to Tokyo, at $701 round-trip. The most popular route is from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $701.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Japan?

The cheapest time of day to fly to Japan is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $783 on average. Morning departures are around 54% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Japan is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,209.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San Francisco to Japan?

No, with an average price for the route of $1,185, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Japan?

The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to Japan is September, when tickets cost $823 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,314 and $1,276 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Japan?

For San Francisco to Japan, Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Saturday is the most expensive. Flying from Japan back to San Francisco, the best deals are generally found on Sunday, with Friday being the most expensive.

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

To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Japan, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 12% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

August

Cheapest flight

$342
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 14% lower on average.
Flight from San Francisco to Tokyo Narita Airport

Flights from San Francisco to Japan: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from San Francisco to Japan 
BeldanFlew with Japan Airlines-Mar 2026
make sure to file any medication permission for things like ADHD meds or opiates for pain management early, so you don't need to rush.
BryanFlew with ANA-Feb 2026
Check your operating carrier. It seems like ANA is operated by United, so you would essentially be paying for United Airlines service (supposedly 3 stars) as opposed to the 5 star ANA service.
LeeFlew with ANA-Jan 2026
Make sure you understand the cost of additional baggage. This information was not make readily available. If I had known it was so high, I would have made sure to pack in a single checked bag. It seems this information was hidden from me.
Verified travelerFlew with ANA-Mar 2025
Compression socks are your friend. I wish I bought some to help me deal with the cramped seating.
TFlew with ZIPAIR-Nov 2024
Haneda is closer to the city center, so fly there if you can. Zipair has by far the best rates, but try to book early and pick a seat so you’re not stuck in a middle seat.

FAQs - booking Japan flights

  • Do U.S. citizens need a visa to travel from San Francisco to Japan?

    If you’re a U.S. citizen planning to travel from San Francisco to Japan, you are not required to obtain a visa prior to your departure, as long as you don’t intend on staying in the country for over 90 days. Nonetheless, make sure your passport is valid and has an empty visa page for an entry stamp.

  • Are there direct flights from San Francisco to Japan?

    Yes, it’s possible to find non-stop flights out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) going to both Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda International Airport (HND) in Tokyo, as well as Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka, but only in certain months. The airlines operating these routes are mainly ANA, Japan Airlines and United Airlines.

  • How do you get to the center of Tokyo from the airport?

    There are two international airports serving the Tokyo area. Haneda International Airport is closer to the city center. The airport has a monorail that takes you downtown in under an hour and you can expect to pay around ¥410 ($4). Narita International Airport is connected to the center with the JapanRail that can cost about ¥1340-3000 ($19-27).

  • Which is the best airport to fly into to get to Mount Fuji?

    Mount Fuji is an impressive mountain recognized by UNESCO, located southwest of Tokyo. The closest airport to fly into to get to Mount Fuji from San Francisco is Tokyo Haneda International Airport. The drive is just over an hour long.

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

    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 San Francisco to Japan.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from San Francisco to Japan 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 San Francisco to Japan?

    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 San Francisco to Japan 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 San Francisco to Japan?

    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 San Francisco to Japan up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Japan

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from San Francisco to the following destinations at these prices or less: Tokyo $409 one-way - $881 round-trip
  • When looking to book your flight from San Francisco to Japan, look for routes to Tokyo. There are two main airports in Tokyo, Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda International Airport (HND), which offers more options. The capital city is also conveniently centrally located within the country.
  • When planning your trip from San Francisco, California, to Japan, you’ll have to make sure to exchange your dollars into the local currency, the Japanese yen (JPY). The main international airports in the country, like the ones in Tokyo and Osaka, have currency exchange desks at their international terminals.
  • If you’re one to get anxious before a long flight, San Francisco International Airport has a few amenities that are great for unwinding. Passengers can relax and stretch in the yoga rooms in Terminals 2 and 3 or enjoy some peace in the reading room in Terminal 2.
  • If you’re planning on getting in a taxi or renting a car while you’re visiting Japan and you’re traveling with infants, make sure you have the right equipment. Children aged six or under must be in an adequate child seat. If your car rental agency doesn’t provide child seats, you will have to travel with one.
  • If you’re traveling from San Francisco to Japan on business, the airports offer services that can help make your trip as productive as possible. For instance, San Francisco International Airport has work stations in Terminal 2 as well as a business center to stay connected before boarding. Once arriving at the Narita International Airport, there is a hotel on-site perfect for travelers on a tight schedule.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Japan

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to Japan? 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 1904 reviews
7.7Food
8.2Comfort
8.4Boarding
7.8Entertainment
8.7Crew
Airline reviews

Food was very mediocre. Economy is pretty uncomfortable. Crew was excellent and responsive.

10.0 ExcellentHari, Mar 2026
Read more Japan Airlines reviews

Food was very mediocre. Economy is pretty uncomfortable. Crew was excellent and responsive.

Overall a great experience. One complain was the vegetarian food that my wife had which was mostly boiled vegetables with not much flavor.

A great flight experience - great seats, lots of ROOM for legs & in the aisle. Great attendants! My flight cost me the same as ZipAir, the website was WAY less confusing & wonky - this will be my 1st choice for my next Japan trip. Very pleased / well cared for.

Underpricer was terrible. They wanted to charge me $150 for a seat asignment. Kayak is responsible for letting this happen. Please let me know if this is going to happen in the future. If it is i will not use kayak in the future.

Checking in was hard because we had to enter our middle name with our first name and wasn’t told to. The representative from underpricer investigated it and called me back. We were very appreciative for him.

Enjoyed flying Japan Airlines! Staff were all nice & flight was comfortable.

I like the braised beef., miso soup,, and green tea. Very little choices of hollywood movies. The PA announcement in English was not very clear and very soft. I could hardly hear.

More updated movies & Chinese movies. The food sometimes overcooked. Prefer to have more neat snacks in between than just choose from the menu. Please change the menu every now and then. This is my second time flying within one year and the menu didn’t change at all!

Food is lagging. Very poor choice. Like vending machine fast food.

Please change the menu more often. The beef is not tender, more choice in ice cream flavor. Dessert is not good too.

The food was terrible and totally inedible. If you are flying with ANA/United bring your own food it was a long flight to be hingry

When I checked in, it printed two bag tags. The helper said they would cancel the other. They canceled both and my bag was left behind

I originally thought I was booking with ANA airlines and didn't see "operated by United" until the day of. I even thought the United check-in update was a scam so ended up checking in 3 hours before the flight, causing separate seating and uncomfortable middle seats.

I was charged $200 for a 2nd checked bag, which is unreasonably high and feels like price gouging. Other than that the experience was excellent.

I would prefer to fly with Japanese airlines over American ones. They have better food and service overall

Checking in via an alliance partner, even a foreign one should get TSA Precheck printed on your boarding pass. The paper copy issued by ANA didn’t show it. I couldn’t get my digital copy due to some technical issue arising because I checked in with ANA. The kiosks at SFO similarly threw an error. The only way I could have gotten a new copy of my boarding pass was from the UA counter and lines were nearly as long as TSA so I bit the bullet and went through the regular TSA line. If UA wants my business, they need to improve that process.

The crew was very nice and polite. They made sure everybody got their meal and drinks. Even the economy class had a very adequate leg room for someone that is over 6 foot tall.

The crew was amazing, really friendly and efficient. One of the best flights I have ever been on. They made the long flight comfortable and I noticed there were two birthdays on the flight. They gave to customers birthday cards and wished them a happy birthday. That was very nice to see.

Fast boarding. Cabin temperature was a bit warm, but I guess this is the standard in ANA. The Room seats are spacious, but not long enough for me.

First I will say this was really NOT an ANA flight. ANA used a UNITED jet to perform this flight. I specifically booked with ANA because I did NOT WANT TO FLY UNITED FOR INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS. So to spend $1800.00 and then discover after booking that it was going to be handled by United was very disappointing. I will be more careful next time when I book. The interior was very cramped in economy class; the dinner meal was terrible and also had extremely small portions for an international flight - the bread roll was ice cold and stale - that salad was very wilted; I’ve never had a “snack” that was so salty that it was difficult to eat; the breakfast “waffle” was practically unrecognizable. Really horrible meals for a very expensive international flight. Bathroom floor was also pretty dirty. I’m hoping my return flight is a real ANA airplane that is cleaned and serviced by ANA personnel with ANA meals. I will never book with ANA again if they continue to use UNITED airline jets. Yuck!!!🤢

I’d have rated Asiana good except an unfortunate incident in which I felt one of your employee didn’t really help us. During the first leg of the trip, the flight from LAX to ICN, I left my backpack on the plane. When I realized, I reported to one of your employee who promised me that it’d be taken care of, that my backpack will be there at HCM city. When we arrived there, HCM people had no idea and my backpack was still at Incheon airport who denied any knowledge whatsoever. I was left in the cold and felt helpless. I was very disappointed. I’d like someone to look into this and let me know.

It was my first time flying Asiana but i was very pleased with how professional and understanding the flight crew is with little kids. One flight attendant held my 3 year old daughter’s hand guiding her to the exit after landing while i had my hands full with luggage and my infant. She was very helpful.

Love flying Asiana. Been using it for over a decade now.

The beefsteak on the lunch menu was excellent! I usually do not eat airplane food. I loved it.

For the most part, it was an enjoyable experience. It's the 2nd half of the journey was a bit uncomfortable. It was on a noticable smaller plane compared to the previous one.

Only process that my luggage didn’t make it to my destination because of short connection but I understand

I like the food, the crew and everything.!!! Except for the delay in our flight.

Check in agent very rude, no greeting “Hi” or “ Thank you. Doesn’t direct where to go for gate info. In flight crew staff not friendly. Very disappointed ☹️

My favorite airline to fly across the Pacific. The Business class lounge is fantastic, the wonderful flight attendants are helpful and professional. Great comfort while flying.

The flight was delayed for 2 hours, however, we flew home safely.

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

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.

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.

Wifi could have been better. Arrived 55 mins earlier than scheduled :)

Best part are two crying babies throughout the whole 11 hour trip

Inflight WiFi would lose connection when you don't continuously use it, and would sometimes be difficult to reconnect. Food quality could be a bit better. Other than that, it was excellent.

i requested refund and among $800 i got refunded 100 bucks :) how can it be possible?

Staff didn't speak much English but were attentive. Not one time was I offered a snack or complimentary drink.

The pilot was late so we didn’t take off til almost 2 hours late.

It was a short, comfortable flight. It did leave an hour late due to the pilot having to be replaced (family emergency) but that didn’t inconvenience myself & my friend. The situation was explained, eventually.

Excellent communication from the staff. We actually arrived early. Very friendly and professional staff.

No extra snacks were available. Meals quality is terrible. Crew was not friendly.

Lost one piece of luggage even though I checked in 2.5 hours before the flight

I paid for a confirmed upgraded aisle seat and was moved to a center seat in the back of the plane at the last minute.

The 777’s economy seat’s legroom was more tolerable than expected. I appreciate the reclining mechanism which slides the seat forward to minimize cannibalizing the space behind. The food was terrible: very salty.

This was an older airplane. The cabin was constantly warm to hot throughout the 10 hour flight and there were no vents to personalize air flow. Also since it was an older plane, the material and comfort of the chairs were very uncomfortable. I left my flight with major soreness on my tailbone.

Flight was delayed by 3 hours. The pilot made up 1 hour during the flight, but that made the wait at the airport 5 hours once you factor getting there 2 hours early.

Crew less experienced, not happy face , don’t know how process works

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to Japan

Information on your arrival and departure airports