First step . . . Purchase your plane tickets!

One of the main reasons we first decided to go to Tokyo was cost of the flights.  Flying to Tokyo from Hawaii was cheaper than flying to our favorite states on the west coast.  We booked our flight for June in November so that we would have plenty of time to plan for the trip.

The plane flight to Tokyo from Oahu is about 8 hours long.  Our international flight offered 2 free bags, free movies and free drinks (beer & wine) during the flight.  We were also given a pillow, blanket and lots of service throughout the flight.  It was wonderful!  The Japanese tourists traveling back to Japan have very little bags so loading and unloading the plane seemed to be quick and easy.  It was a change from the flights that we've experienced to the mainland.  

When flying into Tokyo you can either land at Haneda or Narita airport.  We landed at Haneda airport twice with no problems.  The time change meant we left Oahu at 10:00pm and then landed in Tokyo the next day at around the same time at night.  As a result, you lose a day when you fly to Japan.  So make sure you plan for an extra day to explore the sights and sounds of Tokyo!

View from our plane after landing: