luvely

Hi guys-- first post here Hoping to get some advice for a first time trip to Japan for me and my husband in just a few months!

We were originally thinking mid April for Cherry Blossom season but now we are leaning towards mid May (avoiding Golden week) to spread out our vacations as our last one was in December. and I'm thinking it may be less crowded as Cherry Blossom season is not in full bloom.

My concern is right now, nonstop flights to Tokyo from NYC in April are a LOT cheaper than in May.

Is this because we are closer to April and airlines may be just trying to fill up seats? Or more people are on vacation in May so those seats are higher in demand?

I would hate to wait for May tickets to go down only to have them shoot up even further

Also curious if there seems to be any known trend for differences in hotel/accommodation prices in April vs May?

Thanks very much in advance for any feedback!

Kavey

You are right that April and the beginning of May are peak period in Tokyo and Kyoto because of cherry blossom and then Golden Week. If you can go before or after this period, it should be a little less crazy.

I'm afraid I have no idea at all on your flights question, I've never been any good at predicting the vagaries of flight pricing and I always just go ahead and book when I'm ready and don't look ever again so I won't know if prices have gone up or down!

Mara

I just checked on itasoftware, my go-to site for flight prices and yes, that ticket is much higher in May. I usually go in March/April so don't know why.

btw, I just got an email from IACE, a Japanese travel agency with an office in NYC and they are advertising a sale for departures through August today and Monday - maybe you can check it out....

luvely

Kavey: I definitely wish I could! It's also a bit difficult for us because we are waiting for the exact date my husband will be leaving the military so it may very well have to be a last minute ticket - that also doesn't help very much in terms of ticket price either I'm afraid :T

Mara: Thanks for those suggestions! I'll add them to my list, I've been checking out skyscanner.com so far.

I remember too prices were great for late March/early April but we couldn't go due to some work obligations. So many limiting factors lol