Honolulu to Tokyo is about 8.5 hours, return in about 7.5 hours
LAX to Tokyo is about 11.5 hours and return is 10 to 10.5 hours
Honolulu - LAX is about 5 hr 40 min in either direction

I look for fares between US often. Daily now for LAX to Japan I look for AA award seats but also check fares. My comments here are from searching for business class fares but I think they apply to premium economy.

LAX would be less expensive than NYC
Vancouver YVR is less expensive than LAX

Fares to Japan are typically much higher than from Japan.

ZIPAIR fares (lie-flat or economy, no premium economy) beat everybody. It is an LCC, so amenities cost extra. Fares are use it or lose it. You can pay extra to get a credit if you cancel. Problem with that is you have to spend the credit on ZIPAIR. Not as useful as a credit on United or AA. Their one-way nonstop LAX fares are $1200 to $1700 (or a bit more) in lie-flat seats. Business class for a one-way nonstop on United, JAL, etc. are double that, at least.

At the beginning of the year there are some low fares from Japan. They have been offered by Asiana and Hawaiian Airlines (no stopovers I think). Around $1500 for business class to LAX. I got one on Jan 31 for travel in November on Asiana via Seoul. Big bonus to me: I can cancel and get a refund minus a $200 or $300 fee. Sugoi desu! Am sitting on an inexpensive PE award ticket to Tokyo and hoping to find a biz seat for 10K more miles.

A year or two ago, you could get Japan to NYC cheap with lie-flat seats on both legs (Hawaiin).

someotherguy, I love this idea! I’m remembering this for the future - sounds like a great way to travel to Japan!

Mara, I dislike the term “bucket list” because it is from the term, “Kick the bucket” and it feels like I’m hastening the process whenever I talk about my bucket list!

Alice9, I’m sorry for your disappointment but one’s health is more important than any travel experience and your decision sounds wise.

We're outside of Wash DC. So getting to/from Honolulu is a big deal all by itself. Worth thinking about though.

Right now, I've been thinking about a trip to Marseilles and Barcelona, haven't been to either - and a combo trip looks very do-able.

Thanks so much, all!

Alice

Marseilles and Barcelona are each wonderful!

My report including Marseilles (starting with post # 117): A stellar month in southeastern France

And my report including Barcelona (post #12 and elsewhere): Four Awesome Weeks in the North of Spain and Catalunya

>> Marseilles and Barcelona
That sounds like fun. Maybe an open-jaw ticket to one and return from the other. Am thinking TAP Portugal would have good fares.

>> getting to/from Honolulu is a big deal
Maybe that is what LA, SF, LV are for.

My most awesome trip was on a TWA ff award: Wahington Dulles to Paris, free multi-day stopover. Paris to Tel Aviv on TWA and then Jerusalem. Got an El Al ticket to Cairo (which "closed" the TLV-Cairo open jaw on the award ticket). Then after the pyramids and stuff I flew on the TWA ticket to Athens (second free stopover). Boat to Turkey. Bought a Turkish domestic flight and a ticket from Istanbul to Athens where I got back on TWA. The return home did involve a transfer from JFK to La Guardia and a flight to National Airport, but I was back in time for bowling league.

Seems like you could do a trip to Japan with a day stopover in someplace like Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles since flying from the west coast to Japan not much different than flying from IAD to Europe

Alice, you are not alone. My brother was planning to travel soon, for the first time in several decades. Then just last month his doctor told him that given some current cardiac conditions, his advice would be no flying for sure.
Best wishes moving forward.
I am done. The end.

Thanks, kja. I'm liking the idea more and more. I will definitely check out your reports. One issue I have is that my husband doesn't like to be away for as long as we used to. I am... working on it. (I mean, we're RETIRED, why NOT take a long trip? I need to work in rest time and make sure we don't run around too much, so more time is BETTER).

Alice

I will consider it, but still a lot of flying. And a lot of other places I haven't seen yet, so...
Alice

shelemm, good attitude, it's the one I'm trying to adopt. Not just for traveling, but in my life in general at this point.

Alice

Lots of good places to get to by plane or car. I would find giving up traveling completely VERY hard.

Alice