When Is the Best Time to Book Japan for 2027? (Flights, Hotels & Prices Explained)

If you’re thinking about booking a trip to Japan in 2027, you’re already doing something very smart, and that’s starting to plan your trip early! We’re also in the same boat, because we’ve started planning our trip to Japan for 2027 too.

When it comes to Japan, especially as a family from the UK, when you book can make a huge difference to both price, availability, and how smooth your trip feels. For example, on our last trip to Japan in March 2026, we started our planning in April 2025 (just after we’d gotten back from our previous trip, and advance planning for cherry blossom season like that really works for us!) We’re now starting to set a budget for our next trip in July 2027, which is what inspired this piece.

After planning and taking four family trips to Japan (so far), I’ve quickly realised that:

 Japan isn’t somewhere you want to leave until the last minute, because prices go up, and most popular hotels and experiences book up fast
 But booking everything too early isn’t the answer either. You have to leave a little room for spontaneity!

So here’s a realistic timeline based on our own tried-and-tested experiences to help you answer that all-important question: when is the right time to book Japan for 2027? How do you book your trip at the right time, without overspending or missing out?

Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!

Quick Answer: When Should You Book Japan?

Don’t want to read the whole article and looking for the highlights reel? If you just want the short version of when you should book your Japan trip, my recommendations are:

• FLIGHTS
  Peak periods: 10- 12 months before travel
  Regular travel periods: 6-10 months before travel
• HOTELS
  Peak periods: 6-9 months before travel
  Regular travel periods: 3–6 months before
• ATTRACTIONS
  As soon as booking opens, usually 1–3 months before

 Peak periods are school holidays, cherry blossom season, or New Year. And for those trips my rule of thumb is to book as early as possible, especially if you have a preferred hotel in mind or want to visit specific attractions .

The Complete Japan Booking Timeline (Step by Step)

12 Months + Before Travel

I recommend you start planning your trip to Japan around 12 months before you want to visit (this is particularly important if you’re visiting during a peak period like cherry blossom season). This is when most people start Googling “Is Japan good for kids?” and “How expensive is Japan?” (Both questions I answer in my dedicated Japan hub, by the way). More importantly, this is when we always start planning our trips, and it’s always worked perfectly for us.

At this stage you don’t need to book anything (unless you spot a particularly good deal!) but it is the right time to:

• Decide roughly when you want to travel
• Start building a rough itinerary
• Understand your budget

If you’re at this fun pre-planning stage then this is the perfect time to read:
👉 How Much Does A Family Trip To Japan Cost (Our Real Budget Breakdown With Receipts)
👉 The Ultimate 14-Day Japan Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

6-12 Months Before You Travel

Perhaps the biggest task (and the most important!) comes next: it’s time to book your flights!

Choosing the right time to book your flights can make or break your budget, especially if you’re travelling as a family so have a lot of tickets to book As a family of four, our return flight tickets to Japan are generally the biggest single expense of our trip. In my experience, if you’re travelling during a peak period then booking your flights as soon as they’re released is the best way to get the cheapest prices: from this point they only go up. For an off-peak Japan trip, you have a little more flexibility to watch prices fluctuate before you lock in. And if you’re really brave, and have flexible dates, you can get impressive last minute deals.

Most airlines release their long-haul flight schedules 365-330 days in advance, so this is when I suggest you should start your flight research. I LOVE Skyscanner for monitoring flight prices and getting the best deal.

On our last two trips to Japan we flew with Korean Air via Seoul, thanks to excellent deals that we found. We visited during cherry blossom season, and booked this 11 months in advance.

💺 Have you booked your Korean Air flights yet?👉 We booked our flights to Japan via Skyscanner. It has consistently been cheaper for us than booking with the airline directly (considerably so) making it worth checking first.

💡 When you book your flights, book your airport parking AND airport transfers at the same time! These are easy things to forget (we forgot to book our transfers one, and paid the last-minute price!) and they tend to be more expensive if you leave them until right before you travel. Check out:

👉 The Ultimate Guide to Airport Parking in the UK: How to Book, Save, and Choose the Best Option
👉 Tokyo Airport Transfers: A Complete Guide to Getting from Narita and Haneda Airports to Tokyo

6 Months Before You Travel

If you haven’t already, now is the time to start looking at hotels. This is where Japan can catch some travellers out, especially families who don’t want to be living on top of each other, because hotels in Japan can be smaller than you might expect, and the best rooms (those in that sweet spot of being affordable and having enough space) can book up FAST!

If you’re heading off the beaten path, you can have much more flexibility with how late you leave it to book your hotels. But your priority booking areas should be the ones most overrun with tourists, and therefore most in demand. Think:

• Tokyo
• Kyoto
• Osaka

Looking for hotel inspiration and recommendations? We share our hotel reviews and tried-and-tested tips here:

👉 Where to Stay in Tokyo with Kids: Best Areas & Family-Friendly Hotels (2026 Guide)
👉 Pokemon Room Review: MIMARU Tokyo Kinshicho. Our Honest Family Review From 2026
👉 The 7 Best Hotels Near Tokyo Disney. Tokyo Disney Hotels For Every Budget!
👉 5 Best Universal Studios Japan Hotels (2026 Guide For Families)
👉 Petit Grande Miyabi Hotel Tokyo Review: Affordable Stay with Skytree Views
👉 Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel Review: Is This the Best Disney Partner Hotel for Families? (2026)

OUR PREFERRED BOOKING PARTNERS:
For finding the cheapest flights: Skyscanner
For hunting out the best hotels: Booking.com
For all of our activities and attractions: Klook

1-3 Months Before You Travel

Now it’s time for the really fun stuff (and my favourite part of planning our trips): booking your attractions and activities!

This can make or break your trip for some families, especially if you want to visit attractions like Ghibli Park, the Pokemon Cafe, the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, or Universal Studios Japan, where tickets can be very hard to get!

In fact, despite now having visited Japan 4 times for a total of over 12 weeks, we’ve still never been able to get a reservation for Ghibli Parl.

If you want to experience these most sought-after attractions, then the ones you definitely need to book early include:

• Tokyo Disney / DisneySea (bookable 2 months in advance)
• Universal Studios Japan (bookable 2 months in advance)
• TeamLab Planets (booking opens on 1st of the month for 3 months ahead)
• Nintendo Museum Kyoto (the ticket lottery opens on the 1st of the month for 3 months ahead)
• Pokemon Cafe: There are branches in both Tokyo and Osaka (bookable 31 days in advance)
• Premium tours and experiences with Wabunka

👉 We book almost all our activities with Klook. It’s incredibly easy to use and often cheaper than buying directly.
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra reader-exclusive discount

Not sure which activities and attractions in Japan to choose? Check out some of our favourite attraction guides below:
👉 How Far In Advance Can You Book Tokyo Disney Tickets? (2026 Guide)
👉 Nintendo Museum Kyoto Review: Is It Worth Visiting and How Do You Get Tickets?
👉 Is Universal Studios Japan Worth Visiting in 2026? Our Honest Family Review
👉 Japan With Kids: Want A Pokemon Cafe Reservation? How To Book The Pokemon Cafe In Tokyo, Japan
👉 Tokyo Skytree Tickets: Is It Worth It With Kids And How To Book (2026 Guide)
👉 Best Japan Attractions You Can Book in Advance (2026 Guide)

When Is Japan Cheapest To Book?

Japan isn’t a budget destination (especially if you’re travelling with kids like mine that want to try every single activity) but it also doesn’t have to be as expensive as many families think! The biggest cost is the flights, but you can save on other things if you do have a tighter budget.

One of the best ways to save money on your trip to Japan, if you’re able to be flexible, is to visit when flights and accomodation are cheapest. I’ve done extensive research on this, and the cheapest months to visit Japan are:

• January (after New Year)
• May (after Golden Week)
• November

It probably goes without saying that the most expensive times to visit are my favourite times to visit: cherry blossom season of course, but also Autumn foliage season. And travelling in the UK school holidays will always be more expensive than travelling outside of school holidays.

Best Booking Strategy for UK Families

So much of the advice I found online about booking Japan for families, especially when it came to booking flights for the best prices, was aimed at travellers from the U.S. so this section is aimed specifically at UK families like ours.

Like most families, we are tied to the UK school holidays, but I will admit we do pull our boys out of school a couple of days before the holidays, so that we can have a longer break AND take advantage of cheaper outbound flights. If this is something you could consider, you will save money.

Other booking strategy tips aimed specifically at UK families include:

• Look for flights departing from London Heathrow. These tend to be the cheapest, and you’re more likely to get the best prices on direct flights from Heathrow if you don’t want a layover. (we always take the layover to save some £££, but I know that won’t work for all families)
  
• Unless you’re planning to visit a different city every single day, skip the nationwide JR rail pass. These rarely offer the best value for normal families any more.
  
• Avoid visiting in the summer holidays for your first visit. Summer in Japan can be wonderful, with its celebration and unique charms, but the humidity is not for the weak and UK families are unlikely to be prepared to it! Think of the worst heatwave in London this summer and at least double it!
  
• Start looking at flights 10-12 months in advance. I have read that other travellers find prices go down if they wait a little longer, but this has never worked for us when flying to and from the UK.
  
• If you plan to drive in Japan then you’re in luck! You will drive on the same side of the road in Japan as you do in the UK, and you just need get your international driving license. International Driving Permit (IDP). This must be the permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, with the 1968 IDP not being accepted in Japan. You can apply for an International Driving Licence from any Pay Point store. I then recommend booking your car before you arrive, to avoid any stress.
  Check out: Driving in Japan: Rules and What You Need to Know as a Foreign Tourist

What To Do Next

Booking a trip to Japan can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re planning your first trip. I remember planning our first trip and having a notebook full of plans, dates to make bookings, and I felt so stressed at times. But once you understand the timeline, it becomes much easier.

My main piece of advice? You don’t need to book everything at once. You just need to book the right things at the right time. Once you get that right, the rest will fall into place, I promise!

To help you keep planning the perfect Japan trip, check out some of our other articles:

👉 What To Pack For Japan: Japan Travel Essentials
👉 Why Visit Japan? 8 Reasons To Visit Japan With Kids
👉The Ultimate Guide To Japan With Kids (2026 Japan Travel Guide)
👉 8 Japan Travel Apps You Need Before You Visit Japan in 2026

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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!