Trip motivation
Tokyo has been on our bucket list for awhile. We wanted to meet up and travel with my mom (coming from Hawaii). At the time of this trip, Carter was 2 years and 3 months. This post focuses on how we got there, where we stayed and other logistics. To read more about what we did in Japan, see here
Paying for our flight with chase points
Total Cost for 3 of us: 210,000 United points + $162.48 in taxes
When the Chase Sapphire Reserve card first came out, Ben and I both signed up. We each received 100,000 Chase points. We transferred these points to United and it was pretty straightforward to find and book our flights using United Miles. Its still crazy to me that we flew three people to Japan for so little cash out of pocket. Currently, the Chase Sapphire preferred card is offering a 80,000 bonus. Once you have one or both of those sapphire cards, I recommend getting the Chase United card for more bonus miles.
Flight details
Getting There: Sat 6a – Sun 3:35p
Nashville (BNA) to Toronto (YYZ) 6a-8:53a (1h 53m)
To Tokyo (HND) 1:45p-3:35p (12h 50m)
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Coming Back: Sun 5:15p-Sun 7:15p
Tokyo (NRT) to Chicago (ORD) 5:15-3:10p (11h 55m)
To Nashville (BNA) 5:35p-7:15p (1h 40m)
Flight Logistics
PreCheck is a program that offers faster TSA lines at airports. There are separate lines for PreCheck travelers, and you don’t have to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, etc. It is amazing and has saved us so much time and makes it SO much easier to travel with kids. For more on this benefit and how to use a credit card to receive it for free, see here.
For the long flight to Tokyo, we spent 12 hours alternating a snack/meal, coloring activity, movie, and nap until we were there. Coming back, everyone slept through most of the long flight. Read more about tips for long airline trips here.
Airline Lounges
When traveling with layovers or to new cities, we always airport and priority pass lounge websites prior ot the trip (link here). The Chase Sapphire Reserve card (in addition to others) comes with priority pass access. This gives you access to lounges at different airports. Often it is more common internationally. Lounges are a great place to sit during layovers or while waiting for a flight. Often there will be food and drink provided with no cost. On our flight back from Japan, we stopped at a lounge and grabbed a few free take-out musubis and snacks for our carry-ons. We also spent the last of our japan coins (yen) on vending machine milk teas
In addition, a newer thing the priority pass has been offering is a dining credit at restaurants in the airport. You just show your card and instead of paying, the restaurant charges $28/person and you eat for free.
Where We Stayed
We stayed in an AirBnB close to a train station. It had 2 bedrooms which worked great for me and Ben to be in the main room, Carter to be on the couch and my mom to be in her own room.
Other Logistics
When we arrived, we picked up a portable wifi at the airport so we could use our phones like normal. We downloaded Whatsapp to text each other. We caught the train everywhere we went and relied on google maps to direct us to stations and lines. For much of this trip, my mom translated. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful and I also knew enough to get by. (Except the one time when asking for directions to the zoo, I asked someone in Japanese, “Excuse me, where do I go to see the cows?” haha )
Activities in Japan
To read more about what we did in Japan, see here
