{
  "response": {
    "Key": "SFO-JP",
    "orig": {
      "code": "SFO",
      "type": "airport",
      "city": "San Francisco",
      "fullCity": "San Francisco, California",
      "airport": "San Francisco Intl Airport"
    },
    "dest": {
      "code": "JP",
      "type": "country",
      "country": "Japan"
    },
    "faq": {
      "q0": {
        "question": "Which cities in Japan can I fly to from San Francisco?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco you can fly non-stop to Tokyo Narita or Haneda, and also to Osaka Kansai. One-stop connections via Tokyo or other Asian hubs can get you to cities like Fukuoka, Sapporo and Nagoya. Tokyo is the gateway for most regions, while Osaka puts you closer to Kyoto and Hiroshima."
      },
      "q1": {
        "question": "How long is the flight from San Francisco to Japan?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco, non-stop flights to Tokyo take about 10 to 11 hours westbound and roughly 9 to 10 hours eastbound. One-stop itineraries to cities like Osaka or Sapporo usually range from 13 to 16 hours depending on the layover."
      },
      "q2": {
        "question": "Are there direct flights from San Francisco to Japan?",
        "answer": "Yes, San Francisco offers multiple non-stop flights to Japan. You can fly directly to Tokyo Narita on United Airlines, ANA, Japan Airlines, or ZIPAIR, and to Tokyo Haneda on United, ANA, and Japan Airlines. United and ANA also serve Osaka non-stop. Flight times are about 11 to 12 hours westbound and slightly shorter eastbound."
      },
      "q3": {
        "question": "Which airlines fly from San Francisco to Japan?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco to Japan you can fly nonstop with United, Japan Airlines, ANA, and ZIPAIR. One-stop options include Delta, American, and Korean Air via their hubs."
      },
      "q4": {
        "question": "When is the cheapest time to fly from San Francisco to Japan?",
        "answer": "The cheapest months to fly from San Francisco to Japan are September, October, and August, with late-night departures and Tuesdays typically offering the lowest fares. For the best price, book about 9 to 11 weeks ahead, while peak summer and December holidays are notably more expensive.",
        "methodology": "This 'good deal' estimate shows a representative best price for each departure date across roughly a 12-month window (about 3 months back and 9 months forward). It is built from real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, accumulated into a price history for each departure date. Rather than weighting all of that history equally, we apply exponential time decay so recent prices dominate — a price seen yesterday counts almost in full, one from about a month ago roughly a third, and prices from a few months back very little — giving a figure that tracks today's market instead of a stale long-run average. Clear price outliers are removed before any calculation, departure dates with no observations are filled in from nearby dates, and the resulting curve is lightly smoothed so it reads as a clean seasonal trend rather than day-to-day noise. This booking-window guidance is built from the same real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, re-grouped by how many days before departure each price was seen (from the departure day out to about 180 days ahead) across the route's price history. At each booking lead time we report the 25th-percentile price — the cheaper end of what travelers were quoted, rather than the rock-bottom minimum (which can be a fluke) or the average (which is pulled up by expensive last-minute fares). The buy-or-wait advice then applies a risk premium that grows as departure approaches, since seat availability shrinks and prices become less predictable; using that adjusted curve we flag windows where waiting is likely to save a meaningful amount (at least $20 or 5%) versus windows where booking now is the better call. Isolated single-day recommendations are filtered out, so the advice only reflects a window that holds for several days in a row. The cheapest day of the week and time of day to depart are drawn from the same large sample of real fares Priceline users found on this route in the last 72 hours, grouped by the day of the week and by the time-of-day window of the outbound departure, with the lowest and average price reported for each."
      },
      "q5": {
        "question": "How far in advance should I book flights from San Francisco to Japan?",
        "answer": "For flights from San Francisco to Japan, the sweet spot is booking 9 to 11 weeks ahead, when average fares settle around $1,152 — waiting until the last minute can push prices up near $1,393.",
        "methodology": "This booking-window guidance is built from the same real flight prices found by Priceline users searching this route, re-grouped by how many days before departure each price was seen (from the departure day out to about 180 days ahead) across the route's price history. At each booking lead time we report the 25th-percentile price — the cheaper end of what travelers were quoted, rather than the rock-bottom minimum (which can be a fluke) or the average (which is pulled up by expensive last-minute fares). The buy-or-wait advice then applies a risk premium that grows as departure approaches, since seat availability shrinks and prices become less predictable; using that adjusted curve we flag windows where waiting is likely to save a meaningful amount (at least $20 or 5%) versus windows where booking now is the better call. Isolated single-day recommendations are filtered out, so the advice only reflects a window that holds for several days in a row."
      },
      "q6": {
        "question": "What are the most popular cities to visit in Japan?",
        "answer": "In Japan, Tokyo and Osaka are the main entry points. Tokyo offers modern culture and historic sites. Osaka is a food hub near Kyoto, famous for temples, and Nara's deer park. Hiroshima's peace memorial and Hokkaido's nature are also popular, all connected by bullet train."
      },
      "q8": {
        "question": "Which airports in Japan are best to fly into from San Francisco?",
        "answer": "From San Francisco to Japan, Tokyo Narita and Haneda are the primary gateways with frequent flights and excellent rail connections. Haneda is closer to central Tokyo and often preferred for its convenience. Osaka Kansai works well for western Japan, while Sapporo New Chitose serves Hokkaido and ski resorts."
      },
      "q12": {
        "question": "When is the best time of year to visit Japan?",
        "answer": "For Japan, late March to early May for cherry blossoms, and late October to November for autumn colors, offer pleasant weather and moderate crowds. Summer is hot and humid with higher prices."
      },
      "q13": {
        "question": "How do I get to San Francisco Intl Airport from the city center?",
        "answer": "BART rapid rail is the fastest and most popular way to reach San Francisco International Airport from downtown San Francisco, with direct service from the International Terminal and easy connections via the AirTrain. Public transit options also include Caltrain via a Millbrae transfer and SamTrans Route 292, which stops directly at the terminals. Ride-share services like Lyft, Uber, and Wingz pick up on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage, while taxis are available at the center islands outside Arrivals. Driving and parking is possible with on-site garages, a cell phone waiting lot, and long-term parking connected by AirTrain, though BART is generally the quickest and most cost-effective choice for city-center travelers.",
        "toolsUsed": [
          "article_lookup"
        ],
        "references": [
          {
            "url": "https://flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/public-transit",
            "title": "Public Transit | San Francisco International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://flysfo.com/themes/custom/blueskies/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-08-17T20:51:53Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation",
            "title": "Ground Transportation | San Francisco International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://flysfo.com/themes/custom/blueskies/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-08-17T22:27:43Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/public-transit/ride-bart",
            "title": "BART | San Francisco International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://www.flysfo.com/themes/custom/blueskies/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2025-06-26T22:28:56Z"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.flysfo.com/",
            "title": "San Francisco International Airport | SFO Official Site",
            "favicon": "https://www.flysfo.com/themes/custom/blueskies/favicon.ico"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/getting-around-sfo",
            "title": "Getting Around SFO | San Francisco International Airport",
            "favicon": "https://flysfo.com/themes/custom/blueskies/favicon.ico",
            "time_published": "2026-08-11T21:48:22Z"
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}