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We added Suica as a travel card to apple wallet (appreciate it might be available for Android). Pros and cons but mostly pros I think. As long as you use the right contactless IC Card pad it will debit the travel card, irrespective of what other credit card you have set within wallet to be your express travel card. (Do tap the Suica pad though, not the one with the universal wifi/contacless symbol, or that will probably charge to something else in your wallet – day 1 lesson learnt!)
It allows you to top up from a credit card, which is immediate unlike Oyster. It is less user friendly than a physical card when trying to eg buy a green car upgrade on the platform as the machines only seem to cope with a physical card – but on newer regional trains you can upgrade onboard, either via an overhead suica card reader or via the conductor. If you install the Suica app as well, you can see the full suica card number, and thence link it to other bookings – eg Smart EX shinkansen bookings.
We used google maps for nearly all of our trips in and around Japan. It was remarkably accurate, down to which entrance to the station to use, which platform and which carriage to choose for quickest transfer at connecting stations. It was also spot on with costs. I don’t think you can reclaim any money already stored on the card so towards the end we were fine tuning the balance versus expected costs. As long as there is any balance it will let you in, you can then top up as required. On our last journey, google said the cost would be 1 Yen more than I had remaining. I topped up 1 Yen and on leaving my balance was zero. For 1/2p I’m not sure it was entirely necessary but it felt like a major victory!
Good evening all. I’m looking at potentially using an AMEX 2-4-1 voucher or a Barclays Upgrade Voucher for booking tickets to Japan. I appreciate that you can call up BA to add on domestic connections free of charge but if you want to add on a domestic connection in Japan, is this possible? I appreciate it will be for an extra cost but wondered whether it could be done under the one booking or whether it requires two separate bookings?
Might help if I explain what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to book avios tickets to Kansai (KIX) but when searching on the BA website nothing comes up when searching from London (LHR). However, if you change the destination to Tokyo, you can then see availability. Can BA add on the domestic leg from Tokyo to KIX either for cash/avios? Oddly, when looking online, I can find avios availability for this particular leg on the BA website but it doesn’t show up any cash fares.
Many thanks.
You can only use the vouchers on limited airlines, I don’t think any of them run domestic routes in Japan.
Thanks, I wasn’t really expecting to be able to obtain the benefit of the voucher against that particular leg, was just more in terms of whether it was possible to do it in the one booking or whether I would need to organise that leg completely separate to the main booking.
You can’t add a flight which isn’t part of the overall booking, no.
Make sure you check the Japan airline flights on both BA online and Qatar both online and via phone as the availability seems to be different across all as I found out recently
@NorthernLass Thanks for confirming. Might be safer then to just organise the Tokyo – Osaka leg upon arrival in case we miss the connection. Could always use the Shinkansen as a fall back option.
@Sloth Thanks for the tip, I had forgotten about Qatar being an option.We went via Finnair last time but their prices have increased a fair bit since last year.
Might be safer then to just organise the Tokyo – Osaka leg upon arrival in case we miss the connection. Could always use the Shinkansen as a fall back option.
Having done this journey in reverse a week ago, let me say I wouldn’t even consider a flight.
It took about 2 hours and 20 minutes between Shin Osaka and Tokyo Shinagawa. Cost around £75 including seat reservation.Might be safer then to just organise the Tokyo – Osaka leg upon arrival in case we miss the connection. Could always use the Shinkansen as a fall back option.
Having done this journey in reverse a week ago, let me say I wouldn’t even consider a flight.
It took about 2 hours and 20 minutes between Shin Osaka and Tokyo Shinagawa. Cost around £75 including seat reservation.If you are at HND anyway having arrived on a different flight, flying can still be competitive time wise and certainly cost wise. Flying is also easier when travelling with big baggage saving you having to reserve special seats on the Shinkansen and lug them on and off connecting trains and through crowded stations. The Shinkansen is pretty cool but so are domestic flights in Japan. The boarding efficiency is insane and shows what can be achieved when airlines choose not to stroke the egos of frequent flyers / premium pax and just get people on in the moat efficient way. Business class = last to board. So logical!
There is takyubin (luggage delivery service). Tokyo-Osaka is about about £13 per piece to send.
But I agree if you’re at HND and have no desire to stay in Tokyo then it does not make sense to go to Shinagawa and then shinkasen.
Finnair flies direct to Osaka as does QR, so I’d actually choose that. Prices with Finnair haven’t changed at all, not sure what is everyone talking about. You just need to purchase separate tickets tickets (unlike BA and IB, Finnair interlines even on separate tickets).
Has anyone recently flown on the BA 787-9 in Club?
Row 13 is available (hooray) but I am reluctant (would prefer TV screen and wifi) – I’m unable to find any other options so just wondering if it’s worth taking a punt…
@steven If you want to use your vouchers, bear in mind that you can’t use them on Qatar or Finnair.
Has anyone recently flown on the BA 787-9 in Club?
Row 13 is available (hooray) but I am reluctant (would prefer TV screen and wifi) – I’m unable to find any other options so just wondering if it’s worth taking a punt…
Do you mean to Tokyo or in general? If the latter then yes from HKG end of feb in row 13. I don’t understand your q tho as both our seats had a tv. The WiFi however was not working. We are flying to Tokyo next year on this plane also but that doesn’t help…
Has anyone recently flown on the BA 787-9 in Club?
Row 13 is available (hooray) but I am reluctant (would prefer TV screen and wifi) – I’m unable to find any other options so just wondering if it’s worth taking a punt…
I assume you mean you prefer the TV screen and wifi on a newer aircraft rather than on a B787-9?
My own experience with this aircraft type is that wifi’s somerimes not available (not all have been retrofitted with wifi yet), and even when it has been fitted, it occasionally doesn’t work either.
TV screens are generally slower and glitchier than on like the A350, and there have been a number of times where the screen just doesn’t work at all.
But at the end of the day you still get a flat bed and for me that’s the main point!
Thanks @meta
When you say separate tickets should be purchased, what do you mean? The UK to Finland leg should be booked separately from the Finland to Japan leg? Is that not a bit risky for missing the flight connection?
Thanks again.
There is takyubin (luggage delivery service). Tokyo-Osaka is about about £13 per piece to send.
But I agree if you’re at HND and have no desire to stay in Tokyo then it does not make sense to go to Shinagawa and then shinkasen.
Finnair flies direct to Osaka as does QR, so I’d actually choose that. Prices with Finnair haven’t changed at all, not sure what is everyone talking about. You just need to purchase separate tickets tickets (unlike BA and IB, Finnair interlines even on separate tickets).
Thanks @meta
When you say separate tickets should be purchased, what do you mean? The UK to Finland leg should be booked separately from the Finland to Japan leg? Is that not a bit risky for missing the flight connection?
Thanks again.
There is takyubin (luggage delivery service). Tokyo-Osaka is about about £13 per piece to send.
But I agree if you’re at HND and have no desire to stay in Tokyo then it does not make sense to go to Shinagawa and then shinkasen.
Finnair flies direct to Osaka as does QR, so I’d actually choose that. Prices with Finnair haven’t changed at all, not sure what is everyone talking about. You just need to purchase separate tickets tickets (unlike BA and IB, Finnair interlines even on separate tickets).
It is cheaper to book the flights separately rather than on one ticket.
i.e. Heathrow to Helsinki and then Helsinki to Osaka / Haneda / Narita / Nagoya
I found it was cheaper through the BA site than through Finnair.When we flew a couple of weeks ago, I noted after getting off the plane from Heathrow that it was literally the same plane and same gate to Osaka. The gates for Tokyo were about 2 minutes walk from that gate. The lounge was about 7 minutes walk from the Osaka gate. No idea if the ex Heathrow flights always arrive at the same gate, but even if they don’t, from what I could see I don’t think you’ll have more than 10 minutes walk between gates (but will leave for others to confirm that).
At Heathrow, the luggage will be checked through to the final destination.Thanks @meta
When you say separate tickets should be purchased, what do you mean? The UK to Finland leg should be booked separately from the Finland to Japan leg? Is that not a bit risky for missing the flight connection?
Thanks again.
There is takyubin (luggage delivery service). Tokyo-Osaka is about about £13 per piece to send.
But I agree if you’re at HND and have no desire to stay in Tokyo then it does not make sense to go to Shinagawa and then shinkasen.
Finnair flies direct to Osaka as does QR, so I’d actually choose that. Prices with Finnair haven’t changed at all, not sure what is everyone talking about. You just need to purchase separate tickets tickets (unlike BA and IB, Finnair interlines even on separate tickets).
It very much depends on your appetite for risk, personally I will book a same day short haul before a long haul only if there is a big gap, say 6 hours between flights and other flights available in case of first leg cancellation eg Capetown-Johannesburg-London, many folk suggest an overnight in between.
Thanks for the info. I would personally be happy to take the risk but not sure if my better half would agree, especially with the kids in tow!
We saved about £200 each by splitting tickets at HEL. We had a 3 hour connection. An alternative would have been a 27 hour stopover. The Hilton at HEL airport was £100 a night the day we passed through.
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