Japan Travel Powered by Points, Guided by Experience

For travelers who care as much about the journey as the redemption

Japan isn’t just a destination for us.

It’s a place we return to again and again - thoughtfully, deliberately, and with a system that makes it possible.

AllPointsToJapan brings together the strategy of points and miles with the cultural depth that makes Japan worth experiencing slowly.

Over more than a decade of travel, I developed a framework for booking award flights and hotels - making it possible to travel more often while preserving what makes each trip meaningful.

Our Complete Japan Travel Planning Framework

Latest From AllPointsToJapan

Articles
The JAL Award Calendar I Wish I’d Found Earlier: How I Search for 55k Business Class
The JAL Award Calendar I Wish I’d Found Earlier: How I Search for 55k Business Class

By searching an entire year and leaving the destination open, I found 55k Business Class awards from Boston to a city I never would have checked

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Points-Rich, Strategy-Poor: Why 300k Miles Can Still Get You Nowhere
Points-Rich, Strategy-Poor: Why 300k Miles Can Still Get You Nowhere

A friend’s enormous Capital One balance made me think about the difference between collecting points and actually knowing what to do with them

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Kimpton Shinjuku Review: A Surprisingly Good Place to Start a Tokyo Trip
Kimpton Shinjuku Review: A Surprisingly Good Place to Start a Tokyo Trip

Excellent food, warm hospitality, and just enough New York energy - the Kimpton Shinjuku turned out to be exactly what we needed at the start of our Japan trip

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Four Luxury Hotels in Tokyo - What They Taught Me About Choosing the Right One
Four Luxury Hotels in Tokyo - What They Taught Me About Choosing the Right One

Kimpton Shinjuku, Park Hyatt Tokyo, EDITION Ginza, and JW Marriott Tokyo - four luxury hotels, four very different experiences, and four very different reasons to stay

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JAL Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class: What I’d Actually Book
JAL Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class: What I’d Actually Book

Business Class is incredible. Premium Economy surprised me. And Economy? I’d happily fly it again

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The 3 Mileage Programs I Actually Use for Flights to Japan
The 3 Mileage Programs I Actually Use for Flights to Japan

Not sure which airline miles to collect? Here's how I choose between American, Alaska, and JAL

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Articles
JAL Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class: What I’d Actually Book
JAL Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class: What I’d Actually Book

Business Class is incredible. Premium Economy surprised me. And Economy? I’d happily fly it again

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How to Book Park Hyatt Kyoto With Points in 2026
How to Book Park Hyatt Kyoto With Points in 2026

Award nights are scarce, rates have changed, and the rules are different. Here's how I'd book Park Hyatt Kyoto in 2026

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9 Common Mistakes First-Time Japan Travelers Make
9 Common Mistakes First-Time Japan Travelers Make

Flights, hotels, points, pacing, and the lessons learned after years of traveling to Japan

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The Beginner Strategy We Use for Award Flights to Japan
The Beginner Strategy We Use for Award Flights to Japan

How annual trips to Japan became a reality - and how we stopped paying full price for flights

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The Credit Card Strategy That Keeps Us Traveling to Japan
The Credit Card Strategy That Keeps Us Traveling to Japan

Three types of points, one steady approach - the system that keeps us returning to Japan

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How to Plan Your Credit Card Applications for a Japan Trip (12-Month Roadmap)
How to Plan Your Credit Card Applications for a Japan Trip (12-Month Roadmap)

A coordinated, quarter-by-quarter strategy for couples who want to fund Japan with intention - not impulse

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Reader Favorite Trip Reports

Articles
Four Luxury Hotels in Tokyo - What They Taught Me About Choosing the Right One
Four Luxury Hotels in Tokyo - What They Taught Me About Choosing the Right One

Kimpton Shinjuku, Park Hyatt Tokyo, EDITION Ginza, and JW Marriott Tokyo - four luxury hotels, four very different experiences, and four very different reasons to stay

Read more →
14 Nights in Japan on Points: Final Thoughts, Mistakes, and Favorite Moments
14 Nights in Japan on Points: Final Thoughts, Mistakes, and Favorite Moments

This is Part 5 of 5 in our 14-night Japan trip on points

In this final part: Our biggest surprises, favorite experiences, and the travel lessons we’ll carry into every future Japan trip

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Ranked #3 Andaz Tokyo: The Legendary Sky Suite Upgrade We Never Expected
Ranked #3 Andaz Tokyo: The Legendary Sky Suite Upgrade We Never Expected

We booked a Deluxe Tokyo Tower view room. The Sky Suite waiting for us cost nearly $15,000 more per night - and it almost ruined future hotel stays

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Ranked #2 - The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto: The Hotel That Changed How We See Luxury in Japan
Ranked #2 - The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto: The Hotel That Changed How We See Luxury in Japan

It was our first luxury stay on points. Its genuine, consistent hospitality became the benchmark for every hotel that followed

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Ranked #1 - Park Hyatt Kyoto: The 2-Michelin-Star Breakfast We Still Think About
Ranked #1 - Park Hyatt Kyoto: The 2-Michelin-Star Breakfast We Still Think About

We thought we were booking a beautiful hotel in Kyoto. We didn’t expect a breakfast that would bring us back again and again

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What The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Means to Us
What The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto Means to Us

Set along Kyoto’s Kamo River, this was more than a hotel for us - it was the beginning of our honeymoon and a tradition we’ve returned to ever since

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