Japan Airlines Awards are now bookable with Alaska Mileage Plan miles, and there are some nice savings, especially on intra-Asia flights. This is great news–I love JAL First Class and JAL Sky Suite Business Class for their great memory foam-like mattress pads, that are similar in comfort to those used in Singapore Suites. In my view, all other airline first class and business class beds that I've experienced to date are inferior, by comparison (see Best First Class Airline Beds).
And while I can't say I was so taken with the food in JAL Business Class, I thought the food in JAL First Class was excellent, both the Japanese and Western dishes that I tried.
Here are the award rates between the continental U.S. and Asia / Southeast Asia:
JAL Award Chart Using Alaska Airlines Miles, U.S. to Asia
Note that Southeast Asia is defined as including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, and Cambodia.
How Does Alaska's Award Chart for JAL Compare to AAdvantage?
JAL Business Class from the U.S. to Tokyo is 60,000 miles each way, using both AAdvantage miles and Alaska, while JAL First Class requires 10,000 fewer miles: 70,000 miles with Alaska MileagePlan, vs. 80,000 miles with AAdvantage. Meanwhile, JAL Business Class to Southeast Asia is 65K miles with Alaska vs.70K miles with AAdvantage, and JAL First Class represents real savings: 75K miles with Alaska, vs. 110K miles with AAdvantage.
But the real gem is that Alaska allows stopovers even on one way awards, so you can enjoy a stopover in Japan en route to another destination in Asia, or on your way back; AAdvantage of course does not permit stopovers, and any stopover will break your award into two awards, costing more miles.
JAL Award Chart Using Alaska Airlines Miles, U.S. to Asia
Some other great news is that Alaska has also published an award chart for intra-Asia travel on JAL, and this can be a great deal, especially if you find availability in JAL Business Class.
Here's an example of a JAL Business Class award from Bangkok to Tokyo, with a Tokyo stopover, then continuing on to New Delhi, for just 25,000 Alaska miles.
Where to Go in Japan During a Stopover?
If this will be your first time to Japan and you have 3 days / 2 nights or fewer, I'd stay in Tokyo. Luxury lovers will want to treat themselves to one of the fantastic Tokyo luxury hotels: Aman Tokyo, Four Seasons Tokyo, The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, The Peninsula Tokyo, for example.
With 4-5 days, add Kyoto, which is just 2.5 hours or even less from Tokyo with the fastest shinkansen (bullet train). Be sure to book your Kyoto hotel (I recommend Four Seasons Kyoto, Ritz-Carlton Kyoto and Hyatt Regency Kyoto) early for peak cherry blossom season and also the other popular spring and autumn months, since Kyoto has few luxury hotel rooms compared to international and domestic demand.
I also have suggestions for additional destinations and unique experiences for longer stays in Japan–TravelSort Clients that are having me plan a trip for them can contact me for recommendations.
Do you plan to book JAL Awards with Alaska Mileage Plan Miles?
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Top 4 First Class Awards to Tokyo and Best Tokyo Luxury Hotels
HT: Reddit
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