Patrick Balfe

It’s safe to say that Japan is a pretty hot destination right now. The country enjoyed a record-breaking first quarter for inbound tourism, with a whopping 3.5 million foreign travellers recorded in March alone – makes sense since we think we saw at least 90 percent of those tourists across Tokyo’s sakura spots just a few weeks ago. To meet surging demand, driven in no small part by the Osaka Expo and expected to result in a total figure of 40.2 million visitors in 2025 – a 9-percent increase from last year – airlines are ramping up flight services between Japan and both the US and Europe. Japanese carriers ANA and JAL, along with Alaska Airlines and British Airways, are among those increasing their passenger offerings. Photo: Tango Tsuttie/UnsplashAn undated stock photo of a Japan Airlines flight JAL is making significant increases to its routes in North America and Asia. Additional services will include those between Tokyo Narita and Chicago O’Hare airports from late May. Last operated in March 2023, this route will complement the daily services already running between Chicago O’Hare and Haneda. Further west, JAL will increase its San Diego to Narita flights from four weekly to daily. Notably, JAL is also introducing two new Airbus A350-1000s, which will debut on the Haneda–Paris route in May and the Haneda–Los Angeles route in summer. Photo: Teddy Leung/DreamstimeStock photo of Haneda Airport Over at ANA, three new Haneda–Europe routes have been added since December. T