Here is a list of the air passes available to travellers who are residing outside Japan. Using such passes is much cheaper that buying regular domestic tickets, so if you are allowed to use them and plan to travel by plane inside Japan, you should definitively take one.
Also, some passes are only available to people who flight to and from Japan with specific airlines. Short abstract of the available passes:
| Name of the pass | Price per flight in yens | Minimum flight(s) | International flight with the following airlines | Blackout dates (when passes can not be used) |
| JAL "Oneworld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare" | 10'800 yens | 1 | a Oneworld carrier | 9/8 - 20/8 & 22/12 - 6/1 |
| JAL "Welcome to Japan Fare" | 13'900 yens | 2 | any |
16/12 - 9/1 & 10/3 - 31/3 |
| Star Alliance "Japan Airpass" | 11’550 yens | 1 | ANA / ANK / Star Alliance Partner | 23/12 - 9/1 |
| ANA "Visit Japan Fare" | 12'600 yens | 2 | any | 1/1 - 9/1, 10/3 - 31/3 & 14/7 - 31/8 |
JAL "Oneworld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare" Airpass
What is it?
Allows travelers to fly within Japan for 10’000 yens per sector (minimum one sector, maximum 5 sectors). 300 yens for insurancey and 5% for Japan domestic tax are added per sector; furthermore, some extra taxes from the travel agency emitting the tickets can apply. Available for use between the 42 cities nationwide served by JAL, JAL Express (JEX) and Japan TransOcean Air (JTA).
This is a new pass from April 2007, it was called before JAL “Yokoso JAPAN”.
Who is eligible?
Travelers must reside outside Japan, purchase the JAL "Oneworld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare" prior to travel, and flight to and from Japan with a Oneworld carrier.
Where and when to buy?
Travel agency or Japan Airlines agencies outside Japan. Pass can be bought 2 months before the first domestic sector. The first flight has to be booked immediately, and the following route has to be fixed (you can decide later of the date and time of the other internal flights, but you can not ask for rerouting).
Limitation?
Blackout period from 9 August 2007 to 20 August 2007, and from 22 December 2007 to 06 January 2008 (dates can change a little every year)
Link : http://www.jal.co.jp/yokosojapan
JAL "Welcome to Japan Fare"
What is it?
Allows travelers to fly within Japan for 13’200 yens per sector (minimum two sectors, maximum 5 sectors). 5% for Japan domestic tax is added per sector; furthermore, some extra taxes from the travel agency emitting the tickets can apply. Available for use between the 42 cities nationwide served by JAL, JAL Express (JEX) and Japan TransOcean Air (JTA).
Who is eligible?
Travelers must reside outside Japan and purchase the JAL "Welcome to Japan Fare" prior to travel. But they can use any airline to flight to and from Japan.
Where and when to buy?
Travel agency or Japan Airlines agencies outside Japan. Pass can be bought 2 months before the first domestic sector. The first flight has to be booked immediately, and the following route has to be fixed (you can decide later of the date and time of the other internal flights, but you can not ask for rerouting).
Limitation?
Blackout period from the 16th of December to the 9th of January, and the 10th to the 31th of Mars (dates can change a little every year)
Link : http://www.japanair.com/e/travelplan/yokoso_japan.php
Star Alliance "Japan Airpass"
What is it?
Allows travelers to fly within Japan for 11’550 yens per sector (minimum one sector, maximum 5 sectors), including the Japanese consumption tax. Some extra taxes from the travel agency emitting the tickets can apply. Available for use between 73 destinations served by ANA and Air Nippon.
Who is eligible?
Travelers must reside outside Japan, purchase the Star Alliance "Japan Airpass" prior to travel, and flight to and from Japan with ANA, ANK or a Star Alliance Partner.
Where and when to buy?
Travel agency or ANA agencies outside Japan. Pass can be bought 2 months before the first domestic sector. The first flight has to be booked immediately, and the following route has to be fixed (you can decide later of the date and time of the other internal flights, but you can not ask for rerouting).
Limitation?
Blackout period from the 1st to the 9th of January, the 10th to the 31st of Mars, and the 14th July to the 31st of August (dates can change a little every year)
Link : http://www.anaskyweb.com/us/e/travelservice/reservations/special/visit.html
ANA "Visit Japan Fare"
What is it?
Allows travelers to fly within Japan for 12’600 yens per sector (minimum two sectors, maximum 5 sectors), including the Japanese consumption tax. Some extra taxes from the travel agency emitting the tickets can apply. Available for use between 73 destinations served by ANA and Air Nippon.
Who is eligible?
Travelers must reside outside Japan and purchase the ANA "Visit Japan Fare" prior to travel. But they can use any airline to flight to and from Japan.
Where and when to buy?
Travel agency or ANA agencies outside Japan. Pass can be bought 2 months before the first domestic sector. The first flight has to be booked immediately, and the following route has to be fixed (you can decide later of the date and time of the other internal flights, but you can not ask for rerouting).
Limitation?
Blackout period from the 1st to the 9th of January, the 10th to the 31st of Mars, and the 14th July to the 31st of August (dates can change a little every year)
Link : http://www.anaskyweb.com/us/e/travelservice/reservations/special/visit.html
For more information on domestic flights, if you can not use the above-mentionned passes...
JAL
List of fares (in Japanese only) :
http://www.jal.co.jp/dom/rates
Flight Schedule (in English) :
http://www.jal.co.jp/en/
Reservation (in Japanese only) :
http://www.jal.co.jp
ANA
List of fares (in English) :
http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/dms/fare/index.html
Reservation (in English) :
http://www.ana.co.jp/eng
Air Do (for Hokkaido only)
List of fares & reservation (only in Japanese) :
http://www.airdo21.com
[updated 10/5/2007]
Calendar 
