Winter brings Japan's best travel bargains, and this millennium year the bargains are better than ever.
This winter sees the long-awaited liberalization of the domestic aviation market. As of Feb. 1, airlines will be free to set fares as they wish. Government guidelines concerning fares and maximum allowable discounts are being lifted.
The first airline to announce new domestic fares is All Nippon Airways. ANA's big news is its "Super Discount Fares" of 10,000 yen. Under this plan, seats on any flight during certain travel periods that remain unsold two months prior to departure will be sold for a limited period at the 10,000 yen fare.