If you want to visit Tibet from Japan, then you could take the flight from the Narita Airport of Tokyo to either China or Nepal. After arriving in China, you can choose to fly to Lhasa from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, etc., or take one of the trains from the seven gateway cities of China. And it takes from 22 to 53 hours to get to Tibet by train. If you are departing from Kathmandu, you can choose to travel to Lhasa by plane passing through the Himalayas. You can also start your journey on the Sino-Tibet border and travel to the capital of Tibet through the land route.
There are frequent flights from Japan to China which are from Narita International Airport and Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Osaka International Airport, Central Japan International Airport in Nagoya, and Fukuoka International Airport. The flights from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka are direct to China. The prices of the flights are different, you could compare the prices on the websites to find the best deal. And the flight times are listed below:
a. Tokyo to Beijing: non-stop - 3 hours 45 minutes, one-stop – up to 22 hours 45 minutes (MNL, ICN, GMP)
b. Tokyo to Shanghai: non-stop - 3 hours 15 minutes, one-stop – up to 14 hours 15 minutes (MNL, ICN, GMP)
c. Tokyo to Guangzhou: non-stop - 4 hours 45 minutes, one-stop – up to 24 hours 25 minutes (HKG, MNL, DMK)
d. Tokyo to Chengdu: non-stop - 4 hours 50 minutes, one-stop – up to 22 hours 15 minutes (DMK, PEK, SHA)
e. Tokyo to Hong Kong: non-stop - 4 hours 35 minutes, one-stop – up to 19 hours 20 minutes (KIX, HIJ, TAE)
For Japanese citizen, a China visa is not needed, but they sitll need to apply for Tibet Travel Permits in advance. Upon your arrival in China, your Tibet Travel Permit will be sent by express delivery to your hotel you plan to stay. The Tibet Travel Permit is essential for your trip to Tibet because it is required when travelling to Tibet by flight or train and it’s also used for hotel registration and checkpoints throughout Tibet. If there are some special circumstances, our staff will send it to you in person at the airport or railway station.
By flight
Currently, there is only one direct flight per day to Lhasa from Beijing while there are a larger number of indirect flights that make a stopover in Chengdu on the route to Lhasa. It takes around 5 hours for the direct flight to get to Gonggar International Airport of Lhasa, and the price of an economy ticket is around US$ 500.
By train
The train Z21 from Beijing to Lhasa leaves at around 8:00pm every day and arrives in Lhasa at 12:10pm on the third day after around 40 hours. The journey covers 3,757 kilometers across eight provinces in mainland China including Tibet. However, it is difficult to buy train tickets from Beijing to Lhasa due to the high demand in the summer months from May to September. To solve this problem, you can choose to take a plane to Xining in Qinghai province, and then take the train there to Lhasa, because there are more carriages on the train in Xining, and it is more easy to buy tickets.
By flight
There are several flights from Shanghai to Lhasa even though there is no direct flight to Lhasa at present. Tourists have to stop at some cities during the flight, such as Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, or Kunming. And it takes around 8 hours to as much as 26 hours for the flights. As for the price, the cheaper price for the flights is around US$ 455.
By train
The train Z164 leaves Shanghai at 8:10pm every day and arrives in Lhasa at around 7:15 in the evening of the third day after 47 hours. And the journey covers around 4,373 kilometers which is the second longest of all among the routes to Lhasa.
By flight
Guangzhou is similar to Shanghai where there are no direct flights to Lhasa while there are a number of indirect flights, with stopovers in Chongqing and Chengdu. The average flight takes from 5 hours 55 minutes to 10 hours 30 minutes, and the ticket of the flight costs around US$ 455.
By train
The train from Guangzhou departs at 11:45am every day and arrives in the capital of Tibet at 5:05pm on the third day, which takes more than 53 hours to get to Tibet and covers almost 5,000 kilometers, making it the longest of all the train journeys to Lhasa.
By flight
It is convenient for tourists to go to Lhasa from Chengdu because of the convenient transportation. There are a number of direct flights to Lhasa which take around 2 hours 15 minutes on average. As there are more than 15 flights a day from Chengdu to Lhasa, Chengdu is considered as one of the best airports from which to fly to Tibet with the short travel time. It is one of the best options for those whose time is limited to fly from Chengdu to Lhasa. Apart from the large number of the flights, the price is also relatively inexpensive, For example, an economy flight only costs around US$ 233.
By train
The trains from Chengdu depart every other day at around 9:37pm, and arrive in Lhasa on the third day at around 9:55am after over 36 hours covering a distance of 3,070 kilometers across mainland China and Tibet. The trains from Chengdu are scheduled on odd days of the month (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc) in January, April, May, August, November, and December, and even days of the month for the rest of the year. Chengdu is regarded as one of the popular gateway cities to travel to Tibet.
Since there is no direct flight to from Hong Kong to Lhasa, you need to make a plan before the trip to Lhasa. First, one of the most popular ways is to take a flight to Chengdu where you can transfer to Lhasa by plane or by train. Secondly, you can get the train from Kowloon Station in Hong Kong SAR to Guangzhou directly and take the train to Tibet from Guangzhou, which covers almost 5,000 kilometers. And it must be an amazing journey.
There are no direct flights from Japan to the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal, which require at least one stopover during the journey. The indirect flights to Nepal from Japan take 10 hours to14 hours, with stopovers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Kuala Lumpur. In some certain circumstance, there is a need to change the airport, which increases the flight time greatly. However, these indirect flights are relatively cheap, with economy flights starting at about $240.
There are daily flights from the Tribhuvan International Airport of Kathmandu to Lhasa which are provided by Air China, Sichuan Airlines, and Tibet Airlines. The flight takes around 90 minutes, and costs around US$ 400 depending on the season. One of the advantages of the flight from Kathmandu is that it crosses the Himalayas and gives passengers a chance to enjoy the great view of Mount Everest.
As is known to many people, the overland tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa is considered as the most amazing journey in Asia. And it is also an adventure with epic experience to travel overland from Kathmandu to Lhasa. The route crosses the mighty Himalayas and arrives at Gyirong port which is the international land border between Nepal and China. Once upon your arrival, our guide and driver will be there waiting for you and take you to a town near Gyirong at the first night.
After that, your journey across Tibet begins which is from Mount Everest in the west of the region to Shigatse, and Lake Yamdrok when you move in the east direction. And you will finally reach Lhasa in the last few days of your tour. Lhasa is the capital of Tibet as well as the religious and cultural center which is a good place to experience the life of Tibet. Besides, you could also visit the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street before heading to the airport or railway station for your flight or train onwards.
An unforgettable journey to Tibet is waiting for you! Feel free to contact us and let us know your requirements, we will do most of the work for you, including booking hotels, train tickets, etc. if you need. What you need to do is just enjoying your holiday at the Roof of the World.
For most Japanese tourists, a Mount Kailash tour is not only a sightseeing or trekking tour, but also a researching trip. Japanese tourists are keen to learn about China and Tibet. Although not so many of them are Buddhist, they are very interested in the history and culture of Buddhism.
The Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are very popular tourist attractions in Tibet. For most tourists from Japan, April, May, June, September and October are the best five months for attending a Kailash Manasarovar tour. During this time, you could enjoy the continuous good weather and comfortable climates, and admire the most beautiful sceneries. Beside Mount Kailash, these five months are also the best time to see sunrise in the Mount Everest Base Camp.
If Japanese tourists don’t have time to visit the Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar during these five months, July and August can be their second options. Although these two months are rainy season, the temperature is good for taking a tour and the sceneries are beautiful.
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