Japan's Largest Tour Operator Has Announced What May Be the Cheapest Air-and-Land Package Ever to Japan

Almost in the believe-it-or-not category is the $999 air-and-land package from New York to Osaka, Japan, just announced by KIE/Kintetsu International, the giant Japanese tour and travel agency company. Though somewhat lower prices have occasionally been announced from Los Angeles, this one is from New York on a non-stop flight aboard China Airlines, of all companies (one usually doesn't see such cooperation between Japan and China). For $999, apparently including all taxes and fees, avid travelers on the East Coast can fly non-stop and round-trip to Osaka (far removed from the area suffering from the recent nuclear meltdown elsewhere in Japan) and enjoy two nights of accommodations at a major hotel there (with the opportunity to extend the stay on their own for as long as they wish, anywhere in Japan).
 
The press release announcing this odd flight and odd package doesn't supply any further details or list of conditions, but suggests that persons interested in an unusual travel opportunity should either phone the New York office of KIE/Kintetsu at tel. 800/422-3481 or e-mail for more information to info@japanforyou.com. You might want to know that KIE/Kintetsu operates five branch offices in the USA staffed by more than 100 employees.
 
Osaka, incidentally, is only 34 miles from Kyoto, which can be reached from Osaka in an easy, half-hour train ride. It is a place of two and a half million people, the third largest and second most important city of Japan (a commercial capital), and has a dazzling, neon-lit downtown, several theaters, famous temples, art and history museums, and unique food theme park. And it is well-known for still another theme park operated by our own Universal Studios called Universal Studios Osaka. Many visitors combine their stay in Osaka with a visit to nearby Kyoto, and regard that two-city combination as offering an excellent introduction to Japan. In these days when many tourists steer clear of Tokyo (290 miles away), a flight to Osaka (and nearby Kyoto) takes on added appeal.