For travelers who find themselves in Japan this summer—say, for the Tokyo Olympics that run from July 24th through August 9th—Japan Airlines just announced that it is giving away 50,000 free round-trip tickets from the cities of Tokyo and Osaka to four mystery destinations. The catch: You don’t get to pick where you’re going.
The contest is being held on conjunction with Your Japan 2020, a project that aims to promote affordable travel throughout Japan during the Games. After all, some 600,000 people are expected to visit Tokyo alone this summer. This campaign is hoping to showcase lesser-visited parts of the country.
The trips will be good for travel between July 1st and September 30th, meaning lucky winners will be able to do some traveling before the Olympics kick off or tack time onto a trip after watching some of the events. Or: You could skip the Olympics altogether and—as long as you get yourself to Tokyo or Osaka—take advantage of free airfare to a part of the country you may have otherwise skipped.
The campaign is set to launch in late February (the exact date is TBD), at which time interested travelers can apply via the airline’s website.
While we’re sure you’d like to know where exactly these free tickets could take you if you win, when asked to confirm the four destinations, a Japan Airlines media representative told AFAR that “the destination cities will be available upon application.” Here’s hoping they include cities such as underrated Fukuoka, home to sacred shrines and awe-inspiring architecture, or the Alps in Nagano.
When you apply, either by yourself or as a group of up to four people, you’ll be shown a list of four possible destinations within Japan that you could potentially jet off to (again: you don’t get to choose the destination). You’ll be able to select potential departure and arrival time slots that work for your trip. Then, within three days of applying, you’ll be notified if you were chosen as well where you’ll be traveling.
In order to apply, you have to reside outside of Japan, have a passport issued by a country other than Japan, and be a member of Japan Airlines’ loyalty program Mileage Bank (you can sign up for that here).
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