There is availability if you look, you just have to be really flexible, which has always been a core tenet of this game. Even with the fees that get charged for international award tickets, you still come out way ahead compared to paying out of pocket.

I was recently able to snag NRT-SFO-NRT in J for July for a summer trip. Not a fan of the schedule for HND and SFO, which is why I'm opting to go a little bit further away.