Tips for using Haneda Airport, introduction to shops and hotels, and how to get to central Tokyo

Haneda Airport is the hub airport of Tokyo Metropolis. You may travel Japan by a international flight arriving and departing from the Haneda airport. And you may travel around Japan using the Haneda airport. So, this section introduces facilities and domestic flights at Haneda Airport, provides tips on using the airport, and explains how to get to Ginza and other central Tokyo destinations from Haneda Airport.

Haneda Airport or Narita Airport?

Outline of Hanede Airport

Haneda Airport (official name: Tokyo International Airport) is Japan’s largest airport in the southwestern part of Tokyo. It is about 18 kilometers away from the city center of Tokyo. It is approximately 30-40 minutes by train or car from Haneda Airport to Tokyo Station.

Haneda Airport, together with Narita Airport (Chiba Prefecture), plays a role as a hub airport of Tokyo Metropolis. Up to now Narita Airport has developed as an airport where international flights arrive and depart. On the other hand, Haneda Airport has been fully operated as an airport where domestic flights arrive and depart. However, recently, Haneda airport has greatly expanded. A new International Terminal Building opened. In this way, Haneda Airport has begun to develop as a huge airport that not only domestic flights but also international flights arrive and depart.

There are three passenger terminal buildings at Haneda airport. One is a domestic line terminal building. The remaining two are domestic terminal buildings. These terminal buildings are connected by a free bus.

>> Click here for official website of Haneda Airport 

Haneda Airport is much closer and convenient

When you go to Tokyo, which one should you use Haneda Airport or Narita Airport?

If you have a flight to / from Haneda in your home country, I recommend you to use it.

Haneda airport is much closer to Tokyo central city than Narita airport. You can easily go to Tokyo station or Shinagawa station where Shinkansen departs.

Furthermore, if you travel by plane in Japan, Haneda Airport is more convenient for domestic flights than Narita Airport.

However, international flights to and from Haneda are few compared to Narita Airport. And it is slightly higher than Narita airport flights.

For Narita Airport, please refer to my article below.

International Terminal

Floor overview

Haneda Airport’s International Terminal (Terminal 3) is a relatively new facility that opened in 2010. This terminal is operated 24 hours a day, and many shops are open 24 hours. Free Wi-Fi (HANEDA-FREE-WIFI) can be used at the International Terminal.

Each floor of the International Terminal Building is as follows.

1F: Entrance Plaza

People coming to the airport by taxi or bus get off at here and enter the airport. There are taxi stands and bus stops on the first floor, but you can not go there directly from the first floor. Please go down each stair in accordance with the signboard from the arrival lobby on the second floor.

2F: Arrival Lobby

When you arrive in Japan you will come to this floor. On this floor there are tourist information center, currency exchange office, ATM, bus ticket counter, rent-a-car counter, pocket Wi-Fi rental shop, Bic camera (home appliance store selling SIM card), etc. If you get on the bus, please buy a ticket at the bus ticket counter or ticket vending machine first. after that, please proceed according to the sign board, go down the stairs and go to the bus stop.

There are also monorail and Keikyu Railway ticket office and ticket gate on this floor. Next to the monorail’s ticket gate, there is the JR EAST Travel Service Center. If you use the Japan Rail Pass, you can exchange your voucher for Japan Rail Pass at this center. Of course you can also get a JR ticket using the Japan Rail Pass here. The opening hours of the JR EAST Travel Service Center is 6: 45 – 18: 30.

If you transfer to a domestic flight at Haneda Airport, depending on the airline you can check in on this floor. For details, please ask the staff at the airline counter you use.

3F: Departure Lobby

When you leave Japan you will be required to check in on this floor. There is also a currency exchange office and ATM on this floor. The entrance to the hotel “The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda” which is attached to this building is also on this floor. Regarding the hotel, I will introduce it later on this page.

4F: EDO KO – JI

There are shops and restaurants. As seen in the photo above, there is a street with the theme of old Tokyo (Edo). There are souvenir shops, travel goods stores, Izakaya (Japanese style pub), ramen restaurant, cafe, convenience store and so on. There are many stores open 24 hours.

5F: TOKYO POP TOWN

The fourth floor has the theme of ancient Japan. On the contrary, the fifth floor has a theme of pop Japan. Hello Kitty and other character goods shops, miscellaneous goods store “Don Quijote”, planetarium cafe, relaxation salon and so on. If you stay in this building for a long time, I recommend you go to the planetarium here. Please click the map above to open the floor map on the 5th floor. When “Planetarium” is displayed, please press “details”.

Flights

The following airlines are operating scheduled flights. Flights are often changed, so please check the latest information when you actually board.

Domestic Terminal : terminal 1

Floor overview

There are two domestic terminal buildings at Haneda Airport. Both domestic terminals at Haneda Airport are open from 5:00 am to 11:30 pm. Free Wi-Fi (HANEDA-FREE-WIFI) can be used throughout the domestic terminals in the whole building.

In Terminal 1, you can board the flights of Japan Airlines (JAL), Sky Mark, Japan Trans Ocean Airlines, Star flyer.

Terminal 1 has North Wing and South Wing. From North Wing you can board JAL’s Hokkaido, Tohoku region, Chubu region, Kansai region flights. And you can also board Sky Mark flights.

From South Wing you can board the flights in JAL’s Chugoku region, Shikoku region, Kyushu-Okinawa region. And you can board Japan Trans Ocean Airlines and Star flyer flights.

>> Click here for official website of Haneda Airport 

Each floor of Domestic Terminal 1 is as follows. This building has a slightly smaller structure above the 3rd floor.

B1F

There are Keikyu Railway and Tokyo monorail stations.

1F: Arrival Lobby

If you travel by plane from other areas of Japan to Tokyo, you will come to this floor after arrival. Here are the following spots.

bus ticket counter / bus ticket vending machine / ATM / post office / clinic / dentist / lounge / hotel / shrine

The shrine was established to protect the safety of the sky. It’s very small. Regarding the hotel, I will explain it later in this page.

Outside of the terminal there is a free bus stop (for other terminals) bus stations and a taxi rank.

2F: Departure Lobby

On this floor, check-in counters on domestic flights line up. Besides this there are ATM, kids space, pet hotel counter and so on. Kids space is a place where children up to 3 years old can be played, it is surprisingly wide.  If the kids ride after playing here, they may sleep soundly in the airplane.

3F: Shops and Restourants

There are shops such as stationery, ladies’ clothes, men’s clothes, children’s clothing, jewelry, books and souvenirs. And there are restaurants, such as ramen, Japanese, Chinese, sushi and cafe.

4F: Shops and Restourants

There are small shops of Japanese department stores such as Wako, Takashimaya, Daimaru etc. There are also brooks brothers and book stores, Italian restaurants and cafes.

5F: Restourants

There are beer restaurant, soba and udon noodles restaurant, sushi restaurants and so on.

6F: Restourants and Observation Deck

Observation decks are popular with lovers and children. There are also shops selling snacks and drinks on the deck.

RF: Observation Deck

Go upstairs from the 6th floor, you will be able to enjoy even more stunning views.

Flights

North Wing

The following airlines are operating scheduled flights. Flights are often changed, so please check the latest information when you actually board.

South Wing

The following airlines are operating scheduled flights. Flights are often changed, so please check the latest information when you actually board.

Domestic Terminal : terminal 2

Floor overview

B1F

There are Keikyu Railway and Tokyo monorail stations.

1F: Arrival Lobby

If you travel by plane from other areas of Japan to Tokyo, you will come to this floor after arrival. Here are the following spots.

Bus ticket counter / bus ticket vending machine / ATM / public telephone / disaster prevention center

Outside of the terminal there are free bus stops (to other terminals), bus stops and taxi stands.

2F: Departure Lobby

On this floor, check-in counters on domestic flights line up. In addition to this there are ATM, kids space, hotel (Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu). Kids space is a place where children up to 3 years old can be played, it is surprisingly wide. They may sleep soundly in the airplane if the kids ride after playing here. Regarding the hotel, I will explain it later in this page.

3F: Shops and Restourants

On the 3rd floor there are shops such as souvenirs, stationery, ladies’ dresses, men’s clothes, children’s clothing, jewelry and watches. There are also restaurants such as Chinese, Japanese, Yakiniku, Tempura, Vietnamese, Turkish and Korean. Cafes and wine bars are also popular.

4F: Shops and Restourants

Restaurants such as Italian, Chinese, Sushi, Tonkatsu are on the 4th floor. There is also a lounge for credit card members.

5F: Restourants and Observation Deck

On the 5th floor there is an observation deck spreading. And there are several cafés with spectacular views. There are also Japanese restaurants such as Tempura and Izakaya (Japanese style bar).

Flights

The following airlines are operating scheduled flights. Flights are often changed, so please check the latest information when you actually board.

Where do you get Japan Rail Pass?

As I already explained on the top of this page, you can get a Japan Rail Pass at the JR EAST Travel Service Center on the 2nd floor of International Terminal. However, in the vacation season etc, tourists will rush into this center to get the Japan Rail Pass just like you. So, in order to get a Japan Rail Pass at this center, you may even have to line up for more than an hour. I think this is a waste of time. If the JR EAST Travel Service Center is crowded, you may want to get a Japan Rail Pass at JR station in the center of Tokyo.

Foreign tourists coming to Japan can purchase and use the Japan Rail Pass. If you have this Pass, you can basically ride on JR ‘s Shinkansen or Regular express etc without additional charge. Before you go to Japan you can purchase a voucher for Japan Rail Pass with a travel agency etc in your country. However, when you arrive in Japan, you need to exchange your voucher for Japan Rail Pass. For Japan Rail Pass, please refer to my article below.

>> Please see my article about Japan Rail Pass

>> Please see here for the exchange points of Japan Rail Pass

Haneda airport to Tokyo (1) Tokyo Monorail

Basically, I recommend you to use the Tokyo monorail when heading from Haneda Airport to the city center of Tokyo. There are monorail stations in both international and domestic terminals. This monorail departs approximately every four minutes. If you take a nonstop “Haneda Express” from Haneda Airport International Terminal Station, you will reach Hamamatsucho Station in 13 minutes. You can transfer to JR in Hamamatsucho. So you can go to JR Tokyo station in about 20 minutes and Shibuya station in about 30 minutes.

However, if you use a monorail, you have to change trains at Hamamatsucho station. If you go to Tokyo for the first time, in that case, I think that it is a good idea to take a direct bus to the station near your hotel.

>> Click here for the official site of Tokyo Monorail

Haneda airport to Tokyo (2) Keikyu (Keihin Kyuko Train)

At Haneda Airport, you can also use Keikyu Railway in addition to Tokyo Monorail. There are Keikyu stations in both international and domestic terminals. If Keikyu is convenient when going to your destination, you’d better use it.

However, when you take the Keikyu train, you need to check where the train is going. Keikyu ‘s train goes from Keikyu Kamata station to the city center of Tokyo, and may go to the opposite Yokohama. Please be careful.

>> The official website of Keikyu is here

Haneda airport to Tokyo (3) Buses

There are so many buses running between Haneda Airport and various main stations. Of course, these buses stop both at the International Terminal and at the Domestic Terminals.

If you go to Tokyo for the first time, or if you have big luggage, I recommend using these buses. You must first purchase a ticket at the bus ticket counter or bus ticket vending machine. Then go to the bus stop and line up. There are staff at the bus stops at Haneda Airport, so if you have something you do not understand, you should ask them.

Click on the map above, the bus page of Haneda Airport Official Site will be displayed. The same page will be displayed even if you click on the bottom.

>> Click here for the bus page of Haneda Airport Official Site

Haneda airport to Tokyo (4) Taxis

Taxi stands are outside of each terminal. The taxi fare is about 5,000 yen from Haneda Airport to Tokyo station area and about 7,000 yen to Shinjuku Station area. However, it will take even more if the road is congested.

Besides this, it costs around 1,000 yen for expressway fee. Taxi fare will be over 1,000 yen higher than usual at midnight and early morning.

The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda (International Terminal)

If you return from Haneda Airport early in the morning, I recommend you to stay at The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda at International Terminal. The entrance to this hotel is on the 3rd floor (departure lobby) side. Click on the image above, the official website of The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda is displayed on a separate page.

The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda is a four-star grade. I have stayed many times. Guest room is a little narrow. However, this hotel is located in front of the departure lobby. When departing early in the morning, there is no such convenient hotel. On the eve of departure, please enjoy the last night by using shops, restaurants and pubs at international terminals!

Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu (Domestic Terminal 2)

If you use domestic flights early in the morning from Haneda Airport, you may stay at Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu in Domestic Terminal 2. The entrance to this hotel is on the 2nd floor (departure lobby) side of Terminal 2. Click on the image above, the official website of Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu is displayed on a separate page.

Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu is also about a 4 star grade. I have stayed a lot. Guest room is a little narrow. However, this hotel is also located in front of the domestic departure lobby. When departing early in the morning, it is the most convenient hotel. If you use a flight departing from Terminal 1, please go to Terminal 1 by a free bus.

First Cabin Haneda Terminal 1

First Cabin Haneda Terminal 1 is in the side of Domestic Terminal 1. It is a capsule type hotel. The room is wider than the capsule hotels in the center of Tokyo and there is a sense of quality. However, as with other capsule hotels, there is no lock on the room. Guests can use the public bath. Click on the image above, the official website of First Cabin will be displayed on a separate page.

The hotel can also be used for about 1,000 yen per hour during the day. I have used it several times. It is fun because it is different from ordinary hotel. If you have not stayed at a Japanese capsule hotel yet, please try it!

 

Thank you for reading to the end.
 

Now, let’s plan to make your vacation in Japan the best experience ever!

 

 

Back to "Transportation"