Haneda Airport and How to Get There

Edit 9 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Edit 24 March 2020: Updated to reflect the International Terminal's renaming to Terminal 3.

The departure lobby of Haneda Airport's Terminal 3, formerly the International Terminal.
Taken on Monday, 21 May 2018.

Haneda Airport (羽田空港, Haneda Kūkō, IATA code: HND), officially known as Tokyo International Airport (東京国際空港, Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō), is one of two major airports serving the Tokyo metropolis, the other being Narita Airport to the east.  Originally serving both domestic and international flights, Haneda started serving domestic destinations only when Narita was opened in 1978.  This focus changed once again in 2010, when a new international terminal was opened at Haneda, and some overseas flights returned to the airport.  This includes the new Tokyo-New York route which brought me into Japan for my new voyage this past May.

Compared to Narita, Haneda is far closer to central Tokyo.  Located in the Ota ward of Tokyo city, it is 15km (9 miles) south of Tokyo Station.  Because of the shorter travel times, there are no limited-express services from Haneda.  Rather, there are two local train services, the Tokyo Monorail and the Keikyu line, both of which end at different stops on the JR Yamanote line within 15 to 25 minutes.

Times and prices are calculated between Haneda Airport Terminal 2 and Hamamatsucho (Tokyo Monorail) or Shinagawa (Keikyu) stations, unless otherwise specified. Subtract 5 minutes if leaving from / stopping at Terminal 3 Station.

Tokyo Monorail

A Tokyo Monorail 10000-series train approaching Ryutsu Centre Station.
By Nyohoho [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

The first of these trains I wish to cover is the Tokyo Monorail (東京モノレール, Tōkyō Monorēru) (MO), which opened in 1964 for the first Olympics in Tokyo.  Among its twelve stations, there is one stop for each of the three terminals.  On the other end, it terminates at Hamamatsucho Station, allowing for transfers to the JR Yamanote (JY) line.  In addition, Hamamatsucho is also adjacent to Daimon Station, serving the Toei Asakusa (A) and Oedo (E) subway lines.  There are three types of service on the Monrail: local trains take 26 minutes end-to-end, rapid trains take 21 minutes, and the Haneda Express takes 19 minutes, stopping only at each of the terminals and at Hamamatsucho Station.  All services cost ¥500 between the terminals and Hamamatsucho.  Despite not being fully owned by Japan Railways, the Monorail is nonetheless free to use with the Japan Rail Pass and JR East area passes.  On Monorail cars, there are multiple open compartments for passengers to leave their luggage.

Num.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Local	Rapid	Haneda Express
MO01	Monorail Hamamatsucho	モノレール浜松町	X	X	X
MO02	Tennozu Isle	天王洲アイル	X	X	I
MO03	Oi Keibajo-mae	大井競馬場前	X	X	I
MO04	Ryutsu Centre	流通センター	X	X	I
MO05	Showajima	昭和島	X	I	I
MO06	Seibijo	整備場	X	I	I
MO07	Tenkubashi	天空橋	X	I	I
MO08	Haneda Airport Terminal 3	羽田空港第３ターミナル	X	X	X
MO09	Shin-Seibijo	新整備場	X	I	I
MO10	Haneda Airport Terminal 1	羽田空港第1ターミナル	X	X	X
MO11	Haneda Airport Terminal 2	羽田空港第2ターミナル	X	X	X

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Keikyu Lines

A Keikyu 1000-series "Airport Express" train approaching Heiwajima Station.
By E56-129 (七之輔) (Own works / 投稿者自身による撮影) [GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The other railway serving Haneda Airport is the Keikyu (京急, Keikyū) network, short for "Keihin Kyūkō" (京浜急行, lit. 'Tokyo-Yokohama Express').  Their Airport Line connects to their Main Line (KK), providing through-services to Shinagawa Station and the Toei Asakusa (A) subway.  Shinagawa is also a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen, the JR Yamanote Line, and others.  On the airport side, Keikyu has one station for Terminals 1 and 2, and another for Terminal 3.  Of all the through-services available, Airport Express (エアポート急行, Eapōto Kyūkō) trains take 23 minutes from the domestic terminals to Shinagawa, limited-express trains take 17 minutes, and Airport Limited Express (エアポート快特, Eapōto Kaitoku) trains take 15 minutes; all cost ¥300.  Unlike on the Tokyo Monorail, this is a regular commuter line, so cars do not have dedicated spaces for luggage storage.

Num.	Name (English)	Name (Japanese)	Airport Express	Limited Express	Airport Ltd. Exp.
Through service to Toei Asakusa (A) line
A07	Sengakuji	泉岳寺	X	X	X
KK01	Shinagawa	品川	X	X	X
KK02	Kitashinagawa	北品川	I	I	I
KK03	Shinbanba	新馬場	I	I	I
KK04	Aomono-Yokocho	青物横丁	X	I	I
KK05	Samezu	鮫洲	I	I	I
KK06	Tachiaigawa	立会川	X	I	I
KK07	Omorikaigan	大森海岸	I	I	I
KK08	Heiwajima	平和島	X	I	I
KK09	Omorimachi	大森町	I	I	I
KK10	Umeyashiki	梅屋敷	I	I	I
KK11	Keikyu-Kamata	京急蒲田	X	X	I
KK12	Kojiya	糀谷	X	I	I
KK13	Otorii	大鳥居	X	I	I
KK14	Anamori-Inari	穴守稲荷	X	I	I
KK15	Tenkubashi	天空橋	X	I	I
KK16	Haneda Airport Terminal 3	羽田空港第3ターミナル	X	X	X
KK17	Haneda Airport Terminal 1-2	羽田空港第1・第2ターミナル	X	X	X

Website: (English) (Japanese)

Buses
Because the train options are somewhat limited in what places they serve, the various bus services may be attractive for those seeking a more direct route to/from their hotel or other destination.  Operators include Tokyo Airport Limousine, which also serves Narita Airport, and Keikyu's "Haneda Airport Limousine" brand.  Outgoing buses depart first from the Terminal 3, followed by Terminals 1 and 2, and vice-versa for incoming buses.  (Subtract 10 minutes from the times listed if leaving from Terminal 1, and 15 minutes from Terminal 2.)  Below are some sample routes for both Airport Limousine and Keikyu buses:

• T-CAT: 45 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥840
• Tokyo Disney Resort*: 40 minutes, every 10-15 minutes, ¥850
• Yokohama*: 50 minutes, every 10 minutes, ¥590
• Tokyo Station: 55 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥950
• Ikebukuro Station: 55 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥1,250
• Shinjuku Station Bus Terminal: 60 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥1,250
• Tokyo Skytree: 60 minutes, 1 per hour, ¥940
• Shibuya: 60 minutes, 1-2 per hour, ¥1,050
• Narita Airport: 90-100 minutes, 1-3 per hour, ¥3,200
• Hakone (Togendai): 2 hours 45 minutes, 5 per day, ¥2,300
• Kawaguchiko/Fuji-san Stations: 2 hours 50 minutes, 6 per day, ¥2,520

* Most marked buses skip Terminal 3.

Websites
Airport Limousine: (English) (Japanese)
Keikyu Airport Limousine: (English) (Japanese)

Taxis
While not quite as prohibitively expensive as from Narita, taking a taxi from Haneda Airport directly into Tokyo still costs a pretty penny ("pretty yen"?).  Expect to pay anywhere between ¥5,000 and ¥10,000, depending on your destination.  A surcharge of 20% is applied between the hours of 10 PM and 5 AM.

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So now you’ve decided your mode of transportation for leaving Haneda Airport. The question now is, how do you actually get to that mode of transportation?   If you are arriving at Terminal 3, the arrival lobby will be on the second floor.  After going through customs, the Tokyo Monorail gates will be ahead on your left, the Keikyu gates across that to the right, and the bus platforms beyond both.  There will be a JR East Travel Center beside each of the Monorail gates. Use the Travel Center if you need to exchange a voucher for a pre-purchased pass, such as the Japan Rail Pass; otherwise, the ticket windows will suffice.  For those riding to the airport, both lines will put you out at the departure lobby, on the third floor.

In both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, the arrival lobby is on the first floor. If you are departing by bus, the bus stops are right outside at street level. The train platforms, on the other hand, lie on the basement floor, so find a set of stairs or escalators and go downwards. On floor B1, you will find the Monorail and Keisei gates.  You cannot pick up a JR pass at terminals 1 and 2; only from Terminal 3.

If you are taking the Tokyo Monorail to or from Hamamatsucho, it is easier to go through the World Trade Centre building as opposed to JR's Hamamatsucho station, which is poorly-equipped for passengers with luggage.  As for Keikyu services, they primarily end at Shinagawa Station. It is relatively straightforward to navigate.  The gates for the Keikyu lines are on the western end of the concourse, near the Takanawa exit, opposite from the JR lines on the east side.  If leaving from Shinagawa, remember to check your train's terminal stop to make sure you're going down the right line; it should say Haneda Airport (羽田空港).

One last thing: you can also pick up your JR Pass at Tokyo and Shinagawa stations, among others, so if you don’t want to wait at the airport for longer, you can do so afterwards. A full list of exchange locations is available here: (English)

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Edit 24 March 2020: In March 2020, further upgrades have been made to the airport and its schedules.  The International Terminal was renamed to "Terminal 3", with some international flights by All Nippon Airlines being handled at Terminal 2.  Because of this, and the approval of a new air route for planes to arrive and take off along, Haneda Airport has expanded its selection of international flights, some of them having moved from Narita Airport.  The following flights will be added in the coming months as part of this expansion:

Airline	Country	Alliance	Airports
All Nippon Airways (ANA)	Japan	Star Alliance	Delhi*, Ho Chi Minh City, Houston*, Istanbul, Milan, Moscow-Domodedovo, Qingdao, San Francisco, San Jose*, Seattle/Tacoma*, Stockholm, Washington-Dulles*
Japan Airlines		Oneworld	Chicago-O'Hare*, Dalian*, Dallas/Fort Worth*, Delhi*, Helsinki*, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Sydney*
Qantas	Australia	Oneworld	Melbourne*
Virgin Australia		N/A	Brisbane
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)	Denmark/ Norway/ Sweden	Star Alliance	Copenhagen*
China Eastern Airlines	China	Skyteam	Beijing-Daxing
China Southern Airlines		N/A	Beijing-Daxing
Alitalia	Italy	Skyteam	Rome-Fiumicino
Finnair	Finland	Oneworld	Helsinki
Aeroflot	Russia	Skyteam	Moscow-Sheremetyevo*
S7 Airlines		Oneworld	Vladivostok
American Airlines	United States	Oneworld	Dallas/Fort Worth
Delta Air Lines		Oneworld	Atlanta*, Detroit*, Honolulu*, Portland*, Seattle/Tacoma*
United Airlines		Oneworld	Chicago-O'Hare*, Los Angeles, Newark, Washington-Dulles*

*Marked flights have been moved from Narita Airport.

Japan Airlines and Premium Economy

If you've been following this blog, you may have noticed that I've run out of experiences to write about recently.  Well that drought is about to end, because I just came back from another holiday to Japan!  This time around I planned my itinerary with more of a focus toward central Japan, staying in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Toyama, the latter city situated north on the Sea of Japan.  And to mix it up, I invited my grandmother to come along as well.  She was the one who accompanied me on my first visit to Japan eight years ago, so I thought I would return the favour this time around.

In all my previous experiences of flying to and from Japan, I had used United Airlines' (and Continental, before they merged) direct flights between Newark and Narita airports.  Not being able to reasonably afford Business class or Polaris or whatever they're calling it, I eventually started using their Premium Economy section, which it turns out is nothing more than a regular coach seat with a few extra inches of leg space.  However, this time around, I wanted a change.  There is a recent trend of airlines offering "premium economy" seats which are actually upgraded in various ways to provide a middle ground between coach and business classes.  United has not yet embraced this trend (although they plan to introduce this over the next few years, as "United Premium Plus"; more information: (English)), but one airline that has is Japan Airlines.

From where I live, the closest airport that JAL flies to directly is New York's JFK Airport, and that was a whole new can of worms to open, let me tell you.  We hired a personal driver to take us there, which was nice but expensive.  We had nice traffic conditions going to the airport for departure, but returning was another story.  Our driver hit two major traffic jams heading up, leaving us at the airport for two hours after landing.  But enough about that.  Our Premium Economy tickets came with free use of JAL's airport lounges (at JFK, they share a lounge with Air France).  Having never experienced one of these before, that was a pleasant surprise!  The lounges offered a selection of light food, drinks and Wi-Fi, all free with admission.  There were shower rooms in addition to the restrooms, and in the case of Haneda, free lockers for safeguarding your carry-ons when you go out into the terminal for shopping or other tasks.

Now for the actual flight experience.  Our flight had four classes.  First Class and Business Class both offered individually-walled suites with lie-flat seats.  Seats in the basic Economy section, meanwhile, have improved length and width compared to other airlines, with a seat pitch of 84cm / 33 in, and widths of 46cm / 18.5 in.  But that's not what I came for.  That would be the Premium Economy section, as shown above.  Premium Economy seats on Japan Airlines are similar to the Green Car class on JR trains, in terms of seat size and amenities.  They're arranged 2+4+2 across, as opposed to 3+3+3 in coach.  Seat pitch is 107cm / 42 in, and width is 48cm / 18.9 in.  The seats recline, not all the way flat, but considerably more so than normal seats.  They do this by sliding forward instead of leaning back, so as not to disturb the person sitting behind you.  In addition, there are leg rests you can pop up from the front of your seat, and footrests you can pull down from the seat in front.

In all sections, every seat had its own personal entertainment console, controlled by a touch screen and a separate remote.  The selection of movies, mostly dominated by American and Japanese films, was reasonably up-to-date, with offerings on my flight including Black Panther, Justice League, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  One curiosity which struck me was that a lot of the movies were subtitled, usually in Japanese and occasionally in other languages like Chinese or Indonesian.  After all, this is an airline based in Japan, so it's fair to assume their first interest is passengers from that home country.  You can't change that, but you can choose which of the language voice-tracks you'd like to listen to.  Besides, it was fun to read Japanese subtitles along with the English dialogue, in case I might pick up on any of the former.  Passengers can also purchase use of Wi-Fi internet services, ranging from US$10 for one hour to $19 for the whole flight.  As surprised as I was by the relatively reasonable price, I did not need it, so I can't vouch for or against the speed or reliability of this service.  Other useful additions include power outlets, USB ports, and specialised drink-bottle compartments for each seat.

The Economy and Premium meals, of which there were two and a half on our flights, tend towards casual dishes that are popular in Japan.  Of the choices that were offered, I went with the pork-cutlet curry (shown above) on my first flight, and fried chicken and eggs on rice for the second.  As someone who generally does not bother with airline food (as I admit to being a picky eater ^^;), I actually found these to be quite delicious!  One touch I especially appreciated was that the different dishes (main course, salads, dessert, etc.) were presented in individual containers, a standard practise of traditional Japanese cuisine.

For the second in-flight meal, JAL likes to collaborate with various Japanese restaurant brands.  On previous occasions, for example, they have worked with Mos Burger to bring hamburgers to passengers.  This time around, we got chicken-soba noodles, courtesy of the Michelin-starred noodle restaurant Tsuta.  Unlike regular soba noodles, these were not made using buckwheat flour; in fact, I would say these were closer to ramen in that regard.  The soy sauce and the other toppings, including chicken and menma (bamboo slices), were all kept in separate compartments, so you could mix in just whatever you like.  I also found these to my liking, although with how oily the sauce made them, I was afraid I might get sick from eating too much of them. ^^;

The flight from New York to Tokyo lasted 14 hours, while the one going the other way lasted under 13 hours.  I did not manage much sleep; only a single our on the flight back, and boy did that leave me conked out!  But for such a long flight, I was pleased with the service.  The flight attendants walked by every so often to offer various drinks; usually coffee, but also green tea or JAL's self-made kiwi soft drink.  All in all, they came across as very nice, welcoming, and professional.  In fact, I don't think I'd ever wish to use United to fly to Japan ever again... although we'll see how their Premium Plus thing works out.  In the meantime, I'll help you navigate to and from my new port of call, Haneda Airport, next time on Sekai Ichi!