Tokyo (HND & NRT) Stopover Tips

[madrooster]

Your tips for spending 10 hours at HND (T3) during a day? I have a connection there (arrive in the morning, continue in the evening) with access to the JAL lounge but that gets old pretty quickly (though the Red Suite in the First Lounge is very cosy).
What else is there to do in the terminal? Any secret outdoors spaces one can visit to get some fresh air, any hidden little art somewhere, or other interesting spots?

There's really not much to do. The terminal isn't that big so plane spotting will only entertain you for so long, so otherwise you'll be spending it in the lounge.

 

[SYD]

When are you travelling?

It's not possible currently to enter Japan during a transit. We're all hoping though that this will change in the coming months.

Possibly by June? Believe when we see it?

Japan To Ease Border Measures In June

Japan plans to ease entry restrictions in June.

loyaltylobby.com

 

[tdimdad]

There's really not much to do. The terminal isn't that big so plane spotting will only entertain you for so long, so otherwise you'll be spending it in the lounge.

Thanks, @madrooster! That's what I was afraid of. Lucky I have good podcasts and audiobooks in store, and Netflix might also have something engaging. Plus gently nodding to all the security guards on the hallways of the terminal while measuring its length in steps - where was that gate 149 again? Or, perhaps I should finally succumb to all those funny cat videos on YouTube...

 

[drron]

The other half and I have an overnight stop in HND in Feb next year. 8pm arrival and 11.30am departure the next day.
It looks like the Royal Park Hotel is open for bookings but at the moment only as far forward as November.

I know few have probably visited in the last few years but is this normal to not be able to book this far out? Any tips, or room recommendations?

It is quite usual for Japan for bookings in the New Year to open quite late. Often you can book only 6 months out.

As to the Royal Park it really is a transit hotel. The rooms are quite small and you basically don't get to choose. The more times you stay the higher the floor you get. From the lobby you usually get the lift down to your floor.
At checkout you pay at a vending machine if they haven't charged you on arrival.
So we go out and spend time in the terminal. Used to be a pretty good selection of restaurants to eat at.

 

[newmarket]

Not very many places are open. I had 5 odd hours there in April and it was the lounge or the lounge. Half of the jal first lounge was closed too.

 

[tdimdad]

Not very many places are open. I had 5 odd hours there in April and it was the lounge or the lounge. Half of the jal first lounge was closed too.

OK, the 10 hours spent there in HND T3. It went surprisingly smoothly.

Only the right-hand side of the first lounge seems to be open continuously. The left side was open yesterday morning before JL6 to New York departed at midday. That pretty much emptied the lounge until late afternoon and the left side was closed from there on. Upstairs was closed all the way through.

Something I would have loved to have in the lounge was a place to lie down for a nap. But the armchairs in the Red Suite work OK for short naps. If you want horizontal, you need to go to the gates and sleep on the benches there (at least now, the area near gates 106-107 seemed pretty much unused and very quiet).

A fun fact: my sport watch recorded about 1.5 km when I did a return walk to the ends of the main terminal area. Given that the watch's GPS reception was nil, it's probably not accurate but rather illustrative. However, the distances shown on the map also support it (the terminal was open from gate 106 to the entrance of 140-149 wing). If you need to go for a walk, a lap or two will give you some distance.

A dietary caution: On my way out on a Saturday evening few weeks ago, only one eatery and one bar was open in the main terminal area. On the way back, this week on a weekday daytime, two eateries and the bar. If you lack lounge access and have dietary requirements, you'd do wisely to pack some snacks that carry you through the transit / wait time.

 

[scoobs214]

I see.

I had a ~15 hour layover in HND in 2020 and couldn't leave the airport, so mostly just stayed in the ANA lounge and did some laps of the terminal.

Paging @madrooster and @scoobs214 who might have some tips.

@Mattg - just saw your page now, apologies!