Japan > Tokyo > Haneda

11 December 2011

First, an intro to Haneda Airport aka Tokyo International Airport, thanks to qwiki.com.

View Haneda Airport and over 3,000,000 other topics on Qwiki.

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport HND) is a huge pleasure to use. In my opinion, the best way to access it is via Tokyo Monorail operated by JR, hence a JR Pass is valid here.

It starts at HND Terminal 2, stops at Terminal 1 and International Terminal before connecting to the Yamanote Line (Green), also owned by JR. Good deal for JR Pass holders.

Platform at International Terminal.

Spacious interior, for all the baggage.

This is Terminal 1 — with two wings, where the centre is the commercial area, designated ‘Market Place’.

Go up and you come to this concourse.

South Wing of T1, mainly used by JAL domestic operations.

In particular, JAL domestic flights going south.

Another view of South Wing — a cavernous long hall.

The North Wing is a replica of the South Wing, also used by JAL domestic, and Skymark Airlines.

Continuing with the monorail, I leave Terminal 1 for a ride to Terminal 2, its end-station. This is the beautiful home of ANA domestic operations. From the monorail station, up a long escalator to the check-in floor.

Atop the escalator, their flagship plane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Turn left into North Wing.

Huge posters of their Dreamliner.

Flight Information Display with more details than normal.

More Dreamliner pictures.

The ‘Market Place’ at the centre of the long terminal.

Christmas decorations at the concourse of Market Place.

Huge banner hung above the Christmas tree, looks cool but not sure what it is about.

This is the South Wing of T2.

FID, and Air Do is Hokkaido International Airlines. Qatar and Thai codesharing with whom?

Check-in area of South Wing, T2.

Heading back to the Market Place.

Down the escalator, two floors to get back to the monorail station.

The monorail terminal at HND International Terminal, and go past those ticket machines …

… you are right inside the departure hall. Very convenient.

Go one floor up and get a nice view of the check-in area.

The roof is amazing — no support in the middle, no pillars, and it feels like being in a huge tent.

And of course this is the ‘Market Place’, the common theme in all three terminals at HND.

The Market Place is actually called the Edo Marketplace, replicating the traditional Edo period villages (‘Edo’ is the old name for Tokyo in 17th-19th century, capital during the Tokugawa Shogunate)

Mainly shops selling Japanese traditional craft and fabric, but also a number of restaurants.

So I decide to have my farewell dinner.

And here also I find the most sophisticated toilet ever.

It even blows warm air into your rear to dry it.

Anyway, a floor up, there is something even more interesting — a spotter-friendly open-air observation deck.

Night-spotting has never been exciting, especially with a flashless, handheld camera.

The lights on the taxiways are quite vibrant and colourful, unlike other airports I’ve been at.

Haneda is the official ‘Tokyo International Airport’.

Overall, a beautiful user-friendly airport.

It is freezing cold outside on the deck, so I make my way to the departure gate to board AirAsia X flight D7 523 back to Kuala Lumpur.

Next to me, smokers poison each other in a Mild Seven-sponsored compartment. How appropriate.

> THE END

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