If you’re one of the 36.8 million tourists who visited Japan last year, you likely arrived and departed through a Tokyo-area airport. Japan’s airports are some of the most efficient in the world, and a trip through Haneda Airport is particularly expedient for Tokyo travelers: It’s a quick 30-minute train or 20-minute taxi ride into the city center. But there’s a lovely free perk for using Haneda that most travelers miss on their way through.
Before you pass through security in terminal 3, there’s a passageway on the fifth floor that takes you to an expansive observation deck. Without even needing a plane ticket, you can get an up-close view of planes landing and leaving from Haneda. When the weather is clear, there’s also a beautiful view of the Tokyo skyline and even a glimpse of Tokyo Disney across the way. Most enchantingly, locals use the deck to wave goodbye to loved ones on the planes below. It’s a step back into the pre-9/11 world when you could accompany friends and family to the gate to see them off.
If the weather’s unaccommodating, there’s an indoor portion with seating that looks out onto the same view. And if you have a lot of time to kill before your flight, there’s even an adjoining shopping area with a Sanrio shop, restaurants, kid-geared games and more — it’s particularly nice to grab a coffee and take it out onto the deck (as long as jet fuel fumes don’t bother you). On a recent Saturday, the deck and shops were bustling with tourists and locals alike, many with plane-loving kids in tow.
Should you be lucky enough to board a flight that faces the deck, you’ll get one last sweet goodbye to Tokyo as the people above wave excitedly to you.
And one last bit of advice if you’re traveling to Japan: Don’t skip the shipping counter on your way out of the arrivals lobby. Shipping luggage is super cheap, easy and reliable in Japan; most deliveries can be done by the next day right to your hotel room. You’ll fill out a form with your shipping address, pay the fee (cash or card is fine) and then head out onto the busy Tokyo metro unencumbered by your luggage.
AloJapan.com