New Gateway to Tokyo
While the wave of foreign travelers to Tokyo surges, the Japanese capital opens a new gateway within the city: Tokyo International Airport. Known as Haneda Airport, this gateway had been the largest international airport in the country until the current largest international gateway, Narita Airport was built in 1978. After having become a domestic-oriented service airport, Haneda Airport regains some slots for international flights, when the brand-new fourth runway is completed and officially opened on October 21, 2010.
Fly in, Fly out of the City
This new opening is to expanal Haneda’s capacity and function for long-haul international flights during low-traffic hours in early morning and late night. For flights to/from the US, the arrival is at night and departure is first in the morning. And the airport is located actually within Tokyo: A 30-minute train ride to Tokyo’s hub train stations enables visitors to start their day the next morning in the city center, and it is also easy to catch morning flights back to the US.
For service to Haneda Airport, three US carriers will serve non-stop flights, not to mention Japan’s two carriers, Japan Airlines (JAL) from San Francisco and Honolulu, and All Nippon Airways (ANA) from Los Angeles and Honolulu. American Airlines flies from New York JFK Airport, Delta Airlines from Detroit, and Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu.
Get into the City
The largest change will be the distance to central Tokyo: Public transportation system from Haneda is as competitive as Narita, but the proximity to the city center is definitely a big advantage.
Train: Tokyo Monorail (http://www.tokyo-monorail.co.jp/english/) runs every 3 to 5 minutes, and the platform is connected by an elevator going down to departure and arrival floors. The monorail’s city station is Hamamatsu-cho, one of the stops on Tokyo’s main train loop Yamanote Line.
Keikyu Line also runs right into Haneda’s new international terminal building. The platform is in the basement of the terminal building, and an elevator takes you to both arrival and departure floors from the station level. Keikyu Line connects the airport to Shinagawa station on the Yamanote Line.
A taxi ride is also available if you have a handful of luggage: Tokyo’s several taxi companies are resetting a new flat rate around 6,000 yen (approximately $68) to major destinations in the city center such as Shinjuku and Shibuya, which is 20 to 30% less than the average rate for the same distance.
Easier Connection to Beyond Tokyo
Haneda Airport also expedites connections to domestic flights for those traveling beyond Tokyo: Haneda is Japan’s largest domestic aviation hub, and flying into Haneda makes it much easier to connect to domestic flights. Japan’s other regional attractions such as gorgeous ski country, Hokkaido and tropical beach destination, Okinawa, become much more accessible through the new service at Haneda Airport.
In the Airport
The brand-new terminal is getting into shape for the grand opening on October 21. The new terminal will be more than the terminal to pass through. Structural innovation is everywhere, including the world’s first seamless boarding bridges, floor to ceiling glass window that brings in a lot of natural light, and chic yet functional bathrooms. On the rooftop of the 5-story terminal building is the observation deck with a 270 degree panorama of the runways. The 4th floor will be a shopping arcade with the Edo (old Tokyo) cityscape façade, and a unique planetarium café, where the magnificent space show of 40 million stars entertains the café crowd. The airport will be a small playground for travelers as well as locals.
The new gateway already offers Tokyo’s unique cultural mélange and urban excitement. With anime character souvenirs, traditional artifacts, sleek design products and a popular Japanese dining experience, Haneda welcomes all visitors right after they touch-down to take-off.
——- Nori Akashi : Public Relations Manager at the New York Office of JNTO
Japan National Tourism Organization
New York Office
11 W. 42nd St., 19th Fl., New York, NY 10036
TEL: 212-757-5640
www.japantravelinfo.com
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