Haneda Airport is the gateway to Tokyo and Japan. When we ride on airplanes,we rush to board and are unable to see every part of the airport. However, theairport is a place you can explore all day and never get bored.Let’s take off on an adventure looking for places that can be enjoyed whether or not you ride on an airplane!
Haneda Airport Terminal 1
Haneda Airport Terminal 1
Market Place
Check out “THE HANEDA HOUSE” opened in December 2018!
“THE HANEDA HOUSE” is a newly built area on the 5 th floor of Haneda Airport Terminal 1. There are cafés and shops on this floor, which features an interior with an artistic touch. We discovered a special place in the back of Starbucks! Seats at the window let you enjoy coffee while watching airplanes take off and land. It’s a great view found only in Haneda. Observing airplanes never gets tiring, no matter how long you watch.
Don’t miss the spacious restaurant presenting live shows, “LDH kitchen THE TOKYO HANEDA” where you can enjoy live musical performances even inside the airport. LDH JAPAN artists even perform on occasion.
“UPPER DECK TOKYO” where you can sit in chairs made by foreign brands
Next, we rode the shuttle bus to Haneda Airport Domestic Terminal No. 2
Haneda Airport Terminal 2
The open space on “UPPER DECK TOKYO” (3 rd floor) that overlooks the departure lobby below can be used to spend time as you like, including waiting to board your flight and meeting up with others. But, look closely and you’ll find some very unique chairs.There are even chairs from the popular interior shop, Cassina IXC. Feel free to sit in the stylish chairs and take as many photos as you like!
A cluster of vending machines selling local dishes!
We went down to the departure lobby in the 2 nd floor and found a cluster of unique vending machines selling local dishes and goods from various places in Japan. You can buy Kumamon goods from Kumamoto, curry made with Japanese glass shrimp from Toyama, and much more. There is also a vending machine exclusively selling local ramen. “Haneda Kuko Ramen Airport,” which can only be bought from the vending machine, makes a perfect souvenir.
There’s a vending machine selling “Yojiya” latte art!
We went down to the 1 st floor basement to find Yojiya, a brand well known for oil-blotting papers.
Just seeing the recognizable green package in the store felt like a lucky find, but we went to the back and discovered another vending machine. This one can serve latte art featuring the familiar trademark “face” of Yojiya Café. Somewhat doubtful whether the vending machine can really produce latte art, we pushed the button and that “face” actually appeared.
“Edo” exists in the International Terminal?!
In search of even more interesting finds, we made our way to the International Terminal. “Edo Ko-JI” on the 4 th floor recreates the old town of Edo.There are restaurants and shops selling goods associated with Edo.
The highlight is Haneda’s 1/4 scale replica of Nihonbashi Bridge made entirely of cypress. Feeling as if you’ve traveled back in time, it’s a chance to take a dramatic photo.
Next, we moved on to the Festival Plaza on the 5 th floor to see a wall full of wooden plaques with people’s wishes written on them. There were charming wishes such as “I want to be a pilot” and “I want to be a flight attendant.” We bought a wooden plaque from the vending machine. The front was fashioned after a first-class ticket. We thought to take it home as a memento, but ended up hanging it on the wall.
Our expedition led us to discover lots of unexpected places. At the airport, the more you walk, the more interesting places you’ll encounter. We’ll be coming back for more fun!
