Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan

Introduction

This is my review of the rather fantastic JAL First Lounge in Hanenda’s Terminal 3, the International Terminal.

This is one of three lounges operated by JAL in Terminal 3; the others being the Sakura Lounge in Level 4 and Sakura Sky View on Level 5. There is also the Cathay Pacific Lounge on Level 6!

Visited

January 2024 at 18:00 and 07:00

Opening Hours

The lounge is open daily from 06:00 to 01:55.

Entry Conditions

In my case my entry to this lounge was because I was flying with with British Airways First Class.

Access can also obtained by (of course) flying with JAL in First Class, or if you are a OneWorld Emerald member.

How to Get There

Finding the lounge is very easy, after leaving the Passport Gates make a left hand turn. Keep walking until you see Gate 112.

If you look on the left hand side, you will see a sign that says “Airline Lounges”.

Make a left here, and you will see the escalators that lead up to the entrance of the JAL First Lounge.

Layout

The layout of the lounge is actually split into 3 parts, which I explain below.

Layout – Main Lounge

The main part of the lounge has a large amount of dining seating casual seating with low tables.

Looking out over the apron of the airport is ‘desk-based’ seating, which is great to work from. At each seat is power and a USB outlet.

There is also a fairly large dining area, along with a large sushi bar!

Another area in the main area is what is called the Red Suite. This isn’t a room that appears to be exclusive, but it is a room which is rather quirky – including a person who will polish your shoes, and some old aircraft memorabilia!

There is also a ‘business area’ with pods and a printer – however, I wasn’t able to get the printer to work. There are also small telephone rooms, which have a simple shelf, stool and charging capabilities.

Layout – Side Lounge

There is a ‘side lounge’ to the First Lounge, although all on the same floor, seemingly this is only open between 07:00 to 11:00.

This is also a very nice space, with a larger buffet area than the ‘Main Lounge’ – and with mostly dining seats.

Layout – JAL Salon

The JAL Salon is a trip in the elevator to the next floor. Unlike the ‘side lounge’ it is open all day offers a smaller and quieter environment – and did include some massage chairs!

Food and Drink

All 3 sections of the lounge offer drinks, however the JAL Salon does not offer food.

Drinks – Main Lounge

From what I could tell all drinks in the main lounge were self-service. However, there were a number of people ‘around’ who seemed to be able to organise anything that wasn’t at the self-service area. The self-service machines offered beers, wines, soft drinks……..and of course Sake!

Drinks – Side Lounge

All of the drinks in the side room were again self-service, and perhaps slightly more limited.

Drinks – JAL Salon

Some of the drinks in the JAL salon were self-service, but there is a bar. However, the bar seemed to have very limited capabilities – so unless I missed something, there is probably limited point to it!

Food – Main Lounge

The buffet-style food in the main lounge seemed to be fairly limited! This is probably because everyone seemed to be ordering from the App!

I don’t really do Sushi, so probably much of the lounge’s menu charm was lost on me! Howver, I did order a beef curry from the menu!

Food – Side Lounge

I was only in the side lounge for breakfast, and there seemed to be a decent range of things from their buffet.

In the same way to the main lounge, there is an App to order food to your table.

Wifi

The lounge Wifi I found to be very good! I didn’t make any calls or have any heavy work to do beyond emails – but I found it perfect for my needs.

Showers

Showers for the Main Lounge and Side Lounge are on on the same floor, so effectively interconnected – however there are not any showers on JAL Salon level.

The showers were perhaps slightly ‘basic’ in their amenity offering, but the water was very hot and I have to say the towels were super soft!

Conclusion

This is really good high-quality First Class lounge. It has a great layout, high-end decor and plenty of areas to eat, drink and sleep.

Possibly the food was a bit lost on me, and certainly if you want steak and chips or a full English breakfast you won’t find it here. I also didn’t really see anywhere to sleep.

All in all, however, this is a great lounge – and definitely a First Class standard!