This was published 1 year ago
One of the world’s best airports is now a sad shadow of its former self
By Ben Groundwater
Tokyo's Haneda Airport was one of the best airports in the world but has failed to bounce back from the pandemic.Credit: iStock
Do you say something, if you see a friend going through hard times? Do you mention that they're not looking great, that something is clearly wrong?
You should, I guess. Tactfully. See if everything is OK, if there's any way you can help.
I don't imagine there's much I can do for Tokyo's Haneda airport. But still, this place has always felt like a friend to me, an airport I actually looked forward to visiting, my favourite in the world. And right now, it's not looking great.
I'm sure you can blame the pandemic. Before COVID-19, Haneda was the best airport in the world. That was purely my own assessment, though Skytrax also awarded it No.2 in the world for four years running, leading up to its latest 2023 poll (in which the Tokyo airport slipped to third).
What was so great about it? Haneda has always had, by far, the best food of any airport, featuring spin-off outlets of many classic Tokyo eateries, from ramen to udon to katsu to sushi. The shopping was also excellent, the transport to and from the airport cheap and seamless, and the whole experience of arrival and departure was just enjoyable and easy, which is high praise for an international airport.
I'm not sure if you've been back to Tokyo post-pandemic, but things have changed. I've visited Haneda four times now since Japan reopened to international tourists late last year, and it's a shadow of its former self.
Many of those excellent shops and restaurants are now either closed, or on vastly reduced hours. When I visited in December last year, plenty of shopfronts were darkened and shuttered, displaying signs out the front saying "Please note we will temporarily close our store to prevent the spread of the infection Coronavirus disease" (that was several years into the pandemic).
Little had changed when I was there a few weeks ago. I used to love hanging out at the "Edo Market Place", a mezzanine level above departures at Haneda filled with high-end restaurants and great gift stores. But the place is a ghost town these days, particularly late at night and in the early morning.
Take Setagaya, a ramen shop (a spin-off of a Tokyo legend) that used to be open 24 hours. Flights from Australia usually land in Haneda about 5am – I would go straight up to Setagaya to ease into my Japanese odyssey with a massive bowl of breakfast ramen.
When I arrived in December, Setagaya was only open 10am-6pm. It's now open 9am-9.30pm, an improvement, though that doesn't help much on an early-morning landing.
But Setagaya is one of the better ones. Most of the shops in that Market Place are either closed entirely, or on reduced hours, closing mid-afternoon. It's the same once you're past security. In fact, if you're flying to Australia – which means you're probably on an overnight flight, departing around 10pm or 11pm – you will find very little to see or do at Haneda now.
Pretty much every single shop is closed by 8.30pm. A few weeks ago I was in the last souvenir store open and they were closing the doors at 8.30pm while the shop was still packed, ordering everyone to buy whatever they needed and get out.
Past security, only two restaurants remain open past 8.30pm, and they're not good. They're also packed with people, because they're the only things open, which means you end up having to wait about 20 minutes in a queue just to get rid of your last few yen on a beer.
The arrival system in Haneda is all over the shop right now, too. It used to be a largely seamless experience, though various COVID-19-related measures, some fully implemented, some in the process of being dropped, some still being refined, mean the whole thing is a schmozzle – not at all what you would expect in Japan.
I arrived into Haneda about three weeks ago and had to register all of my details on an app before arrival in Japan. If you haven't done that, you are ushered into a small area in the arrivals hall and told to do it, on your phone, there and then.
You then joined a half-hour-long queue to get your passport stamped, then picked up your luggage, then – despite having filled out your customs declaration online – you had to line up again at a computer terminal to reconfirm that declaration, then line up again to actually get through the final gate and out the door.
You need a coffee after all that. Except, Tully's is on reduced hours and won't be open for another hour or so.
I was surprised to see Haneda place third in this year's Skytrax list. Has anyone actually visited in the last 12 months? Definitely no one from Australia, passengers who would find themselves flying in and out when all of Haneda's amazing facilities are still dark and shuttered.
You have to assume things will improve at Haneda over the next few months, as Japan joins the rest of the world in its "new normal". Already, my visit a few weeks ago was better than my experience in December. At least a few things were open. At least the stickers on the tables telling patrons "please eat without talking" had been removed.
But Haneda, right now, is still a pale imitation of its former self. You feel like you have to say something.
Email: b.groundwater@traveller.com.au
Instagram: instagram.com/bengroundwater
Twitter: twitter.com/bengroundwater
See also: Six of the best airport locations to explore while you wait
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