Tokyo Haneda Airport, ANA Lounge review

When I planned to pass through Tokyo I sincerely hoped to transit in a different condition, in particular I was hoping to get out of the airport e Spend the whole day wandering around the Japanese capital and then set off again for Sydney. Instead, no, closed borders and deserted airport. 

Japan's opening to tourism, is it just an illusion?

Fortunately, however, at least this lounge was open and operational

Location and access rules

ANA has two lounges at this airport and are both located on the second floor in front of gate 110 in T3. The first is dedicated exclusively to first class passengers and holders of the highest level of the ANA loyalty program.

The second, the one in this review, is instead available to all business class travelers and holders of at least Gold status in the ANA loyalty program or that of one of the Star Alliance airlines. Due to pandemic, the doors of the least prestigious lounge. have also been opened to Priority Pass and Dragonpass holders.

The lounge

This hall is big, really big. It runs the length of the terminal. It's a huge open space, with the rooms divided by the types of seating.

As soon as you enter, after a long hallway, you will find the first buffet on the right. On the opposite side, however, are the seating areas.

I took refuge in the part opposite the buffet, at the back of the lounge  and I must say that it was actually the busiest one in the whole room, although when I arrived it was practically deserted. I chose this area because of the dimmer lights and the presence of small sofas with small tables. It is impossible not to find an ideal arrangement. 

The lounge has the wall facing the runway all made of glass, this allows for lots of natural light and especially to admire the runway movements (unfortunately, they are very few compared to the traffic this airport had before the pandemic).

Given that I landed at 10 a.m. and departed at 9 p.m, I spent the whole day in this lounge, with the exception of A quick walk around the terminal looking for something to do. And judging from other passengers, I'm not the only one who found myself waiting for hours for a connecting flight. Toward evening it filled up considerably, but always in the Japanese way: polite people and lots of cleanliness.

How Japanese is the education of people who respect the ban on using cell phones in lounges except in the designated area, of course then there are the non-Japanese who instead phone from wherever they want

I million miler

In the center of the room is a display case containing the luggage tags of 5 special members of the Ana Mileage Club. They are the company's only 5 million milers, that is, travelers who have exceeded the incredible figure of 1 million miles flown with the company. To them ANA pays special thanks by honoring them in its Tokyo Haneda lounge.

Services

In fact, it only offers showers; there is not even a locker where you can leave your suitcase under lock and key and not have to worry about travel. Arriving from a double flight, first London Frankfurt and then Frankfurt Tokyo, I treated myself to my half-hour in the bathroom. All neat, a classic smart toilet seat and a Dyson hair dryer stood out.

Food & Beverage

When I arrived it was breakfast time, in addition to the local offerings there were scrambled eggs, sausage and beans. I aimed only for ramen and noodles, in addition to sushi of course.

For lunch the menu changed and remained that way until dinner. Western offerings were tagliatelle bolognese (I didn't have the courage to try it), fried chicken and chips, and a vegetarian dish.

In the lounge there is the iconic automatic beer tap, with glasses kept cool in the fridge, some hot drink and soft drink tappers, and then some wine and super spirits offerings. Definitely restrained offerings here, but it is also for cultural reasons not avarice.

In conclusion

A lounge that is designed to meet the needs of so many passengers, of course it lacks that something extra such as relaxing lounges, more comfortable seats for taking a nap or even a more secluded lounge where you can work on your PC quietly, considering that it is the main lounge in the main airport it would be logical to expect something much better, here we are just at the bare minimum.

• round the world tour

The verdict

From an official lounge in the main airport I expect much more, especially if we are talking about one of the world's best airlines like All Nippon Airlines. Sure the Japanese and Japan is like that, essential. But a small lounge where you can take a nap, more comfortable seats, and maybe a TV room would not be a big deal

6

Rated Location

6

F&B

6.5

Services

5.5

Pro

• The view of the runway
• The kitchen

Against

• Poor of everything else