Arrivals
A Tokyo layover is worth leaving the airport for if you have about 5.5 hours and a passport that Japan lets in without a visa.
Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), officially Tokyo International Airport, sits on Tokyo Bay in the south of the city, and most international flights use its Terminal 3. The Tokyo Monorail reaches Hamamatsucho, on the edge of central Tokyo, in 13 minutes, so the ride itself is short. Even so, about 3.5 hours of any trip go on immigration, the ride both ways and being back 90 minutes before your flight, which is why a Tokyo layover needs at least 5.5 hours.
- Bags. Booked on one ticket, checked luggage is transferred to your onward flight for you, and you head out with just a carry-on. Booked separately, you must reclaim it and clear immigration anyway; Terminal 3’s baggage storage counters keep it for you around the clock, from ¥800 a day.
- Train fare. Buy a Welcome Suica at the Monorail station in Terminal 3, or a Tourist PASMO from the Keikyu station next to it. Both are prepaid travel cards for visitors, loaded from ¥1,000, that pay for the Monorail, the Keikyu, JR trains and the subway. There’s no deposit, but no refund either, so load ¥2,000: that covers the Monorail both ways with a little to spare.
- Phone. Wi-Fi is free in the terminals (HANEDA-FREE-WIFI). Set up a Japan eSIM before you land, so maps and train times work once you’re on the train.
Paying for the train, and what to do with bags: getting into the city.
eSIM
Data before you land
A Japan eSIM set up before the flight gives you maps and train times from the moment you're through immigration. Haneda's Wi-Fi is free, so it matters most once you're on the Monorail.
Get an eSIM from Airalo (opens in a new tab)Get a Saily eSIM (opens in a new tab)
Border
US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports need no visa to leave the airport; Indian passports do.
Not needed when you stay airside.
- No visa needed. US, UK, Canadian, Australian, EU and Schengen passports can enter Japan without a visa for up to 90 days, so a layover needs no paperwork beyond your passport.
- Before you land. Register on Visit Japan Web, the Japanese government’s free online service, and fill in your immigration and customs details. It gives you a code to show at the border.
- India and other passports that need a visa. To leave the airport you need a Japanese visa: the eVISA, applied for online through an accredited travel agency, or a visa applied for through VFS. Ask your airline whether you can change planes airside without one.
- Staying airside. If you change planes at Terminal 3 and stay in the transit area, past security, you never pass immigration and need nothing.
- Time. Allow about an hour from landing to the train. A slow queue costs you time in town, not your flight: the time you must head back counts from your departure.
Who needs which document, and what changing planes involves: visa and transit rules.
Into Tokyo
Take the Tokyo Monorail: it leaves Terminal 3 about every 5 minutes and reaches Hamamatsucho in 13 minutes for ¥520.
Not needed when you stay airside.
| Ride | Into town | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho | 13 min | ¥520, or ¥519 on a travel card |
| Keikyu Line to Shinagawa | From 11 min | ¥330 |
| Keikyu through trains to Shimbashi and Asakusa | From 21 and 33 min | By distance: tap your card |
Both stations are on the second floor of Terminal 3, the arrivals floor, a short walk from the arrivals exit. The Monorail is the simplest way in: one line, one stop that matters, and a train every few minutes. Keikyu trains run straight through to Shimbashi and Asakusa, so they suit the plans for Hama-rikyu Gardens and Senso-ji.
The first Monorail leaves Terminal 3 at 5:09am and the first Keikyu train at 5:26am. Coming back, the Monorail runs latest: its last train leaves Hamamatsucho at 11:59pm, every day. The last direct trains to the airport from Asakusa, Shimbashi and Yokohama leave earlier, around 11pm and as early as 9:40pm from Yokohama at weekends, so for a late flight come back by Monorail.
Every way in, the last trains by station, and taxis: getting into the city.
What to do
Tokyo Tower and Hama-rikyu Gardens are within half an hour of the airport, and Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, is about 35 minutes away by direct train.
Not needed when you stay airside.
The fastest plan for a short layover
- Clear immigration and follow the signs for the Tokyo Monorail, on the arrivals floor of Terminal 3. Tap in with your travel card, or buy a ticket from the machines.
- Ride 13 minutes to Hamamatsucho, the end of the line.
- Walk about 15 minutes to Tokyo Tower and ride up to the Main Deck, 150 metres up, for the view across the city: ¥1,500, from 9am to 11pm.
- Leave Hamamatsucho 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight. That covers the wait for a train, the ride and 90 minutes back at the airport.
It needs about 5.5 hours, which gives you about 2 hours in town: time for the tower and a look at Zojo-ji, the temple at its foot.
Would you rather have a guide? No free transit tour runs from Haneda, but GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab) and Viator (opens in a new tab) list private Tokyo tours, some with a guide who meets you at the airport. Check that the tour fits your landing time and brings you back to Terminal 3.
Watch the calendar
- Mondays and Fridays. The Imperial Palace East Gardens are closed.
- Tuesdays. The Cupnoodles Museum in Yokohama is closed.
- Winter afternoons. From November to February the East Gardens close at 4pm and Hama-rikyu Gardens at 5pm, so a late landing suits Tokyo Tower, open until 11pm.
- 23 November. Labour Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday: the Cupnoodles Museum is closed, and the trains run their weekend timetable.
- New Year. Many sights and shops close from 29 December to 3 January, Hama-rikyu Gardens and the East Gardens among them.
Our itineraries give timed plans from 5.5 to 24 hours, an overnight plan and places to rest at the airport.
Layover tour
Private layover tours from Haneda
No free transit tour runs from Haneda, so for a guide you book a private tour. Check that it starts at the airport, fits your landing time and brings you back to Terminal 3.
See tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)See tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)
Head back
Be back at Haneda 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass.
Not needed when you stay airside.
- Time. With an hour to get out, the Monorail both ways and 90 minutes at the end, a 5.5-hour layover leaves about 2 hours in town, 8 hours about 4.5 and 12 hours about 8.5. Leave Hamamatsucho 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight.
- Why 90 minutes. Checked in already, with no bag to drop, you go through security and departure immigration and walk to your gate. If you still need to check in, go to the counter first: JAL and ANA close check-in an hour before departure.
- Terminal 2. A few international flights leave from Terminal 2. The Monorail and the Keikyu both stop at Terminal 3 first and then go on to Terminals 1 and 2, so ride on to your own terminal.
- Late at night. The last Monorail leaves Hamamatsucho at 11:59pm, and it only matters for a flight after about 2am: for anything earlier you have to leave town before it anyway. The trains stop from about 12:30am until 5am, so if you miss the last one, take a taxi.
Time in town at each layover length: how much time you’ll have.
Departures
Best for your layoverChanging planes at Terminal 3 without entering Japan, you can sleep, shower or rest past security; after immigration there’s a hot spring open all night.
- Transit hotel. The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda Transit is past security in Terminal 3, near gate 114. It has rooms on 6- and 12-hour plans, booked on the hotel’s own website, and a refresh room with a shower and a sofa, ¥5,000 for the first hour. It’s for passengers who stay airside at Terminal 3, or who have already passed departure immigration there.
- Lounges. Pay-in lounges past security in Terminal 3 open 24 hours: the Sky Lounge for ¥1,500 and the TIAT Lounge, with food and showers, for ¥4,400, each for up to 3 hours.
- After immigration. The hot spring at Haneda Airport Garden, connected to Terminal 3’s arrivals hall, is open 24 hours, from ¥4,800, and the shower rooms on the arrivals floor charge ¥1,500 for 30 minutes. You need permission to enter Japan for these.
- A free stopover. ANA’s TOKYO+ fares from Europe include a stopover in Tokyo on the same ticket, if you’d rather plan a night in the city.
Rooms, lounges, showers and left luggage: at the airport.