The question usually comes up at a kiosk in an arrivals hall, with a boarding pass in one hand and signs in two languages overhead: which Tokyo airport is this, and how do you get from here to your hotel? A ticket from Denver ends at one of two airports, Haneda or Narita, and the airline you choose decides which one. Knowing that before you buy shapes the first hour of the trip.
Which airlines fly from Denver to Tokyo?
Six carriers cover the nonstop crossing between the U.S. and Tokyo: Delta, American and United into Haneda, and All Nippon Airways and Zipair Tokyo into Narita.
| Airline | Tokyo airport | Nonstop U.S. cities |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | Haneda | Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Seattle/Tacoma |
| American Airlines | Haneda | Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York–JFK |
| United Airlines | Haneda | Chicago–O’Hare, Guam, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles |
| All Nippon Airways | Narita | Chicago–O’Hare, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco (seasonal service to Vancouver) |
| Zipair Tokyo | Narita | Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), with charter flights to Orlando |
The Haneda carriers
Delta, American and United all land at Haneda, and between them they link Tokyo to a wide spread of American cities, from the East Coast to the Pacific. Los Angeles shows up on all three lists, which gives you a choice of airline on that one route.
If you live in the Rockies, the practical way to read the table is by gateway: Delta’s cities lean toward Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma, United’s include Chicago, San Francisco, Newark and Washington, and American’s add Dallas/Fort Worth and New York. Pick the connecting city that suits your schedule, then the Tokyo airport follows from the airline.
The Narita carriers
All Nippon Airways and Zipair Tokyo fly into Narita, the airport in Chiba Prefecture. ANA connects Chicago–O’Hare, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and adds seasonal service to Vancouver. Zipair Tokyo flies from Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, and runs charter flights to Orlando.
West Coast gateways dominate this list, so a Denver itinerary on these carriers typically means a first leg to California, Chicago or Houston before the long Pacific flight. Narita is also where a fleet of Japanese low-cost carriers parks, which matters if you plan to keep flying inside Japan after you land.
Flying on within Japan
Many travelers add a second flight after Tokyo, and the airline lists are long. From Haneda, Air Do serves Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Memanbetsu, Obihiro and Sapporo–Chitose. Skymark flies to Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kobe, Naha, Sapporo–Chitose and Shimojishima. Solaseed Air serves Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha and Oita, and StarFlyer flies to Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Osaka–Kansai and Ube.
From Narita, ANA flies to Nagoya–Centrair, Osaka–Itami and Sapporo–Chitose, and Japan Airlines to Nagoya–Centrair and Osaka–Itami. Jetstar Japan covers a long list that includes Fukuoka, Naha, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Takamatsu and Shonai. Peach reaches Amami Oshima, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Osaka–Kansai among others, and Spring Japan flies to Hakodate, Hiroshima and Sapporo–Chitose. Hokkaido and Okinawa are both within reach from either airport.
Where do you land?
Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city itself, and international flights now arrive directly in the heart of the capital. Narita is the other of the two airports serving Tokyo, and it handles international and domestic flights alike.
Haneda Airport
Arriving at Haneda puts you at the airport of Tokyo city, which is why Delta, American and United passengers step off the plane close to where they are going. From the passenger terminal you can search routes, departure and arrival times, and fares for the trains, monorails and buses that run to your destination, so the choice of how to leave is made with real timetables in front of you.
For taxis, Haneda has two kinds of stand: general stands, and stands for app-dispatched or reserved taxis. If you arranged a ride through an app or by phone, you use the dedicated reserved stand rather than the general one. That small detail saves a lot of confusion when you walk out of arrivals with a confirmation on your phone.
Narita Airport
Narita sits in Chiba Prefecture, about an hour by express train from Tokyo. That ride is part of the arrival: you leave the terminal, board a train, and watch the suburbs and rice paddies of Chiba give way to the dense neighborhoods of the capital. Three rail lines serve the airport: the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line. The airport has three terminals, and the walk to the station differs by terminal.
| Terminal | Station | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Narita Airport Station | 5 minutes |
| Terminal 2 | Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station | 5 minutes |
| Terminal 3 | Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station | 10 minutes |
Kansai and Centrair, if Tokyo is not the start
Some itineraries begin elsewhere. Kansai International Airport makes it possible to visit Japan without going through Tokyo, and it is the gateway to western Japan, serving Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama. By train it is about 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka station and 1 hour 15 minutes from Kyoto Station.
Nagoya’s Central Japan International Airport, known as Centrair, is the hub for flights to and from cities in Asia and Japan. Narita’s ANA and Japan Airlines flights to Nagoya–Centrair and Osaka–Itami make it possible to land in Tokyo and carry on by air to either region.
What do you need for the trip?
You need two decisions made before departure: which gateway city and airline get you to Tokyo, and how you will get from your landing airport into the city. Everything else follows from those two, and the information on both is concrete.
A plan for the first leg out of the airport
If you land at Narita, the rail map is your starting point: Narita Sky Access, Keisei and JR all serve the airport, and the train into Tokyo takes about an hour by express. Know your terminal in advance, because a five-minute walk to Narita Airport Station from Terminal 1 is different from the ten-minute walk from Terminal 3 to the Terminal 2・3 station.
If you land at Haneda, the terminal route search for trains, monorails and buses gives you departure times and fares for the exact trip you want. Taxi users should note the split between general stands and the reserved-taxi stand before they step outside.
Matching the ticket to the itinerary
The airline lists above work as a way to plan backward. If your trip continues to Sapporo, Fukuoka or Naha, Haneda and Narita both have onward flights, with different carriers at each. If your plans center on Kyoto, Osaka or Nara, Kansai International is the gateway to western Japan and skips Tokyo altogether.
If you want to arrive directly in the heart of Tokyo, Haneda is the airport built for it. If you are happy to spend an hour on an express train as a gentle introduction to the country, Narita fits. Either way, the gateway city you pick in the U.S. is what sets the airline, and so the airport.
If you arrive by car
A few travelers are dropped off or picked up by friends and relatives living in Japan. For parking at Haneda, spaces in lots P2 through P5 can be reserved in advance, with details on each lot’s own reservation page. That is a detail for people with a driver or a local host, not for most visitors, but it is useful if you are meeting someone at the airport.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Japan Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.
Landing in Tokyo after a long trip from Colorado, the best plan is a short one: know your terminal, know your train or taxi stand, and keep the airline’s destination list in mind if you plan to fly on. Haneda and Narita both handle domestic flights, so a transfer to Hokkaido, Kyushu or Okinawa can begin the same day. Keep your itinerary handy for the first hour, because signs in the terminals point to trains, monorails, buses and taxis, and the right choice depends on where you are sleeping that night.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Haneda Airport, airlines and destinations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Narita International Airport, airlines and destinations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narita_International_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Japan travel advisory (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/japan-travel-advisory.html)
- Japan National Tourism Organization, how to reach the city from each international airport (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/airport-access/), checked October 11, 2026
- Japan National Tourism Organization, how to get to Japan, airports, airlines (https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/getting-to-japan/), checked October 11, 2026
- Narita International Airport, Access by rail (https://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/train/), checked October 11, 2026
- Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal, Access (https://tokyo-haneda.com/en/access/index.html), checked October 11, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Japan: Cherry Blossoms, Autumn Colors, Weather and Festivals
- Things to Do in Japan: Kyoto Temples, Onsen, Street Food and Day Trips
- Where to Stay in Japan: Ryokan, Temple Stays, Capsule Hotels and the Best Cities to Base In
- Know Before You Go to Japan: Entry, Money, Etiquette and Getting Around