A traveler scrolling through flight results for Japan soon runs into two names for the same city, Haneda and Narita, and the choice shapes the first and last hours of the trip. Tokyo has both, each with its own terminals, airlines and ways into town. Haneda is the airport of the city itself, Narita sits out in Chiba Prefecture, and U.S. carriers fly nonstop to both.
Which airports serve Tokyo?
Two airports serve Tokyo: Haneda, the airport of Tokyo city, and Narita, in Chiba Prefecture. Haneda now makes it possible to arrive from international destinations directly in the heart of Tokyo. Narita is the other gateway to the capital and handles international and domestic routes alike, serving most major international destinations and many domestic airports.
Haneda Airport
Haneda has three passenger terminals with 71 gates that have jet bridges. Terminal 2 is where All Nippon Airways, Air Do and Solaseed Air handle their domestic flights. An underground walkway links Terminals 1 and 2, and a free shuttle bus connects all three terminals on the landside, so changing terminals does not mean leaving the airport.
Terminal 3 and the international area of Terminal 2 are open around the clock, which suits late arrivals and early departures. Terminal 1 and the domestic areas of Terminal 2 are open only from 5:00 am to 12:00 am.
For the way into the city, the airport lets you search trains, monorails and buses by route, time and fare. Taxis come in two kinds of stands, general ones and a dedicated stand for cars arranged by app or phone. Parking lots P2 through P5 can be reserved in advance.
Narita International Airport
Narita lies about 37 miles east of central Tokyo, in the town of Narita in Chiba. It is a large airport, with a main runway of 13,000 feet that is among the longest in Japan. Terminal 1 has 40 gates and Terminal 2 has 32 boarding gates.
Terminal 3 is the base for low-cost airlines, and Skytrax voted it the best terminal for low-cost airlines in Asia in 2024. Its 24-hour food court is the largest airport food court in Japan.
Three rail lines reach the airport: the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line. Narita Airport is 1 hour by express train from Tokyo.
Terminal 1 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Station, Terminal 2 is a 5-minute walk from Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station, and Terminal 3 is a 10-minute walk from that same station. Aircraft operations stop between midnight and 6 a.m. under a mandatory curfew, so the airport has no overnight flights.
Other doors into Japan
Not every trip has to start in Tokyo. Kansai International Airport (KIX) makes it possible to visit Japan without going through the capital.
It is the gateway to western Japan, serving Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama, and it lies about 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka high-speed train 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.
Which airlines fly to Tokyo from the United States?
Delta, American, United and All Nippon Airways all fly nonstop between the United States and Tokyo, and Zipair Tokyo adds a low-cost option into Narita. Haneda carries the three big U.S. carriers, while Narita is where ANA and Zipair land on several of their U.S. routes.
| Airline | Airport | Nonstop from |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Zipair Tokyo | Narita | Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose (CA) |
The U.S. carriers into Haneda
Delta has the longest list of departure cities into Haneda, from Atlanta and Detroit to Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma, along with Honolulu and Los Angeles. American connects Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New York–JFK. United flies from Chicago–O’Hare, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles and Los Angeles, and also from Guam. For a traveler whose home airport is one of these hubs, the nonstop lands in the city itself.
Los Angeles is the one city that appears under all three carriers, which gives the most choice of airline on a single route.
All Nippon Airways
ANA flies from several American cities, using Haneda or Narita depending on the route. It offers 3 daily nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Tokyo, and 2 daily from San Francisco and 2 from Chicago. From New York there are 2 daily nonstops into Haneda. Seattle, Houston and Washington, D.C. each have a daily nonstop to Haneda. Honolulu has 2 daily flights, plus seasonal ones.
ANA also lets travelers use a stopover to explore over 40 destinations within Japan, a way to fold a second city into the same ticket. The ANA CARD U.S.A. Plus gives 5,000 bonus miles after the first purchase made with the card.
Zipair Tokyo
Zipair Tokyo flies nonstop into Narita from Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose in California. It also operates charter flights to Orlando. Its flights use Narita, the airport that also houses the low-cost terminal, Terminal 3.
How do you choose between Narita and Haneda?
Choose Haneda if you want to land in the city itself, and Narita if the airline, the route or the departure city you want flies there. Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city, while Narita is about 37 miles east in Chiba, and that difference is the main one.
Getting into the city
From Narita, the express train takes 1 hour to reach Tokyo, and three lines (Narita Sky Access, Keisei and JR) run to the airport stations. Once there, the walk to the terminal is 5 minutes from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 stations, and 10 minutes for Terminal 3. Haneda sits within the city, and you can look up trains, monorails and buses from the terminal, with times and fares shown for each route.
Arrival and departure hours
Narita has a curfew that bars aircraft operations from midnight to 6 a.m. Haneda’s Terminal 3 and the international part of Terminal 2 stay open 24 hours a day. A traveler with a late connection or a very early flight should note this difference when comparing itineraries.
Airlines, destinations and onward flights
Delta, American and United fly to Haneda, while ANA and Zipair serve U.S. cities from Narita. If you plan to keep flying inside Japan, both airports have options. From Haneda, Air Do reaches Sapporo–Chitose, Hakodate and Asahikawa, Skymark flies to Fukuoka, Naha and Kobe, Solaseed serves Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Nagasaki, and StarFlyer goes to Fukuoka and Osaka–Kansai.
From Narita, ANA and Japan Airlines fly to Nagoya–Centrair and Osaka–Itami, and ANA adds Sapporo–Chitose. Jetstar Japan has the longest list, with Fukuoka, Naha, Takamatsu and Matsuyama among its stops. Peach reaches Ishigaki, Amami Oshima and Osaka–Kansai, and Spring Japan flies to Hakodate, Hiroshima and Sapporo–Chitose.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Japan Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.
Haneda’s terminals are linked by an underground walkway between Terminals 1 and 2 and a free shuttle bus, so a connection that changes terminals stays inside the airport. Narita’s three terminals are reached from two train stations, which matters when you check which terminal your airline uses. Japan is a country where the typhoon season and the rainy season shape some months, so a flexible itinerary helps when you plan a connecting flight to a distant island.
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
- Wikipedia, Tokyo International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_International_Airport), checked October 11, 2026
- ANA, flights to Tokyo (https://www.ana.co.jp/en/us/), 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
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- 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