Somewhere over the Pacific, the seat-back map redraws itself around a thin island chain, and the question of which Tokyo airport you are heading for suddenly matters. Two of them serve the capital, and the airline you choose decides which one you see first. This is the picture for travelers leaving San Diego: who flies across the Pacific to Tokyo, where the planes touch down, and what waits on the ground.
Which airlines fly from San Diego to Tokyo?
Three American carriers and two Japanese ones form the core of the transpacific flying into Tokyo, split between Haneda and Narita, and the U.S. cities they list include Los Angeles and San Francisco, the two big California gateways nearest to San Diego. Which airline you take therefore also decides which Tokyo airport you land at.
Delta, American and United at Haneda
Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city itself, and it is now possible to arrive directly in the heart of Tokyo from international destinations. Three U.S. airlines use it. Delta Air Lines flies nonstop from Haneda to Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma.
American Airlines flies nonstop from Haneda to Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and New York-JFK. United Airlines flies nonstop from Haneda to Chicago-O’Hare, Guam, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington-Dulles.
Read those lists as a map of connections. Los Angeles appears for all three airlines, and San Francisco appears for United. A traveler starting in San Diego can look at either California city as the place where a Haneda flight begins. Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Newark and the others are there for travelers coming from farther east.
ANA and Zipair at Narita
Narita International Airport serves most major international destinations and many domestic airports. All Nippon Airways flies nonstop from Narita to Chicago-O’Hare, Honolulu, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with seasonal service to Vancouver.
Zipair Tokyo flies nonstop from Narita to Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose (CA), with charter flights to Orlando. The Bay Area and Los Angeles show up again here, so California is well represented at Narita as well as at Haneda.
The airlines at a glance
| Airline | Tokyo airport | U.S. cities served nonstop |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Flying on within Japan
Once you are in Japan, a second layer of airlines takes over. From Haneda, Air Do serves Asahikawa, Hakodate, Kushiro, Memanbetsu, Obihiro and Sapporo-Chitose. Skymark Airlines flies to Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kobe, Naha, Sapporo-Chitose and Shimojishima, and Solaseed Air serves Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha and Oita. StarFlyer flies to Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Osaka-Kansai and Ube.
Narita has its own domestic network. All Nippon Airways flies nonstop to Nagoya-Centrair, Osaka-Itami and Sapporo-Chitose, and Japan Airlines flies nonstop to Nagoya-Centrair and Osaka-Itami. Jetstar Japan covers Asahikawa, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kochi, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha, Oita, Osaka-Kansai, Sapporo-Chitose, Shimojishima, Shonai and Takamatsu.
Peach flies nonstop from Narita to Amami Oshima, Fukuoka, Ishigaki, Kagoshima, Kushiro, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Naha, Oita, Osaka-Kansai and Sapporo-Chitose. Spring Japan flies to Hakodate, Hiroshima and Sapporo-Chitose. For a trip that goes beyond Tokyo to Okinawa, Hokkaido or Kyushu, these names are the ones to look for.
Where do you land?
You land at Haneda or at Narita, the two airports serving the capital, depending on the airline and the route you choose, and a third option, Kansai International Airport, lets you visit Japan without going through Tokyo at all.
Haneda, the airport of Tokyo city
Haneda is the airport of Tokyo city, and arriving there puts you directly in the heart of the capital, something that was not always possible from international destinations. Delta, American and United all use it for their flights from the U.S.
On arrival, the Haneda Airport Passenger Terminal offers a route search for trains, monorails and buses to your destination, with departure and arrival times and fares. There are two types of taxi stands, general stands and stands for app-dispatched or reserved taxis. A passenger who has arranged a taxi through an app or by phone uses the dedicated stand for reserved taxis.
Narita, in Chiba Prefecture
Narita Airport is one of the two airports serving the capital and handles international and domestic flights. It sits in Chiba Prefecture, 1 hour by express train from Tokyo. ANA and Zipair, the two airlines of the transpacific list above, fly in from California, Hawaii and a few other U.S. cities.
Three rail lines serve the airport: the Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line.
| Terminal | Station | Walk (minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 | Narita Airport Station | 5 |
| Terminal 2 | Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station | 5 |
| Terminal 3 | Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station | 10 |
Kansai and Centrair, the airports beyond Tokyo
If Kyoto, Osaka or Nara come before Tokyo on your list, Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the gateway to western Japan, serving Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Wakayama. It is about 50 minutes by train from Shin-Osaka, the high-speed train station, and 1 hour 15 minutes from Kyoto Station.
Nagoya has its own door as well. Central Japan International Airport, known as Centrair, is the hub for flights to and from cities in Asia and Japan. Both ANA and JAL fly into it nonstop from Narita, which makes it one stop on a domestic chain that begins in Tokyo.
What do you need for the trip?
For the trip itself you need two decisions: which Tokyo airport your flight uses, and how you will leave it, since the way out differs at Haneda and at Narita.
A plan for leaving Haneda
At Haneda, trains, monorails and buses are all options, and the airport lets you search them from the passenger terminal by destination. Type in your hotel’s station or neighborhood, and the search returns routes, times and fares for each mode. Taxis wait at general stands, while a ride booked ahead by app or by phone starts from the dedicated reserved-taxi stand.
Drivers have an option too. Spaces in parking lots P2 through P5 at Haneda can be reserved in advance, with the details on each lot’s reservation page. That matters for a family dropping off or collecting a relative, or for anyone returning to Japan for a second leg of a trip.
A plan for leaving Narita
At Narita the rail lines do the work. The Narita Sky Access line, the Keisei line and the JR line all run to the airport, so your choice depends on which line reaches the part of Tokyo where you are staying. Check which terminal your airline uses, because Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are each a 5-minute walk from their stations, while Terminal 3 is a 10-minute walk from Narita Airport Terminal 2・3 Station.
Express trains take 1 hour to reach Tokyo from the airport in Chiba Prefecture, which is worth knowing when you plan the first evening: hotel check-in comes later than the landing time suggests.
If your trip goes beyond Tokyo
A trip that continues to Osaka can use Kansai International Airport, which is about 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka station and 1 hour 15 minutes from Kyoto Station. A trip that continues to Hokkaido, Kyushu or Okinawa can lean on the domestic carriers listed earlier, with flights to Sapporo-Chitose, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Naha leaving from Haneda or Narita.
Matching the airline to the airport at the start saves backtracking later. A ticket into Narita, for instance, opens the Jetstar Japan and Peach networks for onward flights, while one into Haneda opens Air Do, Skymark, Solaseed and StarFlyer.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Japan Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions.
Think of the flight as the first stage of a longer chain: a California gateway, a Tokyo airport, then a train, monorail, bus or domestic flight to wherever you sleep. The airline, the terminal and the connection all follow from the first choice, so settle which Tokyo airport suits your plans before anything else. Keep the name of your hotel’s nearest station handy for the route search at Haneda, and the name of your terminal for the walk to the Narita station.
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