The best things to do on a Tokyo Haneda layover, from sushi and shopping to the Shibuya crossing

Whether you have three-hour layover or even a full day, check out what the airport and the nearby bustling metropolis has to offer

Reading Time:4 minutes

Travellers with some spare time can visit the huge open-air observation deck on level 5 of the Haneda Airport International Terminal. Photo: Daniel Hurst

Published: 6:45am, 5 Sep 2017Updated: 12:43pm, 10 Apr 2018

Sitting on a tatami mat and sipping matcha in a serene tea house in the middle of a garden lake, I almost forget I am in Tokyo, the world’s biggest metropolis.

But this peaceful setting in Hamarikyu Gardens is within easy reach of travellers with a few hours to spare between flights at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

The short monorail ride from Haneda (www.haneda-airport.jp) opens up a wide range of options for travellers wishing to venture outside the terminal before their next flight.

At Haneda airport jump into a flight simulator for ¥200. Photo: Daniel Hurst

3 hours: Airport adventures

If you have only three hours between your arrival and departure, it’s probably safest to stay within the confines of Haneda airport (www.haneda-airport.jp). Plane enthusiasts can head up to the vast flight observation deck on level 5 of the international terminal, but don’t linger long enough to see your connecting flight leave without you. Just inside, along the Tiat Sky Road on level 5, aspiring pilots will find flight simulators that offer the prospect of a virtual escape from the airport. The Tokyo sightseeing loop costs just ¥200 (US$1.80). Nearby, the young and young at heart can vie for supremacy in slot car races.