A couple of days ago, I flew domestically within Japan for the first time. Specifically, I flew from Tokyo to Fukuoka on StarFlyer, and from Fukuoka back to Tokyo on an ANA 767. Having flown domestically within the U.S. and China in the past couple of years (as well as regularly flying within the Schengen region), I was interested to see how Japan compared, given that it’s also one of the world’s top five domestic travel markets.
Flying within Japan must be one of the most consistent, convenient, yet sterile experiences. There’s no standout airline that offers a particularly luxurious experience, and legacy carriers only differ from low-cost airlines in terms of baggage allowance and an onboard drink. Additionally, it seems like the aviation culture is heavily embedded within modern Japanese culture (much like trainspotting), and the way domestic air travel is designed nods to that.
Obviously I’ve only ever flown domestically within Japan a couple of times now, though I wanted to share my impressions, and am keen to hear how they compare for someone who flies regularly within the country.
Japan’s domestic airport terminals: retail outside, practicalities inside
Typically when you reach an airport, you pass through security as soon as possible, and spend time airside before boarding your flight. At many airports, retail, entertainment and dining options are all located airside, in order to incentivise passenger spending at outlets before their flight departs.
The culture seems to be flipped around at domestic terminals within Japan. Just look at the below mall that is located at Haneda Airport’s Terminal 1. Outlets here included a full supermarket, as well as Uniqlo, bookstores, hairdressers, all sorts of other shops, etc.
Haneda Airport’s Terminal 1 “Market Place”
Meanwhile at Fukuoka Airport there’s a ramen runway full of ramen restaurants, a gym, as well as various other retail options. I didn’t check these out much, though wish I did in retrospect. Generally, many of the airports’ retail and entertainment options seem to be located landside.
Once you head in, you may find a couple of other stalls (e.g. at Fukuoka Airport there was a stall selling fresh mentaiko), though there’s a much more limited selection compared to what you’ll find outside.
Fukuoka Airport Airside Area
While there were still some retail outlets available, the more abundant outlet seemed to be power outlets, located by workstations where people could prop up a laptop. I found these at both Haneda and Fukuoka Airport, and they were among the most well set-up workstations I’ve seen in an airport terminal. WiFi at both airports was fast and free as well.
Workstations at Fukuoka and Haneda Airport
Similarly, while I didn’t visit any lounges this time round, it’s interesting how Japanese domestic lounges don’t seem to offer any catering at all – there are drinks available, though otherwise it’s just a very nice waiting room with comfortable seating.
The latest time you can get within the departures area seems to reflect this. Guidance across the different airlines suggests that you reach the security checkpoint 20 minutes before your flight, which is a far cry from the “one hour before departure” policy that many airlines adopt. It doesn’t seem like Japan designs their domestic air travel experience to include much waiting time.
Security within Japan: Separated by airline?
Speaking of security checkpoints, I found it interesting that at Haneda Airport’s Terminal 1, security checkpoints were separated by airline. I would guess this was because of the identity verification process. Although ANA and StarFlyer shared an entrance at Haneda’s Terminal 1, in reality this was a StarFlyer-exclusive checkpoint, since ANA doesn’t operate many flights from Haneda’s Terminal 1.
At Fukuoka Airport all airlines used the same security checkpoints, though this was explicitly stated on signage, so I wonder if it’s not the norm at some larger airports.
StarFlyer/ANA security checkpoint at Haneda’s Terminal 1
The fastest boarding processes out of any airport, ever
One of the crazy things about boarding in Japan is that large A350s, 777s, and 767s are boarded in the mere span of 15 minutes. Boarding was always a civilised process – it began a touch earlier than scheduled for my Fukuoka to Tokyo flight (and we even left three minutes late – gasp!), though overall it was an incredibly orderly process, with window seat passengers being boarded first after Premium class passengers and elite members, followed by middle and aisle seat passengers. In comparison, my StarFlyer flight boarded 20 minutes before departure, which I guess would be considered inefficient in comparison? In both cases, the honour code was used to make sure that passengers weren’t boarding in a group that they weren’t supposed to board in.
Japan does have a fairly high proportion of elite passengers, though not as much so as the U.S., where half the plane has some sort of frequent flyer status especially on flagship domestic routes.
Boarding began 15 minutes before departure on my ANA flight
Deplaning took as long as it normally takes, though leaving the airside area was one of the easiest processes ever – it simply required walking through a gate.
Power ports, speedy onboard WiFi, but no catering
I’d never flown a 767 before until this week, so one of the aims of flying down to Fukuoka was to catch my first-ever 767 flight. I knew that by doing this, I wasn’t flying the latest and greatest within the ANA network, as their 777s and 787s have much newer seats.
I mean, the 767 I flew wasn’t the most modern thing in the world. It featured slimline seats with USB-A power ports, though there were no PTVs.
ANA Domestic 767 Economy Class
However, I was pleased to know that free WiFi is a common thing on domestic flights with Japan, and it was even some of the fastest WiFi that I’d experienced – measuring 37 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. Sadly I actually wasn’t able to make the most of this, since both of my devices were running low on power, and this particular 767 didn’t feature 110V power ports (and I didn’t have a USB-A to USB-C adapter for my phone). My StarFlyer flight didn’t have WiFi, though in my understanding they’re in the minority.
It was interesting observing what catering is offered in domestic economy within Japan. Although my flight from Fukuoka to Haneda was almost as long as my flight from Seoul to Haneda, domestic flights only feature a drinks service unless you’re up in premium class. Sometimes there’s a savoury consommé of sorts, though otherwise drinks include water, soft drinks, and green tea.
ANA domestic economy drinks service
I’d say that if you’re looking at being served and/or pampered onboard, the inflight experience isn’t actually better than what you’d get in economy in Europe or the U.S.. However, the major difference is if you’re looking to use the flight to get some work done, in which the experience you’ll get in Japan is a lot better.
Japan’s airports have very cool observation decks
On this trip, I learned that many airports in Japan have observation decks. While I’ve written about the observation decks at Haneda and Narita Airport, I didn’t realise that this was a common feature amongst many airports in Japan. These observation decks are all free, and landside – due to the way aviation is heavily embedded within modern Japanese culture, the observation deck fits in with Japan’s way of engineering airports to be publicly accessible retail spaces.
Fukuoka Airport Observation Deck
At the end of the day this is a domestic terminal, and traffic isn’t going to be as thrilling as it would be at Haneda and Narita (the international terminal at Fukuoka Airport also has an observation deck, though there’s a glass barrier between you and the plane). Still, it was awesome to have a close-up, open-air view of ANA/Japan Airlines A350s and 787s.
Fukuoka Airport domestic terminal observation deck traffic
Is flying better than taking the Shinkansen?
Typically when deciding whether to take a plane or the train, a plane is only the better option if it’s either significantly cheaper, or takes a significantly shorter amount of time. Between security procedures and a lot of waiting, the marginal time saved by flying can often be eaten up by these processes, especially in Europe and China (which otherwise has really good rail infrastructure).
Japan has managed to create a domestic aviation market that moves so quickly that there’s barely any dead time before your flight. While you’ll still spend time taxiing and getting on/off the aircraft (and there’s still room for delays), procedures such as security checks and boarding are so quick that you won’t accumulate much “dead time” – you can literally arrive at the airport 30 minutes before your flight, and be landside within 5 minutes of the door opening.
The Shinkansen is also extremely efficient, though in this case I’d choose what feels most convenient – if you have many bags or live near a Shinkansen station you may want to use that, whereas if you’re flying a longer distance (e.g. to/from Hokkaido) you might be better off flying. Both the Shinkansen and flying can have similar pricing, so it’s really a matter of what works best for you on the day. There just isn’t a hands-down winner, since both are extremely pleasant and efficient experiences.
I prefer flying personally, as it gives the better views
Conclusion: Flying Domestically Within Japan
It’s clear that the Japanese population has a great relationship with domestic air travel, and the travel experience is streamlined extremely well, in a way that minimises waiting time and maximises flexibility. Passengers can choose either to come to the airport early (even with their loved ones!) and shop and planespot at the airport, or they could rock up 30 minutes before departure and still have time to spare before boarding.
Flying domestically within Japan is a delight, and I’m keen to do it more. When I’m next able to, I’d love to compare how Japan Airlines and ANA compare (especially with the two airlines’ latest and greatest – Japan Airlines’ domestic A350s/787s vs. ANA’s domestic 777s/787s), as I didn’t manage to fly Japan Airlines on this trip.
What’s your experience flying domestically within Japan?
