- Introduction: Falling In Love With Japan
- Review: ANA First Class 777-300ER Chicago To Tokyo
- Review: ANA Arrivals Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport
- Review: ANA Premium Class 737 Tokyo To Nagoya
- Review: Marriott Nagoya Associa Hotel
- Review: Amanemu Resort
- Review: Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
- Review: Aman Tokyo
- Review: ANA First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport
- Review: ANA First Class 777 Tokyo To Chicago
- Why Tokyo Might Be My New Favorite City In Asia
We took the Narita Express to the airport, and arrived at Terminal 1 at around 2PM.
Narita Airport Terminal 1 check-in
We already had our online boarding passes so were going to just head straight for security, though while walking there we found the “ANA Suite Check-In,” and decided to check that out.
ANA first class check-in Narita
This is a nice and surprisingly large check-in area, though the coolest part is that it has a private security channel. So we were through security in no time, and then that led to the standard immigration queue, where we had to wait just a few minutes.
ANA first class check-in Narita
We passed a bunch of duty free shops and headed in the direction of the ANA first class lounge, which is the best lounge we had access to with our ANA first class tickets.
Narita Airport Terminal 1
The lounge is one level up from the main concourse, and was easy to find (it’s near gate 52).
Escalator to ANA lounge
At the top of the escalator was the entrance to the lounge. While there was a shared reception desk, the business class section of the lounge was to the left, while the first class section was to the right.
ANA lounge entrance Narita
ANA first class lounge entrance Narita
There’s a long entryway that leads into the main part of the first class lounge.
ANA first class lounge entryway Narita
Simply put, this lounge is boring and underwhelming, and feels like a business class lounge in every way. It’s bizarre to me that an airline with such a good onboard product has such a bad ground product.
The lounge does have plenty of seating. The main part of the lounge has a bunch of leather chairs that have a bit of separation thanks to some partitions.
ANA first class lounge seating Narita
ANA first class lounge seating Narita
ANA first class lounge seating Narita
Further into the lounge there’s just rows and rows of seats. This is just such bland decor, in my opinion, and there’s nothing here that feels first class.
ANA first class lounge seating Narita
ANA first class lounge seating Tokyo
ANA first class lounge seating Narita
ANA first class lounge seating Tokyo
ANA first class lounge seating Tokyo
The lounge has panoramic views of the apron and taxiways in the distance. Immediately below the lounge was the same Star Wars 777 that we had flown to Japan.
ANA first class lounge view
ANA first class lounge view
As far as other lounge amenities go, there’s a business center with a bunch of semi-private cubicles.
ANA first class lounge business center
ANA first class lounge business center
Then there’s a relaxation area, which has a couple of massage chairs, and also a regular chair with an ottoman.
ANA first class lounge massage chairs
ANA first class lounge massage chair
ANA first class lounge relaxation chair
The lounge also has a smoking room, for those who are into that.
ANA first class lounge smoking room
You’ve gotta love the quirks of Japan. I know it’s rude to make loud phone calls/basically any calls in public, but I find it hilarious that they have little designated phone areas in the middle of the lounge where you’re supposed to stand to make calls. They’re not enclosed, or anything, so I’m not sure how they minimize noise, but…
ANA first class lounge phone booth
This lounge has had exactly the same approach to service for well over a decade. The lounge is really well staffed (overstaffed, really, since there’s not much service). When you arrive in the lounge someone helps you find a seat (not that you really need help), and offers you a drink and cold towel.
But that’s the only drink they’ll offer — the rest you have to get yourself.
ANA first class lounge drinks
The buffet was towards the entrance to the lounge, and was rather basic. It consisted of a fairly limited selection of hot and cold options.
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
ANA first class lounge food
The only noteworthy amenity in the lounge is the noodle bar, which has about a dozen dishes that you can order.
ANA first class lounge noodle bar
ANA first class lounge noodle bar menu
Here’s what’s on the menu:
ANA first class lounge noodle bar menu
ANA first class lounge noodle bar menu
I decided to order the chicken curry, which was excellent (just as it is onboard).
ANA first class lounge food
As far as drinks go, there was a wide selection of alcohol available, all self serve.
ANA first class lounge drinks
ANA first class lounge drinks
ANA first class lounge drinks
Then there were coffee machines, juice, soda, water, and more.
ANA first class lounge drinks
We spent a couple of hours in the lounge working prior to the flight. Our flight was departing from gate 51, and boarding was scheduled to start at 4:40PM. So we headed there around 4:30PM.
ANA 777 taking us to Chicago
ANA departure gate
We lined up, though it quickly became apparent there would be a delay due to weather.
In Japan such high emphasis is placed on punctuality, so it’s always funny to see how a delay is handled there vs. just about anywhere else in the world. We ended up being delayed by about 30 minutes, and there were no fewer than a dozen apologies.
ANA departure gate
Boarding ended up actually starting at 5:20PM, with first class being invited to board first.
ANA departure delay
ANA first class lounge bottom line
To me Narita is one of the most “bleh” major airports out there. The airport is totally fine, though also unremarkable in my opinion. That’s also exactly how I feel about the ANA lounge.
The ANA lounge is totally fine, though nothing special at all. There’s nothing that makes this a first class lounge over a business class lounge. So if you have some time to kill then by all means visit it, but it’s not worth arriving at the airport early to experience this lounge. It ranks nowhere near my list of the world’s top first class lounges.
Anyone actually love the ANA first class lounge Narita?
I didn’t have a boarding pass so I really enjoyed the suite checkin and quick screening.
Well, I also enjoyed this lounge on RTW19 2.0. Enjoyed a purple chair - not crowded - good noodles, special service getting some cold water bottles, Best was great tarmac views ✈️
Agree that the ANA lounge in Narita is alright and nothing special. I was there on June 30 - though in a different ANA suites/first lounge in Narita, than the article. Polite service, but nothing special.
When I arrived in NRT Terminal 1 this past weekend, I saw that ANA First Class check-in was at letter Z. I had no idea where Z was but I kindly asked a lady wearing an ANA uniform and she escorted me to the ANA First class check-in area (which was behind row A and B). If I didn't ask, I probably would have walked that entire row starting from row A through G, etc.
When I arrived in NRT Terminal 1 this past weekend, I saw that ANA First Class check-in was at letter Z. I had no idea where Z was but I kindly asked a lady wearing an ANA uniform and she escorted me to the ANA First class check-in area (which was behind row A and B). If I didn't ask, I probably would have walked that entire row starting from row A through G, etc.
Secondly, there is another ANA First Class lounge in terminal 1. My ANA A380 flight was at gate 47 and the ANA first class lounge was across from the gate one flight up on the 4th floor (whereas the business class lounge was one flight down on the 2nd floor.) This F class lounge was smaller but pretty much had the same offerings. I ordered the healthy option (fried lotus root udon noodles) and it was actually delicious. They had a sashimi bowl too that I ordered from the chef that was pretty good. The lounge had 2 showers exclusively for F class pax and since it was so humid outside and I had time to spare, I opted to take a shower and it was nice.
Across from my gate was an ANA Duty Free shop and I learned that if you use your UA mileageplus credit card, you get 10% off!
Anyways, if you fly the ANA A380 from NRT, check this F lounge out!
I was just in the ANA J lounge at Haneda and it was brilliant - much better food, the same drinks and same noodle bar. As a OW Gold I could have popped in the suites next door but didn’t feel it necessary as it was so good.
I recently flew ANA F from Haneda and was so disappointed with their F lounge. It was so busy I couldn't get a seat for a while! Was such a letdown after experiencing the amazing SQ and United F lounges on my way out from London.
Yeah this doesn’t really look like something that incredible. Plaza Premium and No1 lounges at Heathrow and Ahlan at DXB are all better, and all three are prioritypass lounges...
Looks like a ghost town.
How did you manage to film without no one there?
Looks worse than BA JFK and SFO FC lounges combined.
We just spent several hours in the business lounge there. First does have more food choices. When we arrived around 2:30, the lounge seemed ‘too big’ - it started to get busy around 4 and by 5:30 there were no seats. So my guess is you left before their peak use time.
Most intriguing to us was the ANA domestic business lounge at Haneda - no food but lots of alcohol.....and there were plenty indulging at 7am.
This was the first ever Premium airline lounge that I had ever visited. So of course I was impressed, particularly with the exclusive check in area. I also remember the wait for showers being 1 hour, and only having my pager go off once boarding had started for my flight. Fastest shower of my life, but it felt so much more wonderful to be freshened up before boarding, after running around in the hot Tokyo sun earlier that day
@Simon, why not keep your comments relevant to the article.
Haneda lounge for NH is far better. This seems more like an OK Business class lounge at best if anything else.
Narita is definitely showing its age.
The ANA lounge Noodle Bar is reason enough for me to head to this lounge and avoid the United Club at all costs
The F NH lounge is more a lounge for economy passengers with ANA Diamond status. Most people using that lounge are not flying F. And if they are flying F, it's like a free mileage award or mileage upgrade.
Hence, that's the quality you get. Compare that with AF La Premiere.
The ANA Haneda first class lounge isn't any better.
Truly bland, run of the mill First Class Lounge that does not look or feel premium. Surprising given ANA's on-board product, which is really good and a little more cutting edge and less dated looking than JALs.
I hope you don't get radiation poisoning by eating food from there.
Japanese local markets display origination of products so that consumers can avoid Fukushima produce.
However, Japanese are feeding those produce to visitors thru airline meals and convenience store food.
Next year, the Japanese government plan on feeding those to Olympic athletes and visitors.
The ANA Business lounge at Narita is also pretty basic. Last week, there was an 'electronic line' for the showers that was, so they said, over 90 people long. I doubt there were much more than 90 people in the lounge, so why's this? Turns out that they have a text message system to alert you to your turn, and then they give you 10 minutes grace period. So if you've departed the lounge or...
The ANA Business lounge at Narita is also pretty basic. Last week, there was an 'electronic line' for the showers that was, so they said, over 90 people long. I doubt there were much more than 90 people in the lounge, so why's this? Turns out that they have a text message system to alert you to your turn, and then they give you 10 minutes grace period. So if you've departed the lounge or the airport, or decided not to use the shower, they hold open the stall for 10 minutes before going on to the next person. It's ridiculous. When I looked around, at least 2 of the 6 or 7 stalls were wide open empty.
And, aside from the token fresh sushi served between 5 pm and about 5:45 when they run out, the food is pretty boring too. Some of the same noodle bar dishes are as shown on the First Class menu above. Next time I'll probably try the Priority Pass club instead.
I found it odd the showers were shared with the business class lounge and had a first come, first served system. At least a first class lounge attendant put me in the queue and brought the pager to my seat. The shower rooms were just average. I have seen better shower rooms at an Admirals club in DFW in 2012.
ANA's first class lounge experience definitely does not match the onboard one.
Amazing how cold and impersonal that whole place seems. Yes, it looks like they vacuum and keep it relatively clean but nothing about that facility says premium, welcoming, elite, refreshing, comforting, or anything else particularly personal or thoughtful. I feel like this was a bandaid or an interim solution until they can figure out what to do with the space.
Maybe it's my "western" tastes... maybe.
I just know that I'd prefer the...
Amazing how cold and impersonal that whole place seems. Yes, it looks like they vacuum and keep it relatively clean but nothing about that facility says premium, welcoming, elite, refreshing, comforting, or anything else particularly personal or thoughtful. I feel like this was a bandaid or an interim solution until they can figure out what to do with the space.
Maybe it's my "western" tastes... maybe.
I just know that I'd prefer the main terminals of virgin over this supposedly "exclusive" bus station -- I mean facility
The showers have dyson supersonic hair dryers. A nice touch.
What an unbelievably dull food menu in the lounge. It's basically Japanese convenienve store typical fare... in a first class lounge! I feel luxury, or perceived luxury at least, is totally absent here.
First class expert here. Flying weekly in First class (paid tickets) and having obviously tested almost all the First class lounges out there, I find Oneworld lounges FAR superior than the rest. JAL offers far superior service in my experience.
JAL definitely wins the lounge game at Narita and that’s based on my experiences pre-refurbishment. I especially like the satellite first lounge which has some great plane spotting chairs.
Not to criticize too much with other things you've got going on, but you should work on spacing/timing of the trip reviews.
Wow, wasn't expecting this. JAL all the way.
The room is unremarkable, but our service there was not. They continually refilled our glasses with Hibiki whiskey, which was not out on display, but was incredible; and they brought us a farewell ice cream cake with our names on it as a gift....we loved our treatment there.
wow, chicken curry, how exciting, just like what you eat on plane.... very adventurous, given the other choices there.
Wow! You really are spitting out reviews this week. Loving it so far, but I can't keep up!
Maybe you should visit Air China's first class lounge in Beijing Capital Airport... It's totally same as the business class lounge (which is worse than most business class lounge in the world, maybe except the Delta Sky Clubs, if you'd say that's a business class lounge), and even you can use Priority Pass to enter the lounge!
I’m surprised they aren’t more competitive with The JL First Class Lounge. I loved their sushi bar.
Should’ve visited the Haneda ANA F lounge instead of the Narita one. There’s a la carte dining for late night departures.
That's probably the most underwhelming first class lounge, in a world class city, that I think I have ever read on your site. I am happy I will be experiencing the JAL first class lounge at Haneda in a few months instead.