Review: Japan Airlines First Class Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport

Was at that lounge 2 months ago and agree with the review, nice enough lounge but quite open and no where really to hide away quietly if you want to, unlike Haneda where there is the private lounge at the back where the shoe shine area is. Message was very good. Sushi was lovely but rest of food was only ok. A little disappointed in the quality of wines/ champagnes as they serve much better on board.

There is an amazing little hotel round the corner from the lounge where you can rent rooms by the hour if you want to get some sleep. It was really great as it is airside so no need to go through security and price was reasonable.

We've been to the JAL First Lounge Narita and we had a good experience. We noticed some extra personal service as First passengers: http://milesdownunder.com/2015/01/review-jal-f-lounge-tokyo-narita-nrt/

When are you visting the new JAL First lounge at Hanada?

the fact that the only beverage that I would be interested in is $120 dollar cognac, is potentially very dangerous for my health.

I actually thought the food in this lounge was pretty underwhelming, especially for an F lounge. The massage treatment was nice though.

Sushi bar is pretty cool concept but offerings a bit underwhelming (small set menu selection only it seemed). Still love it!!! Other food was high quality and fresh - very good for for pre-prepared, etc. Not sitting unattended like some other lounges.

To be honest, I like the sakura lounge better!

Terminal 2 is kind of a dump (relatively speaking) and JAL's lounges there are nothing special. The FC lounge at Haneda, however, is amazing. You can't really go wrong with a Laurent Perrier champagne bar.

I visited this lounge back in Sep last year, and I agree it's not a first tier First lounge but it has a few nice touches:
* Those massage chairs (near the mobile telephone booths which I'm surprised you didn't comment on Lucky given it's just the sort of thing that normally catches your interest) do indeed give a whole new meaning to running the pleasure/pain threshold in a mostly positive way;
* Food is not fantastic but on my last visit they did have a fairly nice chicken and sauce dish in one of hot pots that went well with the cooked rice;
* The decent bag lockers just after the shower/spa entrance, perfect for small roll-ons and bags; and
* As you mentioned, the massage treatments - short, sharp but reinvigorating.

Those shower cubicles mentioned also lack adequate ventilation, thus can turn into a bit of a sweat box after a shower.

Do you know if you can access this lounge arriving in F but connecting to J?

@Gardner - yes you can. Show inbound boarding pass.

@ Gardner -- If connecting same day, yes.

Bling is right, the FC lounge at Haneda — and the very secluded Red Suite — is the best thing I've seen on offer as a first class lounge. It was empty (save for the shoe shine attendant) when I wandered back there mid-morning. The display cases are full of AVgeek paraphernalia ... even a scale model of the Concorde in JAL colors!

I vote on the side of the "underwhelmed" as we, too, have spent many hours in this god-forsaken excuse for an airport. I felt trapped in the 80's and had to say after three trips, I've now visited every one-world lounge at Narita.

We certainly couldn't figure out why the lounges weren't open when you arrived off of overnight flights. Whatever you do, DON'T take an overnight Star Alliance flight into Terminal 1 and rely on the airport to have regular service to Terminal 2. We missed a 7 AM departure and had to cool our jets until 9 AM until the next bus - in a deserted terminal with nothing open!

To be honest, none of the One World lounges at Narita are impressive. I've been to them all. Without competition, there's no real incentive to improve - honestly, the American Admiral's club is as comfortable, although the food and drink options at the JAL First Lounge are better.

The entrance to the club is more impressive than the inside. The food is uninspired, and is not presented with the flair normally expected in Japan. I don't expect white bread sandwiches wrapped in cellophane at a first class lounge. Still, it's clear this is the way it's always been done, and like the "Hello Kitty" theme inexplicably pervading many aspects of the country, I don't expect it to change anytime soon. Grin and bear it!

I WILL give points to the person who invented the automatic draft beer pouring machine, though!

If arriving in JL F and departing in JL C, can I still access this F lounge?

@ B -- I believe so, if connecting same day.

I'm here right now getting pounded by the massage chairs. The fact that this lounge has a sushi bar with delicious fatty tuna makes it 1st tier to me. Had to beg for sushi at the SQ lounge. I thought the check in , private security that led almost direct into the lounge and the freshness of all the food on offer makes this a lounge I will look forward to more than others. Between this and the new pier at HKG one world has some great 1st lounges. Looking forward to my first JAL 1st flight and hoping the cabin isn't too warm and that the food is as good as CX

Ben,

I will be flying through NRT this Dec with a 12-hour layover (inbound from KUL on MH and outbound on AA to ORD). It's an MH business class ticket; so the NRT-ORD flight is a codeshare operated by AA (on the new 788, which I quite curious about). Question is - a) do I have my pick of OneWorld lounges to use or am I limited to AA's Admiral Club? and b) if the former, which lounge would you recommend? I'm also a BA Silver.

Thanks,
Arun.

Hey Ben, it's Macabus here – from "8 bottles of Dom."

I have been to the JL F lounge at NRT many times, and totally agree with your take on the offerings.

However, I was there a few months ago – connecting on an F trip from LAX-NRT-BKK and experienced something quite incredible. Around 5:30 pm, two sushi chefs walked into the lounge pulling coolers filled with fresh fish, and started setting up inside the bar island. Then they started preparing several sushi plates – one of which was an outstanding Bluefin Tuna – definitely a 9.5+ for quality.

This lasted about 90 minutes, and then then it all disappeared. BTW, I was the only Gaijin in the lounge at that time – and was watched with much curiosity.

Cheers,
M.

Hi Ben, been an avid follower of yours since discovering this site!
If you are ever in Tokyo, I suggest the Cathay lounge and JAL First class lounge in Haneda. Narita's lounges are a bit underwhelming.
Alv

I fly weekly for business but majority US only and am always blown away by the first class lounges / lounges in general “abroad.” If you have access, DEFINITLEY stop by the JAL first class lounge (bigger, not satelitte lounge with the sushi bar!). I guess I’ll have to try the AA lounge since it’s supposed be the the “best” Admirals lounge but will be hard to leave this one!