During my quick trip to Japan & Korea, I had an overnight at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). I arrived shortly after 10PM from Sapporo in Japan Airlines’ A350-900 first class, and was connecting around 11AM the following day to New York in Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 business class.
Haneda Airport has a solid and convenient airport hotel, which is Hotel Villa Fontaine, connected to Terminal 3. However, I reviewed that recently, so this time I wanted to mix things up, and booked a different kind of accommodation. I decided to book the First Cabin Haneda, which is a cabin hotel connected to Terminal 1.
While the First Cabin Haneda had attractive pricing and the entire facility was clean, I learned the hard way that this kind of accommodation just isn’t for me. There’s just too much constant noise, plus the inability to set an alarm really makes it challenging to stay here if you want to leave early in the morning. I ended up sleeping for a brief period, and then spent the rest of the night sitting in the common room, working on my laptop.
Booking the First Cabin Haneda
The First Cabin Haneda Airport can be booked either overnight (for a stay between 7PM and 10AM) or during for the day (for a stay from 10AM until 5PM). I booked an overnight stay in the “first class cabin,” which is the largest cabin that’s available, and that cost 12,000 JPY (~77 USD) including all taxes and fees.
You really can’t argue with that price, especially since smaller rooms are even less expensive. Heck, a day room here starts at just 2,000 JPY (~13 USD), so that’s some good pricing.
Let me emphasize a few points:
- Each cabin can only accommodate one person, and cabins are separated by gender
- No cabins have private bathrooms, so toilets, showers, etc., are all shared facilities
- There are a variety of packages for sale, so you can also book a rate that includes meals; however, even if my stay were longer, I’m not sure that would be worth it, since there are lots of dining options in the terminal
First Cabin Haneda location
The First Cabin Haneda Airport is located in Terminal 1, which primarily handles domestic flights. The cabin hotel is easy enough to find — when you’re on the arrivals level (the first floor), just look for the area with all the shops, and you’ll see the the entrance to the First Cabin there. Just to be crystal clear, this hotel is landside (outside of security), and not airside (past security).
Terminal 1 (the domestic terminal) and Terminal 3 (the international terminal) aren’t connected airside. Instead, there’s a free shuttle bus that runs between the terminals, though service is suspended for a few hours in the middle of the night.
While I was arriving at Terminal 1, I was departing for Terminal 3 the next morning. So after my stay, I exited the cabin hotel, walked to the outside roadway on the arrivals level, and then at bus stop #8 I could take the free shuttle bus to Terminal 3.
Lastly, I should mention that Haneda Airport Terminal 1 is closed between 12AM and 5AM. So if you arrive at the airport over those hours, there’s a special nighttime entrance. You have to push a button to alert a staff member you’re there, and then they’ll come and pick you up and escort you inside, to the First Cabin.
First Cabin Haneda check-in
My check-in experience at the First Cabin Haneda Airport was efficient, and within about a minute I was given a key with my cabin assignment.
I was encouraged to take any amenities that I may need for my stay, ranging from cotton swabs to earphones.
I was also given a little key card “badge” of sorts to access the wing I was staying in (individual cabins don’t have locks, but due to have safes). It also included information about things that are prohibited in the cabin, like smoking, eating, making phone calls, talking, and any other noises.
The facility is broken up by gender, and there are both first class cabins and business class cabins, with the former being larger. While both cabins are 2.1 meters long, the difference is that the first class cabins are 2.1 meters wide, while the business class cabins are 1.2 meters wide, meaning you can’t even stand in the latter.
First Cabin Haneda first class cabin
I was assigned cabin Y05, so from reception I followed the signage toward the correct area of the facility.
While many people may be familiar with the concept of capsule hotels, this is different, as it’s a cabin hotel. That’s to say that each person is in a little rectangular pod with a sliding privacy shield, and they’re not “stacked.”
My first class cabin, Y05, was located near one end of the facility.
The first class cabins measure 2.1 meters in each direction, so they’re a perfect square. Upon entering the cabin, my impression was actually pretty positive — the cabin was spacious and felt clean. The bed is described as a “semi-double bed,” and is 120cm (~47 inches) wide. Unfortunately I found it to be about as hard as a rock, and it was almost like sleeping on the floor. The padding was virtually non-existent.
Then the room had a 32″ TV, opposite the bed.
There was space to store bags, and then were also some clothes hangers.
The side table had a box of tissues, a remote, and a rundown of the facilities and rules.
The cabin also had some charging ports, though they were just Japanese plugs, so you’ll have to bring international converters, if coming from elsewhere.
Beyond the hard bed, there were two other reasons this experience wasn’t for me. For one, while you have some privacy thanks to the sliding shield, that doesn’t do anything to block noise. Given the number of people using this facility, you just hear an unpleasant amount of snoring and farting, and the general odors in the place just aren’t great. It smelled like dirty socks. Then you have people constantly arriving and departing, so you hear doors opening and closing, bags being moved around, etc.
The other issue is not being able to set an alarm. The property doesn’t provide a wake up service, so how the heck is one supposed to get up? I’m genuinely confused. I guess you’re maybe supposed to put headphones in your ears and be woken up through them, but I’m 110% certain I would’ve pulled those out in my sleep, had I used that method.
I ended up waking up every 30 minutes, and then at 2AM decided to just get up. The whole facility was uncomfortably warm as well, with no ability to control airflow.
I’m sure this is lovely for other people, but it’s not for me. And I say that as someone who generally likes micro-lodging options. Like, I’m a big fan of the Yotel concept, and I also like airplane sleep pods. But to me, this facility kind of provided the worst of both worlds.
First Cabin Haneda bathrooms, showers, and baths
The First Cabin Haneda Airport has shared bathrooms, showers, and even baths. The bathroom facilities were reasonably clean, at least, and the men’s room had toilets (with a bidet feature) and urinals.
Then there was a separate area with showers, where there were a bunch of sinks for getting ready, along with individual shower stalls. They were available on a first come, first served basis.
Lastly, there was also a Japanese bath area. It’s nice to have something like this inside a cabin hotel at an airport, though I didn’t use it.
The facility even had a washer and dryer — the cost was 200 JPY (~1.30 USD) per washer load, and 100 JPY (~0.65 USD) per dryer load.
First Cabin Haneda common room
The First Cabin Haneda Airport also has a common room right by reception, which is where I spent most of my stay. 😉 It’s a perfectly nice room, and I had it all to myself from around 2AM until 5AM, so I was happy with this. The space boasted dining tables, seats for lounging, and even high-top seating with little semi-private cubicles.
I was super grateful for the vending machines, as there was both a coffee and snack vending machine, both of which I kept in business for much of the night. )
There was also a sign in this area advertising the meals that could be purchased. Best I could tell, these are meals you just microwave yourself, and they retail for 1,100 JPY (~7 USD).
Lastly, there was also a designated smoking room, for those who partake.
Bottom line
On these review trips, I’m always looking forward to having new experiences and reporting back. In this case, I can simply report that the First Cabin Haneda Airport isn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably great for some — it’s reasonably priced, the staff were friendly, the entire facility was clean, and the shared facilities are quite impressive.
However, to me this setup just isn’t conducive to sleeping. The bed couldn’t be much harder, I found the facility to be warm, there was noise all night, and at the same time, you can’t even set an alarm.
I wouldn’t return to the First Cabin Haneda, but that’s not to say it isn’t the right choice for others. It’s a fraction of the cost of the actual hotel at the airport, so for those looking to get some rest on a budget (and who aren’t disturbed by the noise of others, fall asleep even on uncomfortable beds in heat, and who don’t mind not setting an alarm), maybe this is the right option.
What’s your take on the First Cabin Haneda Airport?
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