Review: JAL Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3

Prior to a Japan Airlines (JAL) business class flight from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Seoul Gimpo (GMP), I had the opportunity to visit the JAL Sakura Lounge in Terminal 3.

This happened to be my first visit to a JAL lounge, and I was looking forward to comparing it with my experiences with All Nippon Airways (ANA) lounges on previous trips.

JAL Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3 – Access

After checking in for my flight, I proceeded through a dedicated security lane for premium and elite passengers, allowing me to bypass the short queue for all other passengers.

The JAL Sakura Lounge is located near Gate 114 in Terminal 3 at Tokyo Haneda (HND), so after passing through security, I turned left, and then proceeded until signs for the lounges appeared.

The JAL Sakura Lounge is located on the fourth floor and is open daily from 6am until the departure of the last flight.

There’s also an additional JAL Sakura Sky View Lounge located on the fifth floor; however, it happened to be closed during my visit.

I enjoyed access to the lounge with a JAL business class ticket from Tokyo to Seoul, which I booked using British Airways Avios. I earned the points for this trip with my RBC® Avion Visa Infinite†, and transferred the card’s Avion points to my British Airways Club account during one of the occasional transfer bonus events.

You can also enjoy access to the lounge as a oneworld Diamond or Emerald member travelling in any class of service, or as a traveller departing from the airport on a oneworld flight in either business class or First Class.

JAL Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3 – Seating

The JAL Sakura Lounge in Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3 follows a wedge shape, with a variety of seating and dining options available for guests.

Immediately to the left of the entrance is the largest seating lounge, area which wraps around the windows. In this flank, you can find two large seating areas, a beverage station, and access to one of the lounge’s two sets of restrooms and showers.

Moving through the space, there’s a strip of seating along the far edge of the lounge, with single tables facing the windows, a middle row of seating for four, and banquette seating for one or two.

Heading through to the other side of the lounge, the window-side seating continues, and then there’s two rows of work stations, as well as a banquette row at the back.

During my visit, I chose to saddle up in front of the windows to get some work done and enjoy the tarmac views prior to moving around a bit.

JAL Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3 – Dining & Drinks

There are two areas in the lounge where drinks and hot food are served.

The first and larger area is located on the left-hand side of the lounge, close to where you enter. Here, you can find both hot and cold food items and a self-serve bar area.

During my visit, the hot items included the JAL special curry, beef-bowl ingredients, a tofu bowl, some deep-fried items, Western options, and more.

In terms of drinks, you could opt for the auto-serve beer machines (which are always a pleasure to watch in Japanese lounges), or indulge in a selection of wines (including sparkling), sake, and hard alcohol.

There’s also the possibility to order food to your seat by scanning a QR code.

During my visit, I was disappointed to see very few options available through this made-to-order menu, and I was particularly disappointed to find that none of the included items were Japanese options.

In the end, I opted to sip on some bubbles while I enjoyed a beef bowl. Unfortunately, I placed everything for my beef bowl on a plate, as I didn’t notice the location of the bowls on a shelf underneath the plates.

JAL Sakura Lounge, Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3 – Other Facilities

The JAL Sakura Lounge at Tokyo Haneda Terminal 3 has a handful of other facilities for lounge guests.

There are two areas with free-to-use lockers, where you can stow your luggage during your visit.

As is common in Japanese lounges, there are phone rooms available if you need to take a call so as to not disturb other guests in the lounge. Lounge staff will also politely ask you to come to one of these rooms if you’re taking a call in the main lounge.

Tucked away in the corner of the lounge are massage chairs, which were better than I’d expected.

If you’re in need of a shower, you can reserve a room by scanning a QR code on tables throughout the lounge.

The shower rooms are simple yet clean and stocked with the basics. I always find shower rooms to be a nice feature for freshening up during a connection and to head into a flight feeling recharged.

Conclusion

I enjoyed my two-hour visit at the JAL Sakura Lounge Tokyo Haneda (HND) Terminal 3, and I’d certainly come back for a visit if presented with the opportunity.

The lounge is newer, clean, and has a handful of useful facilities, and the food and beverage offerings were better than standard. Plus, it’s nice to have so much natural light available.

I’d love to see some better made-to-order options available, as that’s something I look forward to when visiting lounges in Japan.

Next time, I hope to visit the JAL Sky View Lounge to see how it compares.