According to Skytrax, Tokyo-Haneda is the second-best airport in the world right now. Not only is it renowned for convenience – it’s much closer to Tokyo than the Japanese capital’s original international airport, Narita – but Haneda has plenty of modern facilities that put other aviation hubs to shame. And it looks like that reputation will continue rising now that Haneda Airport Garden is set to open on January 31, bringing numerous new facilities to the airport including two Villa Fontaine hotels (both already opened) and a 2000-square-metre rooftop onsen facility open to both hotel guests and passengers.
Located on the 12th floor of the complex, Haneda’s rooftop onsen – Spa Izumi – will have four distinctive bathing zones, each filled with mineral-rich natural spring water sourced locally, split primarily between an icy cold plunge, a jet pool and a carbonated water bath.
Again, you don’t have to be a hotel guest to access Haneda’s rooftop onsen, but guests staying at either the Hotel Villa Fontaine Premier or the larger Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand will have complimentary access. Everyone else will need to pay an undisclosed admissions fee, but if you’ve got a long layover ahead of you then it’s entirely worth it to get off your kit and have a legendary pre-flight soak so you can board feeling relaxed and refreshed.
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The Haneda hot springs facility will be open 24-hours a day, unlocking a key part of the airport which aligns with a central part of Japanese culture and showcases what locals like to do in their leisure time. After all, the country has around 3,000 onsen resorts in total.
On a clear day, anyone soaking in the rooftop hot springs should be able to take in views that peek over the Tamagawa River and stretch all the way to Mount Fuji.
After your soak, there will be a bunch of adjoining restaurants serving up gourmet meals so you could easily kill a few hours up at Haneda Airport Garden.
The new precinct is connected to Airport Terminal 3 and doesn’t just feature this epic rooftop onsen, but also includes a new bus terminal with connections that unlock more parts of the immediate region around Tokyo. This should make places like the coastal city of Ise (in Mie prefecture) and ski-happy Hakura much more accessible from Tokyo.
