Hello everyone! I’m @owncolorstravel, an Okinawa-based blogger dedicated to sharing travel and lifestyle tips to help fellow travel enthusiasts.
This time, I’ll be covering my visit to the JAL Sakura Lounge at Haneda Airport’s domestic terminal. I stopped by the lounge before my return flight to Okinawa, and I’m excited to share my experience with you.
・JAL Sakura Lounge at Haneda Airport’s domestic terminal
Before my flight to Okinawa, I decided to check out the JAL Sakura Lounge in Haneda Airport’s domestic terminal.
There are two lounge locations: one on the 3rd floor of the South Wing and another on the 3rd floor of the North Wing. After completing reception, you enter the lounge from a hallway, and I was pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of the area—quite open and comfortable.
Although general access costs 3,000 yen, I was able to use my JAL JMB Elite membership benefits to enter the lounge. Out of all the membership perks, lounge access is particularly appealing, offering the most advantage for international routes.
・You can use the lounge for free with JMB elite benefits.
There are two types of domestic lounges at Haneda Airport: the Diamond Premier Lounge, reserved for First Class and higher-tier members, and the Sakura Lounge, which can also be accessed by general travelers. Each lounge has its unique features.
The complimentary access I used for the Sakura Lounge is part of the JMB Elite benefits, which are available through the JAL Life Status Program. This is a lifetime achievement program where you accumulate Life Status points based on your JAL Group flights and lifestyle service usage, such as credit card spending.
The program has several tiers. As a JMB Elite member, you receive two free lounge access passes per year. For those who achieve JMB Elite Plus, this increases to six times per year, applicable to both domestic and international Sakura Lounges and certain shared domestic lounges.
There are even higher membership levels, but since I haven’t reached them yet, I’ll skip those details for now.
To get started, consider joining the JAL Mileage Bank and working toward JMB Elite status!
・Sakura Lounge Haneda Airport Domestic Lounge View
The atmosphere in the South Wing lounge is quite pleasant. A long dining table is centrally positioned, but it doesn’t feel cramped at all. Instead, it gives a clean, spacious impression, adding to the lounge’s relaxed ambiance.
The South Wing lounge offers a spacious, horizontally extended area with various seating options, including single-seat counter tables by the windows, private rooms, and semi-private spaces. It’s a comfortable environment, with plenty of room for relaxing or even getting some work done at a desk before boarding.
The lounge also has shower facilities, which require a key obtained at reception, and there’s a smoking room available as well.
One notable difference from the international lounge is that the food offerings are limited to packaged snacks rather than full meals.
The drink selection in the Sakura Lounge includes options like milk, tomato juice, apple juice, and orange juice, along with a coffee machine for various choices. I opted for a café latte, which was a nice touch to relax before boarding.
The Sakura Lounge also has an unlimited beer server, which is a great perk for beer enthusiasts. For those who prefer other options, they also offer whiskey and gin, making it a worthwhile stop for anyone looking to enjoy a drink before their flight.
Compared to the International Sakura Lounge, the food offerings are more limited in the domestic lounge, but its proximity to the boarding gates adds convenience, making it still worth using.
Plus, Haneda Airport itself has plenty of shops and amenities, so even if you want to pass the time or relax before your flight, there are lots of options within the terminal.
Now, it’s time to board my flight and return to everyday life.
I had such a wonderful time on this Tokyo trip. Thank you for reading my blog! See you next time in the Okinawa edition.