Photo/Illutration The new Haneda Airport Garden Bus Terminal will open on Jan. 31. (Sachiko Miwa)

A large-scale commercial complex featuring a hotel, gift shops and express bus terminal will open at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Jan. 31 to welcome returning tourists as Japan has lifted its strict border restrictions.

A ceremony was held on Jan. 25 to celebrate the launch of Haneda Airport Garden, three years later than initially scheduled due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The new facility will increase convenience for people who take early and late-night flights,” said Naoyuki Murata of Sumitomo Realty and Development Co., the developer and operator of the facility. “And there will be demand for our hotel from people who want to make day trips while staying there.”

The facility, located adjacent to Terminal 3 of the airport, features gift shops, restaurants, a hotel and a bus terminal that connects travelers to downtown Tokyo and areas surrounding the capital as well as tourist destinations such as Sendai and Kanazawa.

Other destinations connected to the express bus terminal include Aomori, Yamagata, Nagano, Niigata and Ise. The service will begin offering 30 daily trips and more routes will be introduced later.

Tourists are returning to Japan after the country began lifting its stringent border controls in October 2022.

Airlines and the tourist industry hope the new bus terminal draws more visitors by offering direct access to popular destinations without having to transfer to a train or other means.

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