I came to Haneda Airport 3T not only for the terminal itself, but also for one other thing…
With LUMIX GF10 in hand (this compact and lightweight camera is literally “in hand”), I headed here. Haneda Airport Garden.
This shopping mall, which is directly connected to the arrival hall of 3T, opened at the end of January this year, so it is a newcomer that is only a little over six months old. Actually, I visited here once in the spring, but it was only a brief stopover on my way to the next destination, so still I’ve been curious about it.
The official website is here.
I visited the mall again and found that more than half of the building is designed for inbound tourists, which is not surprising since it is directly connected to airport. The atrium plaza has a magnificent roofed turret (or is it turret?), and it has a purely Japanese summer festival atmosphere that you can rarely find in Tokyo,
A prestigious souvenir store is TAX FREE and has a huge display of products that says “This is Japan, Japanese style, Japanese quality, yes this is OMOTENASHI way”.
In one corner of this store (a little visible), there is quite a large display of Tohaku(Tokyo National Museum) goods, and I was impressed here, following my previous article, that they are pushing Tohaku hard at Haneda. I didn’t take a picture of it, so I didn’t post it here, but the monorail station also had a large decorative sign.
Shopping malls, hotels, and even hot spring Onsen facilities have been built in the area.
I guess this is a third party facility that is not an integral part of the airport, but it is as good as Singapore Changi Airport in terms of usability. I wish them the best of luck.
Because of the interior and design of the mall, my post seemes very “red” this time. Let’s take a look at the scenery “outside” the mall to rest our eyes for a moment (lol).
Spread out under a cloudy sky is a view of the mouth of the Tama River at the border of Tokyo Prefecture. This bank is Ota Ward, Tokyo, and the opposite bank is Kawasaki City, Kanagawa. The Tokyo Bay Aqualine highway, which runs along the seafloor, stretches from the basement of the opposite bank toward the “Tower of the Wind,” which appears smaller than a pea in the offshore direction.
Now,
We have been thinking, “All shopping malls these days are filled with the same kind of stores: souvenir shops, drugstores, chain restaurants, fast-fashion shops, and Starbucks, all aimed at inbound shoppers. We, the middle to lower class Tokyoites, often lie about such things, but I thought that Haneda Airport Garden might be a place where stores with a strong quirkiness gather, which would surprise us.
Recently, they have been steadily expanding their stores in Kawagoe town, but I never thought I would see them at Haneda! “Kurazukuri Honpo confectionary”
“Meiran restaurant” in Yokohama’s Chinatown, famous for its unique fried noodles that have some enthusiastic fans.
My biggest surprise. Why is that “Kikuya ware shop” in Kichijoji here?
Sometimes, I know ole here! But why? Sometimes I’m surprised, but the rest of the time, the stores are basically “I’ve never heard of this place, but it looks kind of nice”. Perhaps each visitor feels that “I know this store! I only know this one”. I think they are gathering such “locally well-known” stores from the suburbs of Tokyo (or from all over the country?).
I don’t know if this will be successful or not, but I have a feeling that it is an interesting tenant policy. I hope all the stores will prosper.
Haneda Airport Garden may be a surprisingly interesting mall.
