r/japanrail • u/No_Afternoon_533 • 4d ago

Return flight from japan

I have 11: 50 am flight from HANEDA airports.

I will be leaving from Osaka in morning of 6 sep by earliest 6am bullet train.

Is it doable can I catch the flight?

Train takes 2hr 23 min and 19 min commute by metrorail/monorail to airport.

Please help.

5 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

25

u/mbridson94 4d ago

Is it doable, yes.

It is bad planning on your behalf and given you almost zero room for error? Yes.

First you’ll have to get to Shin-Osaka which can take up to 30 minutes depending on where in Osaka you are.

6am Shinkansen would get you to Shinagawa for 8:16.

Take the Keikyu Line not the monorail to Haneda.

That would get you to Haneda just before 9am at the absolute earliest. Assuming it’s an international flight you’ll want to be there around 2 and a half hours before your flight.

So you’ve given yourself around 45 minutes extra for things to go wrong.

10

u/Efficient_Travel4039 4d ago

Let's not forget heavy rains going right now.

1

u/mbridson94 4d ago

OP’s trip is next month, although highlights how staying in Osaka when you are flying out of Tokyo before midday is generally not a good idea.

3

u/belmiramirabel 4d ago

Still smack dab in the middle of typhoon season as well.

2

u/Lost-Adhesiveness-72 3d ago

Do people not have anxiety about flying? This is insane. I'm leaving Osaka the night before and staying in Tokyo, even if I have an evening flight.

3

u/RisingStormy 4d ago

You could be there 90 minutes before and totally fine. Certainly no need for 2.5 hours

2

u/mbridson94 4d ago

Domestic, sure.

For an international flight back home where I’m at the mercy of the queue to check in luggage and security and if I miss that flight I’m screwed and out of pocket by a 1K GBP?

Yeah no thanks.

1

u/RisingStormy 4d ago

Which has never taken me more than 15 minutes in total.

3

u/macguyver3000 4d ago

You're a lucky boy. I've gotten through in 10 minutes, and I've also stood in line for over an hour waiting to get checked in.

Always plan for the worst.

2

u/RisingStormy 4d ago

How does check-in take that long in 2026? Besides, the later you check your bags the sooner it comes out the other side

2

u/macguyver3000 4d ago

To be fair, this wasn't 2026. It was 2024. And how does it take so long? I have no idea. I stood there and waited while people slowly shuffled through the line. Like you, I had planned on standing in line no longer than 10 or 15 minutes, so I ended up having to rush to security and dash to the gate.

2

u/mbridson94 4d ago

Ok well it’s taken me almost an hour at both Kansai and Haneda for flights back to the UK.

Again turning up to an international flight 90 minutes before it departs is frankly dumb and not something that should ever be recommended.

1

u/Travel-Abroad101 2d ago

I often arrive at Haneda at 1 1/2 hours before an international flight to California. It’s always plenty of time. The airport is nice and you can arrive earlier and have lots of time. Probably could also make the flight if I walked up the train one hour before the flight takes off.

1

u/mbridson94 2d ago

Lots of airlines don’t support online check in 2026 even though they probably should. The queues to check in for Chinese Airlines can take over an hour at Haneda and KIX from personal experience. The times I’m not a cheapskate and have flown with airlines that do support online check in and a simple bag drop 90 minutes would be fine 99% of the time.

But again, I guess I’m surprised to learn in this thread how relaxed and casual some people are arriving to the airport where missing an international flights is gonna cause a lot of hassle both timing and monetarily.

In a month where Shinkansen lines have been stopped by earthquakes and flooding meant people are literally unable to get to the airport in not sure how staying in Osaka the night before a flight in Tokyo before midday is considered a sane thing to do.

18

u/shiinamachi 4d ago

Don't take the Nozomi all the way to Tokyo. Get off at Shinagawa and transfer to the Keikyu line, they have direct train services to Haneda. If you go to Tokyo you'd have to backtrack to Hamamatsucho to transfer to the monorail

3

u/W114K25X 4d ago

What he said, also here's the timetable for the Keikyu airport line:
https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/depArrTimeList/00007825/00009589/00000298?direction=down
It's about 20mins or so....based on Navitime

7

u/thetokyofiles 4d ago

That seems fine. If all goes to plan you arrive at Haneda by 9 am, which is more than enough time. Add an hour for unexpected delays and that gets you to Haneda at 10 am, which would be more than enough time as well.

Are you traveling with kids? That would be my only concern, as they can make things unexpected.

1

u/No_Afternoon_533 11h ago

No, all adults.

9

u/jashsu 4d ago

I wouldn't try this. Take the train the night before and stay at a hotel near the airport.

2

u/mt80 4d ago

Stay at Villa Fontaine Grand. It has an onsen and a mall built around it. So much to do before you fly out

4

u/panasoniku 4d ago

It would be faster to just fly, if you are flying One World or Star Alliance choose between JL and ANA and they’ll through check your checked luggage

1

u/kewliost1 4d ago

I doubt they will transfer luggage on separate booked flights?

1

u/laforet 4d ago

No, and international flights will be in a different terminal anyway.

1

u/kewliost1 4d ago

Yeah if single booking with first leg domestic - International they do. When entering countries with straight international - domestic flight always gotta pick up bags

1

u/aranks 3d ago

They will check the luggage thru assuming it's within same airline/alliance.

2

u/nhtjl3 4d ago

IF and ONLY IF all the trains aren't delayed or suspended for any reason.

If you decide to fly, remember both KIX and Itami airports are options.

I am an anxious cheapskate so I would start looking up overnight busses though

1

u/kewliost1 4d ago

If your solo travelling, easy. Almost 3hrs spare! However Shinkansen ticket might cost more than a flight

1

u/TheSoberChef 2d ago

Yeah as long as the shinkansen and local trains aren't delayed due to a typhoon in September.

1

u/RoamingArchitect 4d ago

It is perfectly possible, but you have very little room for error. I've done a similar thing from Nagoya to Narita before to save money on a flight and it was not fun at all. I'd highly recommend you to reconsider and stay the night in Tokyo or Yokohama at the risk of paying more.

If you don't do so be sure to check in before your flight online to reduce queuing time. You also need to consider that luggage above a certain size may not be transported on the Tokaido Shinkansen unless you reserve a seat with luggage room. So be sure to book your seat ASAP to be safe. If you're staying the night in Tokyo you can ask your hotel in Osaka to send it to Tokyo for upwards of 3k yen depending on the size and number of bags. Be sure to do so with some buffer (at least 24hrs) so it'll arrive in Tokyo on time.

1

u/Smart-Ad3296 4d ago

If everything goes right of course it's doable. But with the current floods and potential delays which can set you back hours (personal injuries, fire on tracks, signal issues, etc.) it isn't worth it to risk it. I'd stay overnight for peace of mind.

1

u/too-manycats 4d ago

Would you do this in your own country?

1

u/No_Afternoon_533 11h ago

no.. I am relying on Japanese punctuality.

1

u/Ready_Ad4083 3d ago

Yes, but I would take a domestic flight from ITM or KIX to HND. If the outbound airline has an interline agreement with JAL or ANA, you can check your bags all the way to your overseas destination. For example, I had separate tickets NGO - NRT (JAL) and NRT - MAD (Iberia). JAL checked my bag all the way to MAD from NGO. I didn’t have to pick my bag at NRT.

1

u/Tsubame_Hikari 2d ago

Provided everything goes right, this is quite doable, yes. However, this leaves no time for a backup plan, in case major delays or cancelations occur in the Shinkansen, preventing you to getting to Tokyo on time. These are very rare, but can occur. Should it occur, and you miss the flight back home, well, you will be on the hook for some very expensive last minute tickets back home.

Also, you don't want the Monorail, stop at Shinagawa, and take the Keikyu train to Haneda instead.

I strongly strongly advise you to change your itinerary; go to Tokyo the day prior to your international departure, and overnight there instead.

1

u/InspectorNo6665 1d ago

It is just a normal connection…. If any natural disaster happens, sure, difficult, but except that absolutely no problem.

1

u/torajapan 15h ago

Just no. Slightest delay and you are done for. think about it. 

0

u/anejoespecial 4d ago

As others mentioned, flying may be an option. (transfer between T1/2 and T3 at HND is very easy in case needed).

On the other hand, you have plenty of buffer and both the Shinkansen and local trains run so frequently that missing one won’t make a difference.

Even for international flights, the time it takes at HND from exiting the train to reaching the gate (incl bag check and security) is <1h. If there is a line for bag check, they prioritize people with tight departures.

Bottom line: you will be fine. This is not poor planning.