We are truly living in a unique moment in time. As I look back on my photos of Tokyo Haneda Airport during my trip through last month, I am amazed that a once-bustling mini-metropolis now feels like a ghost town. The following photo essay seeks to capture what hopefully will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing HND in a very unusual state.
HND, also known as Tokyo International Airport, is a stellar airport that I have enjoyed traveling through for years. While this time the eerie silence and store closures were haunting, I hope that next time I fly to (not just through) Tokyo, I will return to a bustling airport with every store and restaurant and lounge open.
It’s funny you post that light bulb picture. On my first visit to Japan, I marveled at how even though not everything is necessarily shiny new, everything works. There isn’t a half-assed “out of order” sign scrawled anywhere: not on a train ticket machine, vending machine, bathroom stall, anywhere. I got particularly fascinated at how in train stations, malls, the airport, etc., there was not a single burned out or flickering light bulb. It became a mini obsession over the course of a week to find just one… I never did.
Matt – I do not think it’s once-in-a-lifetime thing…I am afraid that the era of mass travel (business and tourism) has come to an end, sadly. I do not see many countries (especially the ones in Asia and South Pacific) going back to their old selves for many years if ever. COVID brought about a systemic shift just like the tragedy of Sept 11 caused a systemic shift as well (e.g. 20 years passed since the tragic events and you still can not pack a full size toothpaste in your carry on)…
Let’s hope for some sort of comeback.
To be slightly pedantic: the liquid restrictions were not introduced until the scuppered 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot.
Hopefully bathroom stalls stay empty in photos even when HND returns to normal
Your photo essays are exceptional, Matthew. Your keen eye, aviation knowledge, and experience taking photos for the blog combine for what is truly an art form. The TWA hotel was another I loved.
You could easily find representation and potentially get a gallery showing You have a talent. It starts with the emotional of your love for the subject and extends outwards. An exhibit themed in the genre of Pandemic travel showcasing these haunting images would be acclaimed as a haunting reflection of all we have gone through the past two years.
Ignore my typos…I was typing this at stop lights
Why were so many flights cancelled?
This is Haneda, which has most of the domestic traffic into/out of Tokyo. Narita is even more of a ghost town, I’m guessing (although its decline started well before the pandemic, as more and more international routes shifted to Haneda).
Dido on the idea of systemic shift. I feel it is gearing for the very rich.
Beautiful photos of the airport. I was there myself 3 weeks earlier, and is was far from full or busy.
Can’t help but ask the question why this systemic shift is actually acceptable.
I wonder what Tokyo-Narita is like these days? I really miss flying through there when NRT was a hub for Delta and before that Northwest. The intra-Asia flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, Guam, Saipan, Manila, Singapore, and also the flights to Hawaii were epic. The Sky Club staff were amazing too.