I recently visited Terminal 3, the new terminal that opened on April 8 at Narita Airport, on my way to Taiwan!
Narita Airport's Terminal 3 is a dedicated terminal for low-cost carriers (LCCs), and is designed to be a low-cost airport in terms of architecture and design, with a construction budget that is approximately half of the normal budget!
Incidentally, at the time of opening, the four airlines currently operating at Narita Airport are Jetstar, Vanilla Air, Spring Japan, and JEJU AIR.
I used Vanilla Air this time for a round trip to Taiwan (Taoyuan International Airport). The fare was about 30,000 yen, inexpensive.
e-sports tournaments held overseas require frequent travel, but without sponsorship income or other income, the cost of airfare can be quite burdensome.
If it is a long flight, LCC might affect the conditions, but I think LCC is sufficient for travel within the suburbs of Asia.
It would be more beneficial to spend less on airfare, book a good hotel, and use the cost to adjust to the local conditions.
Now, I would like to report on Narita International Airport Terminal 3!
Cool warehouse-like appearance!
I arrived at Terminal 3 at 5:00 a.m., just as the sun was beginning to rise. The exterior of the terminal looks like a warehouse, but it looks cool with "Terminal 3" lit up.
(I wonder what it looks like during the day...)
The floor of the terminal looks like a playground track!
Terminal 3 is characterized by its floor! It looks like a playground track.
Of course, this design was created with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mind, and to avoid congestion, the "blue" lanes are for departures and the "red" lanes are for arrivals, creating a flow line through the terminal.
Information board showing access to tourist attractions at a glance
The information board, written in English, features pictograms of sushi, pandas, and sumo wrestlers. Above all, the colors and icons are very cute!
Cloth information boards!
The information boards are not made of plastic or wood, but of cloth! The design is new and does not make you feel cheap.
Easy-to-understand restroom
The entrances to the men's and women's restrooms are clearly visible at a glance. I wanted to take pictures of the inside of the restroom, but I didn't have the courage to enter the restroom with my SLR camera. Too bad. Maybe next time...
A well-stocked food court where you can eat sushi!
The terminal has a food court lined with a variety of restaurants! The lineup includes familiar favorites such as Ringer Hut and Freshness Burger, as well as sushi and okonomiyaki restaurants!
Personally, I thought it would be chic to board the plane after having a quick sushi snack, just like an Edo-kko.... I'd like to try it next time I fly!
By the way, the back side of the food court information panel...
The panel is surprisingly cheaply made, but it is functional with a belt partition inside the information board.
Flight times are also displayed in the food court, so you don't have to worry about missing your flight.
Chairs for infants are also available for those with children.
The food court is large, so I felt like I couldn't hear or recognize the caller, but when it came time to order, I was given a device for notification. It was a relief.
This is what the ceiling of the food court looks like. The inorganic look is cool.
A sofa near the food court. They were supervised by Naoto Fukasawa, a product designer famous for MUJI and SIWA.
Airline company's original store
This is the Vstore, where you can find everything from food and beverages to snacks, sundries, and Vanilla Air goods ! There is also a wide variety of goods such as limited-edition totes, which are originally only available for in-flight purchase!
There is also a SPRING SHOP of Chunqiu Airlines. This SPRING SHOP is called "Spring" and is an antenna store not available in the Kanto area. There are two stores, one called "Autumn" near the boarding area after the security checkpoint, which sells snacks, beverages, and souvenirs from the Kanto region.
There are also travel goods, a drugstore, a bookstore, etc.
There is also a FaSoLa drugstore and a bookstore, offering a full range of convenient travel items.
A specialty store specializing in Japanese and Western confectionery, familiar to customers at Haneda Airport and Narita Airport's Terminal 1 and 2.
GRANSAC is a travel goods store that sells bags, and is also located in Terminal 1, and has an affiliate, Lapax, in Terminal 2.
Travel and insurance service counters
The booths, which include a travel insurance application counter, a SIM card sales counter, and a foreign currency exchange counter, are simple, with black and white as the basic color scheme.
Police officers' station
The police officers' station is also a plain white box.
Aeon Bank and Seven Bank ATMs
Aeon Bank and Seven Bank ATMs are located next to the restrooms. Both banks' ATMs are convenient for foreign travelers because cards issued overseas can be used.
It is nice to know that not only global brands such as VISA and MasterCard, but also JCB and UnionPay, which has an overwhelming market share in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, are supported.
Signboard of Seven ATM. The sign promotes the fact that major cards of the aforementioned global brands can be used for foreign tourists.
Isolated smoking area
The smoking area was in an inconspicuous and isolated location. While the entire Terminal 3 was all white-colored, the smoking area was all black.
Branching off in front of the baggage checkpoint
The information signs for the branching of domestic and international flights, before the baggage check, are also clearly separated and easily recognizable.
The signs are printed directly on the equipment instead of using freestanding or hanging signs, which is stylish and current.
After passing through immigration
After passing through immigration, a wide aisle is designed with simple and easy-to-understand information. This way, you will never get lost at the boarding gate.
The smoking area after immigration is a little more luxurious than the smoking area on 2F (before security check). It is a little more luxurious than the smoking area on the 2nd floor (before security check) and is similar to other terminals.
This is "Cafe Bene" which is also located in the food court. It is the only place to eat and drink after passing through immigration, so it is very useful.
To use Cafe Benet, you have to go to the airport or go to Akasaka where Fangler is located.
Waiting area before boarding
The sofas in the waiting area are all furnished by MUJI.
MUJI is known for the aforementioned Mr. Naoto Fukasawa, and these sofas were also supervised by him. The most surprising thing is that priority seating is available, and there is also a kid's park and massage chairs.
Summary of Narita International Airport Terminal 3
Getting Around
I took Narita Access to Terminal 3. It was convenient that it took only one bus from Ginza to get there in about one hour, but if you come by train, etc., you have to move between terminals.
I don't know because I didn't actually move between terminals, but I think it might be a little troublesome. I don't know, but I think it might be a little troublesome.
About immigration
To my surprise, there is no automated gate at Terminal 3. I also asked about it, and was told that there are no plans to install it in the future.
I personally hope that automated gates will be installed, because without them, immigration stamps will be stamped and pages will be wasted.
About the design
Terminal 3, which is expected to see an increase in passengers as the share of casually accessible LCCs increases, is designed to be simple yet functional.
We were impressed that this is a good example of how to cover the cost with design without spending a lot of money on materials.
Unlike DTP, the Web deals only with digital data, so it is easy to forget that we also design business cards, pamphlets, envelopes, and other items that come into physical contact with the public, so we want to do our best to provide good design as well as paper quality, foil stamping, and the use of various materials!
I'm sure we'll be using you many times in the future for our expeditions to e-sports tournaments!
Sorry, this article is only available in Japanese. at the moment.
