Originally Posted by
Pickles
In my opinion, NRT has always been a dump relative to its Asian gateway competitors (HKG, ICN, SIN). I don't think it has gotten any better or worse, still remains an inconvenient, depressing dump, not much worse, not much better. The addition of T2 and a 10-year remodeling exercise didn't really do much to improve things.
Of course, I'd take NRT over pretty much all of the US gateway airports. If you want the gold standard in inconvenient and depressing, those are your role models.
Itīs still almost depressing to see how KIX as an alternative gateway to Japan was mishandled in most aspects. Of course, it could still be saved easily by adding a Shinkansen track and stations at the airport and either Shin-Osaka or another location. The cost would of course be immense but then there have been funnier ideas realized in Japan.