I've heard conflicting versions about transiting on Tokyo Airports.
I'm flying from Hong Kong (HKG) to Los Angeles (LAX), but my flights options are: (1) HKG-NRT-LAX; or (2) HKG-HND-LAX.
Do I need a Visa to connect on Japan Airports? Otherwise I will have to look for other options, since I won't be part of this "Tour Group Tourism" nonsense.

As long as you arrive and depart from the same airport, and within 24 hours in Haneda or same day in Narita, there are no pandemic hurdles to the transit, and it is basically like prepandemic.
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Just wanted to make sure I understand this comment. If I’m coming from LAX-NRT-CGK I don’t have to clear any extra security/customs line? I have a 90min connection.

Yes, there is no security line to go through when arriving from the US. It is just like doing a domestic connection in the US airport. You arrive and come out of the departure level (instead going through the arrival level to go through security check).

As CPH-Flyer has stated, there is no visa requirement to transit as long as you stay in the transit area at NRT.
I am interesting to learn where did you find flights operating from HKG-HND at the moment? I have been traveling to US via NRT from HKG in the past a few months and have more coming up the rest of year, and I have not seen any flights operting HKG-HND route. Perhaps I have been looking at the wrong places, for example, Google Flights are not showing any airlines offering direct services between HKG and HND..

Correct, arriving from the US in Narita. you exit the plane directly to the departure area without at security check. But even with a security check, 90 minutes is quite easy to manage.

Thanks for the info. Been about 10 years since I flew through NRT and I thought I had remember a security/customs check point before carrying on but glad I'm wrong. Not worried about the short connections now except for not being able to hit up the JAL First Class lounge.

It is more recent than 10 years that the security check was removed.

Yeah, Mayish 2019. I was there right before and right after it happened. Here's the FT thread on it: No more transfer security at NRT for pax ex-US connecting to international flights - FlyerTalk Forums

Any experience with checking in at ORD on separate tickets for ANA? Would I be able to access the first class lounge in NRT on separate tickets? Trips a few weeks away and hoping not to encounter any issues at check in. Not planning to check any bags. Thanks!

NH First Class ORD-NRT (VS Miles)
5 Hour Transit
NH Business NRT-HAN (Lifemiles)

No problem for check-in and transit.

I am not sure how NH treats lounge access these days, whether it is pure departure driven, or they would allow F lounge access based on the arriving class when going NH to NH. If the latter, it would just be a matter of showing your inbound boarding pass.

+1 - agree - pre COVID when we were connecting after arriving in F we were admitted to the NH F lounge -- which is great -- but not that much better than the J lounge -- just less crowded (back then) - but they did have better Champagne which made my wife happy.... IIRC correctly this was only on F flights on NH metal - UA F back then didn't count....

We're planning on flying ORD-NRT on JL, arrives in NRT at 14:55. There's a NRT-ICN on OZ at 16:20, so it would be a 1:25 connection time. From what I've read, 1:25 should be sufficient. However I'm assumming that we won't be able to check-in online for the NRT-ICN. Is 1:25 still enough time to find an OZ connection / transfer desk and check-in?

JL do have an interline aggrement with OZ, but it's probably too risky to try and check a bag at ORD?

I believe we will arrive in T2 International and we will need to take a shuttle bas to T1 Internation (South) which takes about 10 minutes.

1h 25m is possible on a single ticket connection. On a separate ticket connection you would really want to leave more space than that. OZ will see you as a Tokyo originating passenger until you show up at the gate. Any minimal delay, you will miss the connection and you are stuck trying to pay your way out of finding a new ticket last minute, or being returned to origin.

The bus takes 10-15 minutes, the first one you can catch is probably 15:30, unless your flight is early.

Ya I guess it's risky considering they're separate tickets and we have to change terminals, we really don't have any buffer for delays. We're probably safer doing the later NRT-ICN on ET.