r2luo

Hey all, I'm planning a trip from Toronto to Shanghai with a 13-hour layover in Japan.
The flight from Toronto to Tokyo is operated by Air Canada, and the Tokyo to Shanghai leg is with ANA.
Since I want to take advantage of this layover and leave the airport to explore for a day before returning for my connecting flight, will I need to collect my checked luggage during this layover?
Any advice or clarification would be greatly appreciated!

bmwe92fan

We need a bit more information -- is this on one ticket, or two? I am assuming this is an overnight connection -- is it NRT or HND?

Most likely you are going to need to enter Japan, collect your bags, head to a hotel and then enjoy Tokyo for a bit -- and then head back to the airport. In theory this is possible if on one ticket but if it's a 13 hour overnight connection 99% of the time will require you to collect your bags and recheck. The other 1% is possible since both of your airlines are Star Alliance and there may be the potential to have them checked through -- but honestly it's not likely...

One last thing to check -- I'm not 100% up to speed on the latest China entry requirements -- just make sure you are familiar with the Japanese requirements for entry into China versus Canada (i.e. do you need any additional documents / tests since you entered Japan on the way to China)...

jib71

I don't mean to start the same mindless debate we had when folks said "99% of people are masked" / "no, you lousy liar, it's only 98%" ... but IME it's possible to make an overnight trip into town without having to pick up bags that are checked through to the final destination. Of course, as you say, everything depends on the agreements in place between the airlines and the tickets that the OP has purchased.

bmwe92fan

+1 Totally agree -- and I have done this too -- but when I saw a likely overnight connection and the fact that AC was the initial carrier -- I thought 99% was warranted

ttuna3

I'm assuming that this is for the leg(s) to China being the first flown:

Entry into Japan from Canada shouldn't be an issue., There will likely be extra requirements for getting into China from the Chinese . Baggage might be an issue if separate tickets, it all depends on the AC policy. I'm not sure what AC does with ANA but I haven't had issues with AC to UA on separate tickets coming from Europe being checked through. Assuming you don't get a hotel the worst case outbound is that you might need to either take it with you if ANA won't check it in if it's an overnight layover, they usually will check bags if you're laying over less than about 22 hours. If the ANA flight is a very early morning one then they'll check things in if there's an international desk open when you get to HND.

Heading back will be more of an adventure depending on what the entry requirements are. You will need to see what both the Japanese and Canadian entry requirements are if you actually enter Japan. Baggage shouldn't be an issue if your layover isn't too long since ANA doesn't have a problem checking bags through to Star Alliance partners.

r2luo

Thanks for all your suggestions, really appreciate it!
I will be flying into NRD and have an overnight connecting flight on the same ticket.
It sounds like a prudent idea to double check with AC about my checked baggage if I decide to leave the airport. Even though it's likely that I'll need to take it with me

jamar

From the Chinese side you technically need a rapid test, but it can be self-administered; just have a photo of the test result. The entry declaration also asks you to list your travel history in the last 14 days; entering Japan means you'll have to put it down (as opposed to if you stayed in the airport).

r2luo

Thanks all!!
I'm entering via HND, sounds like I will need to double check with AC on checked bags (though from the replies most likely I will need to re-checkin).