Does the Cathay lounge at Haneda have separate sides for first/emerald vs. all other eligibles, like they do at LHR T3?

Just went to Cathay lounge HND. No separate entrance that I know of.

Btw JAL skyview on L5 is closed. Sakura open on L4. Cathay closes at 5p as usual. Beef curry is far better than Sakura. Shrimp gratin, wonton noodles all spot on.

I�m flying AA to HND in J. What is the best lounge to kill a few hours in? Priority is food and maybe a shower. Can I access JL F lounges? CX? I think I�ll arrive in T3 and transfer to T1.

You'll have no access to the international lounges then, you clear immigration and customs directly after landing unless transferring to another international flight. I believe your incoming boarding pass will get you access to the JL domestic Sakura lounge, but prepare to be severely underwhelmed and probably overcrowded. Domestic lounges in Japan are just a place to kill a bit of extra time, not somewhere you want to spend hours. There are soft drinks, free beer, and maybe whiskey (can't remember if the business lounge has it or not). Having said that you didn't mention your status, if you're OneWorld Emerald then you can access the domestic F lounge, which isn't much better in terms of selection but is far less crowded. There's very little food in either of them, so if you're really hungry buy something outside and take it in with you (that's acceptable here, I get McDonalds or Subway all the time in the terminal and take it in, but both are pre-security and downstairs near the train stations).

Also no showers in the domestic lounges. There's a paid arrivals shower in the international terminal you might be able to use before you go to T1.

When you go back out, assuming it's also HND, and assuming J again without Emerald status, then the CX lounge is far better in my opinion than the JL Sakura (business) lounge. As a matter of fact I go to JL F lounge just for drinks then go to the CX lounge to eat (or vice versa depending how hungry I am).

Thanks all around! It�s a domestic F flight, so I feared I�d be stuck in a simpler lounge in another terminal. It�s a 5 hour layover, but such is life.

Appreciate the info on the CX lounge and tip about taking food in!

Ah, if it's a JL F Domestic flight you'll get access to the Diamond Premier lounge (Domestic F lounge, same one OW Emeralds access). Having said that it's not a place with much to do or eat on a 5 hour layover.
https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/dom/serv...d/diamond.html
You'll still want to get something in the terminal whether that's fast food downstairs by the train station, or something more local in the upper levels of the terminal. Most of it is before security. There are a few eateries behind security, but not many. All of the variety is outside. Also HND domestic is extremely efficient, baggage cutoff is 30 mins, entering security is 20 mins before your flight and boarding close is 10 mins, so if you find something interesting to do away from the airport, go for it. Kamata station isn't exactly the creme de la creme of the city but it's only 10 minutes away and could easily occupy some time. You've also got Shinagawa station about 20-30 mins away, it's a business district but has some decent restaurants. Those are both direct shots out of the airport, Kamata is on Keikyu line, as is Shinagawa if you stay on the train a bit longer. The other train at HND, Tokyo Monorail doesn't go anywhere particularly interesting without changing trains.

We are 1 x GGL, 2 x gold and a silver. Is JAL or CX F better and are we able to access either of them?

JL F.

People will have different opinions on this but I prefer the CX lounge. JL F is a lot noisier and busy. The food menu is very Japanese which may be a positive for you but doesn't do anything for me, I usually get some sushi and go to the CX lounge after. The JALs Salon upstairs is nice if you fancy Japanese whiskey but isn't open all day, I do believe it's open during the hours you'll be there. CX has their noodle bar and some great offerings at it. They also have proper Bloody Mary ingredients, which I enjoy before a morning flight.

If you have time, go to both and form your own opinion.

Couldn't have said it better.
Watch CX lounge opening hours tho.