Tokyo Narita International Airport is the smaller of the two major ANA hubs. In its home at Terminal 1, the airline operates three departure lounges, with one ANA Suite Lounge for First Class and two for Business Class. Confusingly, all lounges are labelled ‘Satellite’ which corresponds to their location in Terminal 1. In this post, I will review the ANA Lounge Satellite 5, the largest and most expansive of the two ANA lounges in Narita.

Lounge Access Rules

Unlike most airlines, ANA extends its lounge access policy to a wide range of passengers travelling on the airline or a Star Alliance member. Whilst this might sound great for certain prospective passengers, it also means that the lounge can often be overcrowded. Specifically, First, Business, and Premium Economy Class passengers boarding an ANA flight are eligible for entry. This is followed by First and Business Class passengers on Star Alliance carriers. For frequent flyers, access is permitted for ANA Diamond Service, Platinum Service, Super Flyer, and Million Miler members, as well as Star Alliance Gold members. In any case, the easiest way to confirm your eligibility is by using this nifty search tool on the ANA website.

Location

The ANA Lounge Satellite 5 is located in the terminal’s South Wing near gates 51 – 55. After reaching this area, go up on the escalators in the open atrium. You’ll find the entrance to the lounge right as you step off the escalators. This entrance at Terminal 1 Satellite 5 is shared between the ANA Lounge for Business Class passengers and the ANA Suite Lounge for First Class passengers.

ANA Lounge Satellite

Right by the entrance was a reception desk where a lounge agent welcomed me and took a scan of my boarding pass. I arrived as part of my connecting itinerary from Manila and had access by virtue of departing my ANA Business Class ticket to Jakarta. After confirming my access eligibility, the agent pointed me towards the left, on which side the ANA Lounge is located.

Lounge Seating

The ANA Lounge Satellite 5 consists of two large sections divided by a small corridor which connects the two areas. As you’d often find to be the case in Japanese airports, the lounge is arranged in a utilitarian manner designed to fit as many seats as efficiently as possible. Hence, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see that much of the lounge features rows and rows of the same style of seating!

First seating area

After walking from the reception into the ANA Lounge, the corridor opens into the lounge’s first seating area. As this is also where the main food spread is located, it makes sense that this is also the most crowded area in the lounge. In this section, there are three types of seating available, most of which are rows and rows of sofa chairs.

Each sofa chair is separated by a side console with a small table lamp. The console is thoughtfully hollow and could be a good place to store a carry-on. There are also hangers scattered irregularly along the rows, suitable for coats and small bags. Still, those didn’t stop certain people from leaving their belongings on the aisle, which made the tightly arranged space feel narrower than it already was.

Running along the window is a long desk-like surface, accompanied by a row of sofa chairs. Given the views and the proper table, this would be one of the best places to sit down in the lounge. Conversely, there are also several long table seats and some bar seats on the interior of the lounge. Since these separate the main seating area and the food spread, I imagine these are intended mainly for dining.

Regardless, I was surprised to see that the majority of seats did not have power outlets. The omission of this seems like a myopic decision since power outlets should be a given at any self-respecting airport lounge nowadays. Plugs are available only on the desk seats by the window and near the buffet.

Corridor seating

Located in the corridor connecting the two seating areas are also several rows of seats. The setup is identical to that in the first seating area, featuring sofa chairs separated by a console as well as coat hangers. This space is visibly more spacious and less densely packed and is next to the toilets. As such, this is where most passengers on wheelchairs are seated.

Second seating area

Past the corridor is the second seating area, which is also the largest seating area in the lounge. Ultimately, the seating options in this area are identical to those in the other sections of the lounge. For one, there are rows and rows of sofa chairs clad in dark-coloured leather, complementing the greyish tones of the lounge. There are also several rows of desk seating, each side which is separated by a privacy partition.

On the far end, there is a bit more variation in the type of sofa chair offered, upholstered in a velvety material instead. However, the setup remains similar, featuring rows of sofa chairs that are each separated by a hollow side console table. A few rows of these chairs are arranged in pairs, which makes it ideal for those travelling as a couple.

In addition, unlike the first seating area, the console tables here feature two power outlets for every seat. Bear in mind that these are the 100V Type A plugs standard in Japan. If you’re coming from the UK, EU, or Commonwealth countries, you will need an adaptor.

At the very far end, there are also another few rows of desk seating. Interestingly, the desk seats facing the interior-view windows feature ergonomic work chairs. In the same area, there are also three massage chairs and a telephone booth. The former was unfortunately fully occupied during my visit, preventing me from getting a picture.

Finally, there are several more rows of desk seating by the food spread, which I think is suited for dining and drinking.

Business Centre

On the interior wall of the first seating area is also a small business centre of sorts. This features a full-fledged copy machine (and printer), which you don’t see often in airport lounges outside Japan. There is also a telephone booth, which curiously isn’t enclosed, unlike those in Japan Airlines lounges.

Lounge WiFi

The lounge has a dedicated WiFi network separate from the rest of the terminal. There was no password for the network and the speed was reasonably good, especially compared to the terrible network at the ANA Lounge in Haneda. Despite that, I’ll note that the coverage isn’t all-encompassing, with a few very weak spots in the lounge.

Dining

In the ANA Lounge, the food spreads are divided between two areas, corresponding to the two respective seating areas available. The first seating area notably also has an à la carte noodle bar, which is perhaps the nicest dining offering on offer.

Buffet spread

The main buffet spread is located in the first seating area, running along the interior wall of the section. Here, there is a varied selection of cold and hot dishes that are pretty much identical to the options at the Haneda ANA Lounge. First, there is a salad bar located on a chilled island counter at the front of the spread. This is complemented by several cold sandwiches and crackers.

Next to the salad bar are two choices of Japanese rice balls (onigiri) and inarizushi (rice-stuffed fried tofu skin). There is also a choice of bread rolls and rice crackers, accompanied by condiments like soy sauce, mayonnaise, jam, and etc.

Finally, the choice of cold food is topped by a modest selection of hot food in a bain-marie. During my visit around lunchtime, the choice included Fried Chicken and French Fries, Fusili Pasta with Bacon, Ratatouille, mini-Pork and Beef Hamburgs, and roasted seasonal vegetables. Also available is the airline’s signature ANA Original Chicken Curry, which is served with white rice. In any case, the lounge’s most updated food menu can be viewed on ANA’s dedicated lounge page on their website.

A less comprehensive supplementary buffet spread is also available in the second seating area. This spread features an identical selection of cold food items and just one hot option. Since the selection is identical to the main buffet spread, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Noodle Bar

At the far end of the first seating area is a small booth that’s referred to by ANA as a noodle bar. Despite its name, there isn’t a proper bar located by the live kitchen preparing noodle dishes. Here, you could request noodles from an à la carte menu, which includes a selection of udon and soba as well as one ramen option. I got a bowl of kitsune udon, which I found satisfying.

Drinks

The ANA Lounge has a respectable offering of soft and alcoholic drinks, fitting for a flagship international airline lounge. For the choice of caffeine-based beverages, there are two coffee machines alongside a choice of tea. In addition to a standard-looking coffee machine, there is also a coffee dispenser dispensing hot and cold coffee.

Following that, there is also a soft drinks dispenser as you’d often find in Japan. Unlike those offered at JAL Lounges, the drinks at ANA Lounge are curiously presented by PepsiCo, featuring brands offered by the company. There is also a Suntory-branded water dispenser in addition.

Finally, in terms of alcoholic drinks, there are three kinds of Japanese liquor, in addition to four whiskies, a gin, a vodka, a bottle of Campari and several choices of wines. There are also two choices of beer dispensed by a beer machine. At the ANA Lounge, a standard offering of Asahi Super Dry and Kirin Ichiban-bori is available.

Finally, there is also a chiller filled with beer glasses and wine glasses. There is also a supplementary selection of liquors and liqueurs available, in addition to milk and tomato juice.

Showers

Having known better from my last layover, I made a shower request as soon as I arrived at the lounge. This is done by registering your phone number and details on the shower booking machines by the service desk. Once you get to the front of the waitlist, ANA will text the registered number, which you’ll have to show the shower attendant within 10 minutes.

I was advised a waiting time of just over an hour and carefully refreshed the status of my waitlist every few minutes or so. However, even as I neared the front of the waiting list, I never received a text. Soon enough, I also found that my shower reservation had been automatically cancelled(?!) Disappointed, I politely issued a complaint to the agent at the service desk, who promptly made a few calls and offered me an immediate shower. Although I was grateful for her help, I can’t wrap my head around how difficult and inefficient it is to get a shower at the ANA Lounge.

Shower suites

The shower suites at the ANA Lounge are located to the right of the reception area. These showers are also shared with the ANA Suite Lounge, which almost certainly guarantees that it will always be occupied. After going down the corridor to the showers, there is a small reception where you’ll need to exchange your boarding pass with the shower keys.

Each shower suite features a bidet-equipped toilet in addition to the shower stall. There were also a number of amenities available, which gave the space a bit of a cluttered look. Whilst I liked the luggage rack and the vanity stool, I found the fan and the clock to be rather unusual additions. Curiously, offered was also a pair of slippers, which is perhaps the first time I’ve seen one at an airport shower.

Despite the antiquated look of the space, I found it well-kept, dry, and clean. I also found the water temperature and pressure to be fine. Either way, I’m not complaining since this shower felt very refreshing after my early morning start to the day.

In addition, I liked the amenities offered in the shower suites, which feature good-quality toiletries from Mikimoto Cosmestic (similar to those at Yokohama Royal Park Hotel). This was accompanied by a cleansing oil, alongside an excellent facial lotion and cream from Kosé Sekkisei. Better yet, there was also a Dyson hairdryer, which was a nice touch.

Overall

All in all, I found the ANA Lounge Satellite 5 at Narita Airport to be a solid Business Class lounge. Despite its shortcomings, I recognise that the space is a very functional and pragmatically-designed space fitting as an executive waiting room. I found the food to be pretty good, and the showers to be great (if you get one). Assuming that the lounge is quiet, it could even be a nice place to relax… although I’ll admit I won’t be one to arrive early for this.

Read more from this trip here!