China to Tokyo Flight Guide 2026: Narita or Haneda, ANA or JAL

Pick your departure city first: the official timetables show only Haneda flights from Shenzhen and Qingdao, and only Narita flights from Hangzhou, Changchun, Harbin, Shenyang and Haikou; Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have both, and Dalian has Narita flights and is also named in Haneda's city list. All dated rows cover the summer-autumn season, 29 March to 24 October 2026; rows for the winter season from 25 October 2026 are not on these pages. This guide gives no fares: contact us with your dates for a quote.

Quick answer by situation

• Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou: either airport; pick by flight time and by where you will stay.
• Shenzhen or Qingdao: Haneda, on ANA; it fits stays around Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku.
• Dalian, Hangzhou, Changchun, Harbin, Shenyang or Haikou: Narita; it suits stays around Ueno, Nippori and Asakusa.
• Japan Airlines: check Japan Airlines' website for flights from your city; see the JAL or ANA section.

The timetable pages named below do not list Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi'an, Chongqing, Kunming, Xiamen, Fuzhou, or flights by Air China, China Eastern, Juneyao, Xiamen Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shandong Airlines or Shenzhen Airlines. Read these dates against each airline's booking page.

Where the rows come from. ANA, "ANA China Mainland Flight Timetable" (Chinese-language page): 29 March to 24 October 2026, local times, subject to approval; flight times and numbers may change. It lists return flights too, which the table omits. China Southern, "Flight Timetable" (Chinese-language PDF): for reference only; day patterns are unexplained digits, so the table gives flight days per week. Hainan Airlines, "International and regional summer-autumn flight plan" (Chinese-language page): 29 March to 24 October 2026, updated 13 August 2026; the sales system's display governs. Spring Airlines, "Shanghai to Tokyo (Narita) timetable" (Chinese-language page): ends 9C8515 on 23 October 2026, while the airline's notice of 11 October 2025 says 24 October 2026; the pages do not explain why.

JAL or ANA for flights from China to Tokyo?

ANA. Its timetable page lists the ANA flights in the table above. Narita's "Detailed Airline Information (ANA)" page puts ANA's international flights in Terminal 1 South Wing (4F). Best for: you leave from a city with an ANA row and want a published timetable and the baggage numbers below. Not for: you leave from a city without one.

JAL. Narita's "Detailed Airline Information (JAL)" page lists Terminal 2 (3F) for JAL's international flights, and the Haneda Airport website's airline list (the link opens a data file) names Japan Airlines. JAL's flights from your city, baggage and fare rules are on Japan Airlines' own website. Best for: you find a JAL flight from your own city there. Not for: picking JAL from this guide alone, which lists no JAL route.

Narita or Haneda: which fits your trip?

Haneda. Best for: stays around Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku or Tokyo Station, a short ride into the city, and families heading to Tokyo Disney Resort. Not for: landing after about midnight, because the last train leaves early (below).

Narita. Best for: stays around Ueno, Nippori or Asakusa, and flights that land there. Not for: stays around Shinagawa, Shibuya or Shinjuku if you want few changes. Keisei's fare page says Skyliner passengers change at Nippori to the JR Yamanote Line for Tokyo, Shinagawa and Shinjuku stations. The Narita Express stops at Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku, but Narita's "Rail" page gives no time or fare for it.

How long does Haneda take to reach central Tokyo?

The Haneda Airport website's "Train & Monorail" page says Haneda connects directly to the Keikyu Line and the Tokyo Monorail. It and Haneda Airport Access Guide's "Fare and Time Search" give estimated times on different bases, so the columns differ.

Haneda Airport Access Guide's "Information for late night/early morning users" gives the last train from Haneda Airport Terminal 3 Station to Shinagawa at 00:08, arriving 00:20, on weekdays, weekends and holidays alike. The first train leaves at 05:26 and arrives at 05:46. The page lists Terminal 3 Station only; China Southern's "Tokyo Haneda International Airport" page (Chinese-language page) says its flights use Terminal 3.

How do you get from Narita into Tokyo?

Narita Airport website's "Rail" page says the Skyliner stops at the stations for Terminal 1 and for Terminals 2 and 3, then at Nippori and Keisei Ueno. Keisei's Skyliner page gives as little as 36 minutes to central Tokyo, with no station named, in its Skyliner and Tokyo Subway ticket text, and as little as 41 minutes to Keisei Ueno in its Skyliner and taxi ticket text.

Keisei's "Skyliner fares from major stations" page gives ¥2,470 from Narita Airport Terminal 1 or Terminal 2·3 to Nippori or Ueno. Its Skyliner FAQ gives ¥2,580 one way for the same stretch (a ¥1,280 base fare plus a ¥1,300 reserved-seat ticket). The pages do not explain the difference.

When is Tokyo busy? Holidays in China and Japan

The official pages give no peak or off-peak calendar and no fares, so this section lists dates to set your own trip against.

China. The State Council General Office's "Notice on the arrangement of certain public holidays in 2026" (Chinese-language page; 国办发明电〔2025〕7号, dated 4 November 2025, on the Beijing government portal) ends with National Day, 1 to 7 October 2026, with Saturday 10 October a working day; the page gives no 2027 dates, which require a later General Office notice.

Japan, public holidays, from the Cabinet Office's "「国民の祝日」について" (Japanese-language page) for 2026 (Reiwa 8) and 2027 (Reiwa 9):

Japan, school holidays. Only Shinjuku Ward's school calendar page (教育課程日程（学期・休業日）, Japanese-language page), for school year Reiwa 8 (2026), updated 22 January 2026, gives dates: summer break 21 July to 31 August, winter break 26 December to 7 January, spring break for elementary and junior high schools 26 March to 5 April. It does not say whether the rest of Tokyo is the same, and it gives no dates for other cities or for Reiwa 9.

Obon, Golden Week and New Year. The Japan National Tourism Organization's "Japan in August", "Japan in May", "Japan in December" and "Japan in January" pages (Chinese-language pages) say:

• Obon runs from 13 to 16 August, and air, rail and bus tickets sell out before it.
• Golden Week runs from late April into early May, and trains and inns fill up.
• The New Year holiday is usually 29 December to 3 January; the January page says tickets and lodging are hard to get in early January.

For where to stay, see where to stay in Tokyo.

Summer. Put Marine Day (20 July 2026), Mountain Day (11 August 2026), Obon (13 to 16 August) and Shinjuku's summer break (21 July to 31 August) alongside your travel dates, then read the baggage and refund rules below. The pages named in this guide give no "when to buy" rule and no airline sale dates for Tokyo flights. Families visiting in the school holidays can read about Tokyo Disney Resort hotels.

Rules to check before you book

How much baggage can you check?

ANA adds that another airline's rules may apply to that airline's flights, code-share flights included. The pages above do not cover Air China, Hainan Airlines, Juneyao or Xiamen Airlines on Japan routes. Spring Airlines (9C) and Spring Japan (IJ) apply different baggage rules; this comparison covers them.

What are ANA's carry-on and power-bank rules?

ANA's "Baggage" page (in Chinese; no date, but it states effective dates) sets these rules for ANA Group flights only.

• From 1 April 2026: one cabin bag and one personal item, up to 10 kg together; from 1 July 2026, the personal item is at most 40 cm x 30 cm x 20 cm.
• Cabin bag, three sides total: up to 115 cm (within 55 cm x 40 cm x 25 cm) on aircraft with 100 seats or more; up to 100 cm (within 45 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm) on smaller aircraft.
• Power banks, flights from 24 April 2026: not in checked baggage; up to 160 Wh each, 2 per passenger; tape the terminals or bag each one in plastic. Do not charge a power bank from onboard power or use one to charge devices.

Which change and refund rules apply?

China Southern's refunds and changes FAQ (in Chinese, no date) lists special cases, not a voluntary-change fee table:

• Wrong passenger type, route, flight number or date: tell China Southern within 2 hours after buying and buy a new China Southern ticket; the mistaken ticket can be refunded free.
• Flight departing more than 15 minutes late, or cancelled, moved earlier, rerouted or changed in cabin or service class, for China Southern's reasons or for reasons such as weather or air traffic control, so that you need a refund: no refund fee.
• Involuntary change on an international or regional flight, when China Southern's alternative does not suit you: one free change, to a date from 7 days before to 14 days after the originally booked date, departure day included.

The fee for a voluntary change or refund follows the fare rules shown when you buy the ticket.

What have the Foreign Ministry and airlines said about Japan travel?

• 26 March 2026, 17:59: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Consular Service website (in Chinese) posted "Reminder to Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan", in which the Ministry and China's embassy and consulates in Japan "solemnly remind" Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan. It asks those already in Japan to follow the local security situation closely.
• 26 January 2026: the Ministry posted "Reminder to Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Japan during the Spring Festival" (in Chinese).
• Embassy list: the Chinese Embassy in Japan's consular reminders (in Chinese, running to 18 September 2026) carry "avoid traveling to Japan" reminders dated 14 November 2025, 30 January 2026, 18 February 2026 and 4 March 2026.

None of these pages says whether a reminder has been replaced or withdrawn. Look at the Ministry's Consular Service website and the embassy's reminders page for new reminders before you go.

China Eastern. Its notice on special handling of tickets for Japan-related routes (关于东航日本相关航线客票特殊处理的通告, in Chinese), dated 26 January 2026, says it was issued because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a "solemn reminder" about Chinese citizens traveling to Japan.

• Scope: tickets beginning 781 with at least one unused segment to, from or via Japan (on China Eastern or another airline) whose flight date is from 29 March 2026 to 24 October 2026 inclusive; other unused segments on the same ticket have no date limit. Tickets must have been issued or reissued on or before 26 January 2026 12:00, and the trip must be cancelled on or after 26 January 2026 and before the scheduled departure time.
• Change: within ticket validity, one free change to a flight within 3 days before or after the original flight (inclusive). A further change, or one outside that range, follows the ticket's conditions of use.
• Refund: within ticket validity, unused segments can be refunded through the original purchase channel with no refund fee. A ticket already changed under the notice follows the conditions of use for a refund.

China Eastern's notice for Shanghai Airlines, also dated 26 January 2026, sets the same rules for Shanghai Airlines tickets beginning 781. Neither covers tickets issued after 26 January 2026 12:00. Other airlines publish their own notices; none is covered here.

Do you need a visa to visit Tokyo from China?

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes the JAPAN eVISA ("The JAPAN eVISA system" page, availability stated as of 15 May 2026) as a single-entry short-term tourist visa, up to 90 days; for Chinese nationals residing in China, the stay is 15 or 30 days. At the airport, eVISA holders must show the "Visa issuance notice" in an internet environment. A PDF, screenshot or printed copy is not accepted.

The Embassy of Japan in China's "Tourist visas to Japan (groups and individuals)" (in Chinese) lists:

• an individual single-entry visa, valid 3 months, with a 15- or 30-day stay the embassy decides;
• a three-year multiple-entry visa with a 30-day stay, for Okinawa and the six Tohoku prefectures or for people with sufficient financial means (any destination); this guide compares the two;
• a five-year multiple-entry visa with a 90-day stay, for people with considerably high income.

The embassy says tourist visas go through designated travel agencies; the Ministry says eligible travelers can apply for the eVISA online. Neither page explains how the two routes divide.

Fees: the Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai's "Visa fees" page (in Chinese) gives 715 yuan for a single-entry visa and 1,430 yuan for a multiple-entry visa from 1 July 2026. The Embassy's "Notice on changes to visa and other fees" (in Chinese, no date) agrees.

FAQ

Is there an off-peak month for China to Tokyo flights?

Use the public holidays in China and Japan, listed in the section on busy dates, to see which dates are busy. For fares, contact us with your dates for a quote.

Narita or Haneda?

Haneda suits stays around Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku; Narita fits stays around Ueno, Nippori and Asakusa. The last train from Haneda Terminal 3 Station to Shinagawa leaves at 00:08.

Can you change or refund a ticket?

China Eastern's and Shanghai Airlines' notices of 26 January 2026 give one free change to a flight within 3 days before or after the original one, or a refund of unused segments with no refund fee, within the ticket's validity and only for tickets beginning 781, issued or reissued on or before 26 January 2026 12:00, that fall within the scope listed above. China Southern's FAQ lists special cases, such as cancelled flights, with no refund fee.

Do you need a visa?

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes a JAPAN eVISA for tourism, with a 15- or 30-day stay for Chinese nationals residing in China. The Embassy of Japan in China lists other tourist visa types.

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