Travel-in-Japan hacks: Fukuoka Airport’s Lounge Time North seriously impresses our reporter

The cool part is that anyone can use it, even if they’re not planning on getting on an airplane.

Our Japanese-language correspondent Masanuki Sunakoma considers Japan’s Fukuoka Airport to be among the most convenient airports in the world. For one, it’s only five minutes by the Fukuoka Subway to the main train hub of Hakata Station and about 10 minutes to Tenjin Station. On top of that, Fukuokakuko Station is connected directly to the Domestic Passenger Terminal Building, making for super smooth travels to and from the airport.

▼ Fukuoka Airport

There are a few lounges located within the airport for passengers to use while waiting for flights. After binging on gyoza and more at a local supermarket during his Fukuoka travels, Masanuki decided to try out the Lounge Time / North (ラウンジTIME / ノース) before flying back to Tokyo. It’s on the first floor of the Domestic Passenger Terminal Building in the general area before security, so even non-travelers can access it.

▼ Lounge time / North

The lounge is open from 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. with no closed days throughout the year. Cardholders who have member cards through the following companies can use the lounge for free, otherwise the entrance fee is 1,100 yen (US$8.25) for adults and 500 yen for children.

Masanuki purposely arrived at the airport quite early in order to get some work done and felt that he would be able to concentrate more easily in the lounge as opposed to at a cafe. Thankfully, the entrance fee includes soft drinks or one can of beer, so he could still sip on a refreshment while working.

The self-service soft drinks bar offers Coca-Cola, Real Gold energy drink, Calpis [Calpico], and Sokenbicha tea, along with freshly brewed coffee and black and green tea bags.

In addition, there’s also a special station with tomato juice, green vegetable juice, and Alphonso mango juice. Those who choose one can of beer can also access the soft drinks bar for an additional 220 yen.

After grabbing a drink, it was time for Masanuki to get to work (which is sometimes harder to do in the SoraNews24 office with the constant shenanigans there). The lounge has seating capacity for 146 people, including 133 non-smoking seats and 13 smoking seats.

For those who want to relax, there are plenty of spacious sofa-style seats. For those who want to work, the desk seats with power outlets in the “business corner” are probably the most convenient. The whole lounge offers free Wi-Fi.

At this particular moment, the desk seats were fairly packed. Masanuki then counted his blessings when he spotted an open booth-style desk seat.

The booth desks are located furthest in the back of the business corner and offer the most privacy to focus on work.

▼ The location of the booth desks within the business corner

▼ All set up and ready to rock n’ roll!

The one point of caution that Masanuki would like to share is that since the lounge is located in the pre-security area, you can’t work right up to the last minute before your flight. Make sure to factor in enough time for getting through security and walking to your gate.

All in all, Masanuki had such a pleasant experience that he highly recommends stopping by Lounge Time / North the next time you’re passing through Fukuoka Airport. It’s so close to Hakata Station that you could even use it when you’re not traveling but really need to concentrate on something. Maybe you can also pair it with the 24-hour sauna right outside of Hakata Station as well!

Reference: Fukuoka Airport Lounge Time / North
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