Misawa (MSJ): three air forces and a civil terminal on one runway
A civil airport, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base and a US Air Force base share this site. The bus into town is fifteen minutes and 400 yen.
- A bus runs from Misawa Airport to Misawa Station in about 15 minutes for 400 yen one way.
- Other shuttle services to the station and city centre cost roughly 300 to 400 yen.
- A taxi from downtown takes 15 to 20 minutes and costs around 1,500 to 2,000 yen.
- The site is shared by a civil airport, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base and a US Air Force base, all operating simultaneously.
- That is the defining fact about this airport and it explains the security posture and the traffic.
- One compact two-storey terminal: check-in and baggage claim downstairs, security, departure lounges, shops and cafés upstairs.
- Processing takes 20 to 30 minutes, and arriving 1 to 1.5 hours before a flight is enough.
- Flights come from Tokyo Haneda and Osaka Itami, with Sapporo also served, mostly by JAL and partners.
- From Misawa station, Shimokita is an 80 minute train ride via Noheji for 1,980 yen. That is the route to the Shimokita Peninsula.
- Free wifi, ATMs and regional Aomori food and souvenirs in the terminal.
Three operations, one runway
- Misawa is unusual even by Japanese standards: a civil airport, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base and a United States Air Force base all function simultaneously on the same site.
- The civil terminal is small and separate, and passengers are not walking through a military facility, but the airfield around you is not a civilian one.
- Do not photograph the airfield or aircraft. That is worth saying at an airport like this in a way it is not at most.
Into town
| Option | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bus to Misawa Station | about 15 min | 400 JPY |
| Shuttle to station or city centre | similar | 300 to 400 JPY |
| Taxi from downtown | 15 to 20 min | 1,500 to 2,000 JPY |
- The bus is the obvious answer for anyone connecting onto a train.
- A taxi is affordable here in a way it is not at bigger Japanese airports, because the distances are short.
The terminal
- One compact two-storey building. Check-in and baggage claim on the first floor, security, departure lounges, shops and cafés on the second.
- Processing takes 20 to 30 minutes, so 1 to 1.5 hours before departure is genuinely enough.
- Free wifi, ATMs, accessible facilities, regional Aomori food and souvenir shops.
Where this gets you
- Misawa Station is the connection, on the Aoimori Railway line.
- Shimokita Station is 80 minutes away via Noheji, for 1,980 yen, which is the route to the Shimokita Peninsula and Osorezan.
- Towada and Hachinohe are both within reach by train and bus.
- The flights are Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Itami and Sapporo, mainly JAL and its partners. Aomori Airport is the alternative for the western half of the prefecture.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.