The Japanese influence in Hawai’i is fairly obvious, but did you know how hot Hawaiiana is in Japan? If you’ve got the funds, you can see for yourself, with the new Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Tokyo’s Haneda airport. The latter is certainly more convenient for a quick trip to the original home of mochi and musubi (to name just two beloved dishes of Hawai’i) than far-flung Narita International.
Tickets are now on sale for the daily flights, which begin Nov. 17 for the Honolulu-Haneda route and Nov. 19 for Haneda-Honolulu. Hawaiian flight 457 will leave Honolulu at 6:05 p.m. and, crossing the international dateline, will arrive at 10:05 p.m. the following day. The return flight, 458, departs Haneda at 11:59 p.m. and arrives at Honolulu at 12:05 p.m. the same day.
Hawaiian makes a mochi pilgrimage easier with a new flight to Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Jeanne Cooper / Special to SFGate
Hawaiian makes a mochi pilgrimage easier with a new flight to Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Initial service will be on the wide-body, twin-aisle Boeing 767-300ER, which seats 264 passengers; a larger, 294-seat Airbus A330-220 will be introduced later.
Inaugural fares start at $923 round trip for coach, plus taxes and fees, which bring the total to approximately $972. Up to two checked bags and meals, snacks and soft drinks are included in the fare. No visa is required for U.S. citizens traveling for 90 days or less.
And if you’re flying from the Bay Area, Hawaiian’s flights from the Mainland via Honolulu to Haneda start around $1,580, taxes and fees included.