Misawa Airport / Misawa Air Base MSJ

Misawa Airport is the civilian airport of the city of Misawa, in Aomori Prefecture, at the northern end of Honshu. It has a particular feature: it shares its runway with Misawa Air Base, so aircraft of the US Air Force, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and commercial flights all use the same airfield. The Ministry of Defense owns the airfield, while the civilian terminal is run by a separate company. It is a small airport: about 337,000 passengers used it in 2024.

Terminals

There is a single civilian terminal, built in 1977 and rebuilt and expanded in 1986. Arrivals and departures are under the same roof.

Airlines and destinations

There are three scheduled routes, all domestic: Japan Airlines to Tokyo (Haneda), J-Air to Osaka (Itami) and Hokkaido Air System to Sapporo (Okadama). Frequencies are low, so check the timetable before booking.

Services

This is a small terminal built for a few flights a day: do not expect the shops and restaurants of a large airport, and buy anything you need before you go.

Tips

Since the Shinkansen reached Hachinohe in 2002, the train has been the usual alternative from Tokyo, and passenger numbers at the airport fell. Flying is still useful if you want to go straight to Sapporo or Osaka without passing through Tokyo. As the airport shares an airfield with a military base, you will also see military aircraft there.