The 10 worst airport lounges in Japan and South Korea: 2026

I built this list from the site's own ratings. Only lounges with at least eight rated metrics count, only lounges that are open, and nap suites, spas and restaurants are left out.

The pattern is easy to see once you sort the data. The four lowest scores all belong to independent lounges sold through Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass. After that the list becomes airline lounges at Haneda that are perfectly decent but sit in the shadow of their own much better siblings.

Seoul Incheon: one weak room in a strong terminal#

1. Matina Lounge West (T1), 2.7. The lowest-rated lounge in either country. It sits on the 4th floor opposite gate 43, open 06:00 to 22:00, and the site lists Priority Pass as its only network.

The fix is simple, because Terminal 1 has two of the best Priority Pass rooms in Asia. Matina Lounge East opposite gate 11 rates 4.7 with four showers, and Sky Hub Lounge East opposite gate 25 rates 4.8 (adults only, no entry 21:30 to 22:00).

10. Asiana Business Lounge (Central), 4.4. This is here on a technicality. The others at 4.4 are Matina Lounge (T2), the JAL Sakura Lounge in Haneda T3 and KIX Lounge Premium. Asiana itself moved to Terminal 2 in January 2026, and our piece on Star Alliance's new Incheon lounge covers where that leaves Terminal 1. The site lists Priority Pass access here, reportedly only on a Star Alliance departure.

For the other end of the scale, see the best lounges at Incheon and in South Korea.

Tokyo Narita: the IASS problem#

2. IASS Executive Lounge (T2), 2.8. Cleanliness, crowding, seating, service, drinks and wifi all rate 2. It is landside, on the 4th floor above the T2 check-in hall, open 07:00 to 21:00, with no showers. Because it sits before security, you will have to leave it with enough time to clear security and immigration.

Terminal 2's good lounge is the JAL Sakura Lounge (main) at 4.8, but it needs a JAL premium ticket or oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status. For Priority Pass holders, the only better-rated option on the site is the Korean Air lounge in Terminal 1, which is a different terminal.

3. I.A.S.S Superior Lounge NOA, 3.1. The record describes IASS's landside Executive Lounge 1 on the 5th floor of Terminal 1's central building, open 07:00 to 21:00. Cleanliness, power and service rate 2. Crowding and wifi are better than at the T2 sibling, at 4.

Go airside instead. The Korean Air KAL Lounge in the same terminal takes Priority Pass and rates a full point higher. If you have Star Alliance Gold or a United Club membership, the United Club near gates 31 and 32 rates 4.8.

9. Korean Air KAL Lounge, 4.1. It is an odd entry, because it is also the "go here instead" for number 3.

Tokyo Haneda: good lounges living next to great ones#

Haneda has five of the ten, and that says more about how good the airport is than about these rooms. The best ANA and JAL lounges in Terminal 3 rate 4.8 and 4.9, which makes a 4.0 look worse than it is.

4. Sky Lounge (South), 3.2. This is the one Haneda lounge that is properly weak. The alternative is the TIAT Lounge (4.0) in the same terminal, but Priority Pass gets in there only between 01:00 and 05:00.

5. ANA Lounge (T2, international), 3.8. Views rate 2 and service 3. This is a fine lounge that loses out to the ANA Lounge near gate 110 in Terminal 3 (4.8). That lounge is in a different terminal, though, so it only helps if your ANA flight leaves from T3. In T2 international, the only other ANA room is the ANA Suite Lounge for first class and ANA Diamond members, and it has too few ratings to score.

6. ANA Lounge (T2, domestic), 3.8. Coffee, crowding, seating, views and wifi rate 3.

7. JAL Sakura Lounge (T1, domestic), 4.0. Cleanliness, crowding, food, quiet and service rate 3, against 5s for coffee, drinks, seating, restrooms and workspace. Our renovation piece has the details.

8. TIAT Lounge, 4.0. Cleanliness, crowding, quiet and views rate 3. Priority Pass entry runs only from 01:00 to 05:00. If your status gets you into the ANA Lounge near gate 110 (Star Alliance Gold) or the JAL First Class Lounge (oneworld Emerald), both rate 4.8.

Also low, but not on the list#

KIX Lounge Kansai at Osaka rates 4.1 and would have tied for ninth, but it has no photos yet, so it cannot go on the list. Next door, KIX Lounge Premium rates 4.4, but it is for first class and top-tier elites. Priority Pass is not accepted at either. At Kansai, Priority Pass members use Airport Cafe Lounge NODOKA (3.4), a landside cafe-style lounge between the terminals.

The takeaway#

If you hold a Priority Pass card in this region, the weak rooms are easy to avoid at Incheon and hard to avoid at Narita Terminal 2 and Haneda Terminal 3. If you are flying on status or a premium ticket, nothing here is worth worrying about.

The rest of the series covers Asia as a whole, Greater China, Southeast Asia and India. For the best lounges, see Japan's best lounges. Scores follow our methodology.