Aomori Airport — Local services in Aomori

OMG, these regional airports are so bureaucratic and rigid and inflexible to a T!!!

We are 4 people and our ticket allowed 2 x 23kg, 46 kg each person. But we had only 4 check in bags: 16, 18, 15 and 25kg each respectively. Average 18.5kg each and well below the max limit of 46kg per person.

Our check in person insisted we must move 2kg from the bigger 25kg bag; to the other smaller bags which are full.

We explained that our average was well below even 23 kg limit per person and most international airlines will be flexible enough to consider the average and allow the 25kg bag to go through as an exception.

We either had to buy a new bag, carry the extra 2-3 kg weight with us or we were offered a brown paper (!!) bag and said we can put 2 kg in there and she will check in the paper bag for us!!!

If we were max in weight, and 2kg over, I would have moved things around. But we were average 18.5kg of 46kg limit, and they are making us move 2 kg around 😱😱😱 JAL, you offer foreign tourists to explore regional Japan for free on domestic legs but pls up your game with your staff training and bring in some critical thinking and problem solving and flexible...

Aomori Airport is a ripoff if you are using a rental car!!! I believe it's the only airport in Japan that charges a toll fee just to enter the airport! You cannot enter the airport unless you pay a 200 (or was it 250?) yen fee. On top of that, if you are renting a car, there are no gas stations within 4 km of the airport, so I entered the airport figuring there was a gas station near the rental car outlets. Nope. The car rental agency wanted to charge me 4500 yen to fill up the tank. So I ended up paying a 250 yen fee to enter the airport, then I had to exit the airport to fill up gas at the nearest town 4 km away, then have to pay another 250 fee to enter the airport to return the car! The actual cost of gas at the station outside the airport was only 950 yen. If I had my way, I would never use Aomori...

Small airport. Information counter was not as helpful as those in Tokyo. When asked about bus to Hirosaki, they pointed me to the convenience stall. After I purchased the ticket from the convenience stall, they still wanted me to go back to the convenience stall when I asked them about the bus stop location. Very disappointed. But immigration was smooth and there are a few tax free shop at 2nd level where we can get our goodies before we depart Japan. They are located outside the security area. So we can buy the things, pack them before we check in. Very helpful for international tourist. The Korean Air check in counter were very efficient and...