Yes, you can smoke at Akita Airport, but only at the designated outdoor smoking area on the east side of the terminal building. The entire passenger terminal interior is non-smoking, so the outdoor area near the ground-floor entrance is the one place to light up.
Overview
Akita Airport (秋田空港, AXT) is the main gateway to Akita Prefecture in Japan’s Tohoku region, about 17 km southeast of central Akita. It is a compact single-terminal airport mostly serving domestic routes to Tokyo Haneda, Osaka, Sapporo, and Nagoya. Check-in is on the 1st floor, security and boarding gates are on the 2nd floor, and the 3rd floor has restaurants and a free rooftop observation deck.
Terminal Is Fully Non-Smoking
Since April 1, 2020, the entire Akita Airport terminal building has been completely non-smoking under the Akita Prefecture Passive Smoking Prevention Ordinance, which is stricter than Japan’s national rules. All indoor smoking rooms were removed in stages — first the 1st-floor area beside the FamilyMart and the 2nd-floor area beside the cafe in 2019, and finally the smoking room inside the Royal Sky card lounge in March 2020. There are no smoking rooms before or after security inside the building.
Outdoor Smoking Area (East Side)
The one place to smoke is the designated outdoor smoking area on the east side of the terminal building, near the ground-floor (1st floor) entrance and arrival lobby. Step outside through the entrance and look for the outdoor smoking signage. Because this is landside, plan to use it before you clear security — once you are airside there is no smoking option until you land.
Smoking Areas Summary
| Location | Area | Access |
|---|---|---|
| East side of terminal, near 1F entrance | Outdoor smoking area | Before security (landside) |
| Terminal interior (all floors) | Non-smoking | No smoking |
| Boarding waiting area | Non-smoking | No smoking (airside) |
Tips for Smokers
Have your last cigarette at the east-side outdoor area before going through security, since there is nowhere to smoke once you are at the gate. Heated-tobacco devices such as IQOS, glo, and Ploom are treated the same as cigarettes and are not allowed inside the terminal either. If you cannot find the outdoor area, ask at the 1st-floor information desk.
For Japan airport smoking rules, the Health Promotion Act, and how it applies to terminals nationwide, see our Japan smoking guide. If you are also traveling through the Tohoku region, see our guide to smoking at Sendai Airport.