Trip Reports - 10-Hour Layover at Narita--Suggestions?

I may be looking at a layover in Narita on Saturday Oct 19 from 6 AM to my next connecting flight at 5 PM. Can anybody suggest the best/most economical way to head in to Tokyo for some (very brief!) sightseeing? Not sure if it's feasible, but would welcome comments and recommendations as to trains, sights to see, etc. Thanks.

sorry double posted

[This message has been edited by SeaMeFly (edited 10-06-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JimAtTheBeach:
I may be looking at a layover in Narita on Saturday Oct 19 from 6 AM to my next connecting flight at 5 PM. Can anybody suggest the best/most economical way to head in to Tokyo for some (very brief!) sightseeing? Not sure if it's feasible, but would welcome comments and recommendations as to trains, sights to see, etc. Thanks.</font>

It's doable only by Express-train but costy. Train to TYO isn't cheap at all and I think it's the most expensive subway in the world. However, you'd probably only have a few hours to do. Unless you understand kanji, it's not that easy to negotiate the train station when most of signs are in Kanji. Also, my understanding they don't take US$ to buy the train tickets. Most ATM machines in Japan only accept cards issued in Japan.

If I were you, I'd start asking the FAs (specially those of Japanese speakers) about the train. i.e. which stop to take, how much it cost,etc...while you're inflight. It'll give you some ideas what to expect/do.

If I had a good 6-7 hours, I would take the Keisei Skyliner train from Narita airport direct to Ueno station in a little more than an hour (1,400 yen). Although Ueno is but a small part of Tokyo, you can explore the area surrounding the station which includes Ueno Park and the Tokyo Hakubutsukan (National Museum), the greatest repository of Japanese antiquities in the world. There are shops, stores, and restaurants galore in the neighborhood.

Head back to Ueno station and catch the Keisei Skyliner for your return to Narita airport. After checking in for your connecting flight, use the shower facilities that are airside to freshen up.

You'll see an express bus counter as you come out of customs. It should be about $25 for a ticket into Tokyo, and about a 2 hour ride in. You can get an all day subway pass for around $7-8 that would get you over to the Imperial Palace, Ginza district (Sony has all their new stuff on display in a 7 story building there), or anywhere else you want to go. The subways are pretty easy to get around on, unlike the Japan Rail network which could be a challenge. Just make sure you know where to get the bus back to the airport.

Others have suggested Narita City may be a better destination if you have just a few hours.

Note: the Keisei Skyliner express train is now 1,920 yen, ie about US$16. If you don't mind not having an assigned, airplane-style seat, ask for the Limited Express, which takes 10 minutes longer and costs about US$10 each way. When you come out of customs, look for the "Keisei" counter. The train will be a one or two levels below the arrival floor, depending on terminal.

Ueno is a good choice, and museums are close to the station. Also check out nearby department stores, particularly the basement food halls.

The other option is the Narita Express, to Tokyo Station. This is more expensive, however, and there is less to see at the other side.

Thanks to all for the great suggestions!

Jim,

As some have said, the Limited Express train is easy and cheap. Tokyo is one of the easiest subway's in the world to navigate for English speakers as all stations in the central Tokyo Area have signs and directions in English. This includes ticket machines being bilingual. The train I speak of takes 75 minutes or so to Ueno and after your fill of stuff there if you still have time left, why not pop on down two stops to Akihabara "Electric Town" for some serious electric goodies shopping or browsing. Visa is widely accepted here and you can extract local currency from any CitiBank ATM of which there are several.

Have fun, and if you need specific info feel free to e-mail.

Best,

Mike

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JimAtTheBeach:
Thanks to all for the great suggestions!</font>

FYI, there is a new Hard Rock Cafe in Ueno Station, if you want directions, pvt e-mail me.

The following link (Narita Layover Page) tells you everything you can do in the Narita. You might try searching the CO board, as many people did HRT runs about a year or so ago.

http://net.saipan.com/personal/mike_newman/narita/narita.html

Arriving at 6:00 AM and leaving at 5 PM gives you plenty of time to spend the day in Tokyo. What I would do would be to take the Narita Express into Tokyo station (about 1 hr). If timing is right, you can be in Tokyo by 8:00 AM. On the way back, I'd take a 2:00-2:30 PM train out of Tokyo station which should give you plenty of time to re-check and take your connecting flight. I would buy the return ticket at the same time to avoid lines and delays (no discounts, though).

Once in Tokyo, I'd walk around the area. Within walking distance of Tokyo station is Ginza (or you can take the Marunouchi one stop or the JR Yamanote to Yurakucho, also one stop), the Imperial Palace, Hibiya Park, the Imperial Hotel (in Yurakucho/Hibiya). I would meander as far as Tsukiji (10-15 minute walk from Ginza) for a sushi lunch.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can wander as far afield as Akasaka, or maybe even Harajuku/Omotesando/Shibuya. Buy a day pass for either JR or the subway (but not both!) and just time it such that you can be at Tokyo station by the time of your return train, and presto. One thing to watch out, though is that the Narita Express tracks are in the Chuo-Sobu/Marunouchi side of the station, so if you arrive back into Tokyo any way but through the Marunouchi subway Tokyo stop, you'll have some of a hike, so you should plan to arrive into Tokyo station at least 20 minutes before your train departure.

Getting as far as Shibuya/Omotesando is not bad at all, about 20-25 minutes by subway from Tokyo station. You'll have plenty of time to spend in Tokyo and catch some of the sights.

More...

An alternative is to take the Keisei Skyliner (or rapid train, slightly cheaper), arriving into Ueno. You can then switch to the JR Yamanote and get off at Tokyo, Yurakucho (Ginza, Imperial Palace, Imperial Hotel), Shibuya, Harajuku, et al. Or you can switch to the Ginza subway line straight from Ueno, and head into Asakusa, or take it the other way and get off at Ginza, or all the way to the end, to Shibuya. The train times are posted all over the place, but I believe that the Ueno-Shibuya JR run shouldn't take more than 30 minutes, and you've gone far...

My decision between the Keisei and the Narita Express would depend on which one is leaving next...

Couple more ideas...

Could catch the (very) tail end of the Tsukiji fish market happenings, then walk back thru Ginza and be there when the Dept Stores open. The food floors are places to spend a day (well part of) in and of themselves. Could purchase a nice lunch, then wander over to the Imperial Palace East Garden to eat, or head up to Ueno Park. Then a couple hours in Akihabara, then off to the airport.

Another option is from the fish market, head over to where the Sumida river ferry drops off near that little garden just down from Ginza. Take the ferry to Asakusa, then wander thru this part of town, esp. where all of the kitchen and restaurant supply stores are. Make way over to Ueno, then Skyliner back.

Seeing as the first Narita Express and "Morningliner"/Skyliner of the day don't leave until around 7:45am, it's unlikely you could be in Tokyo by 8am! Beware the Keisei limited express; some of them require a transfer midway in one direction or the other, and who knows where you could end up. I would not recommend the airport limousine bus either as it can get badly caught in traffic.

Mike Newman's web page tells you about Narita and some interesting things nearby (yes, I am biased since I contributed a few of them). If you get badly behind schedule, you can take a taxi from Narita town back to the airport. Don't try to taxi from Tokyo; it's slower than the train and costs at least $200.

You can get Yen with your foreign ATM card from machines in both terminals at Narita. And you can change Yen back (at a loss, of course) at the bank upon departure. Few places take credit cards. Depending on the class you are flying, you might have to be back 2 hrs before departure.

I'm a geek, so if I had only a short time, I'd go straight to Akihabara "Electric Town."
Note that most Tokyo stores don't open until about 10am.

I have taken one of those flights arriving just past 6 a.m. several times. The earlist train departure you can get is probably a Keisei limited express train leaving around 6:30 a.m. (for Nishimagome). This will get you to Shinbashi (by around 8:30) and a few central locations without changing trains on the way. But this is also a rush-hour commuter train and it will get PACKED with people, which, if you haven't experienced it, can really be quite a memorable, if not pleasant, experience. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RichardInSF:
Seeing as the first Narita Express and "Morningliner"/Skyliner of the day don't leave until around 7:45am, it's unlikely you could be in Tokyo by 8am! </font>

Well,then, take the bus! Traffic that early shouldn't be that bad, especially if you are only going as far as TCAT or Tokyo Station. Never, never, ever, take the buses bound further "west", unless it is really late at night. You'll get mired in traffic inside the loop and you'll be miserable.

Akihabara is a good place to visit and buy a Zaurus or a J-Phone with a video camera...