OliverB

I'm a bit confused about the NRT Airport Limousine Bus.

On the website (www.limousinebus.co.jp/en) it seems to indicate direct drop-off service at hotels. In our case, The Peninsula Tokyo.

We are scheduled to land at Narita (Terminal 1) at 3:20 PM. According to the timetable chart on the above linked website, it shows that there is a bus departing from Terminal 1 at 16:20 (4:20 PM) and arriving at The Peninsula at 18:15 (6:15 PM). Total time: 1hr 55min

According to a document sent to me by the hotel concierge containing transporation options, it was suggested to take the airport limousine bus to the Tokyo Station Area and get off at Hibiya.

Does the Limousine Bus service The Peninsula Tokyo directly as it would suggest on their website or am I misunderstanding the instructions provided by the hotel concierge?

Lastly, is there any advantage to the bus over train? Price notwithstanding (they aren't far off) is one more convenient, comfortable, or quicker than the other? From what I gather according to the document received by our concierge, the train (Keisei Sky Liner) would likely take approx. 60 mins and the bus schedule indicates nearly 2 hours. After so many hours of travel, I'd personally be eager to shave a full hour off our commute if it's advisable. Perhaps there's a good reason why it's not recommended though; I'm not sure how direct or complicated the route is. It definitely sounds like the Keisei Sky Liner to Ueno Station is the better option than the Narita Express to Tokyo Station. Would you agree?

Edit: In addition to the above, I imagine there might be some lag between arrival, baggage claim, and the limo bus arrival. I'm not sure how quick and efficient NRT operates but if it's like most international flights, 35-40 minutes seems to be the standard to de-plane and collect luggage. So in addition to the longer commute, we'd also likely be waiting an average of 25-30 minutes at the bus terminal. Unless I'm short-changing myself with the timeline.

Edit #2: Then again, I see that the Sky Liner only runs at 15:38 or 15:58 in relation to our 15:20 estimated landing.

beep88

It states clearly it goes to Peninsula Hotel.

http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/64

- it is unlikely that you can catch the 16:20 bus with a 3:20pm arrival , but who knows

- Peninsula bus is hourly departure. Concierge probably knows their clients value time more than anything else, hence suggesting the Tokyo Station bus which departs every 15 minutes http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/11

- Advantage of bus: door-to-door, luggage loaded onto bus by attendant, offloaded at hotel by hotel porter at curbside

- Disadvantage of bus: slow, traffic congestion, narrow seats, little overhead luggage space, no washroom(I think)

- Also Narita Express train is 50% cheaper at 1500 with the special fare

evergrn

If your plane's on time, you should have enough time to catch the 4.20pm bus which takes you straight to Pen. I'd just take the Limo Bus. Yes it takes longer, but it's door to door, they'll take care of your luggage for you, and it's comfortable. If you do decide to take the train, I'd suggest you take Skyliner to Nippori, then transfer to JR Yamanote south to Yurakucho, then it's a short walk to the Pen. I'd do that instead of taking NEx to Tokyo Sta. But really I would just take the Limo Bus.

OliverB

Thank you,

According to the concierge, 40 mins to 1 hour is the average checkout (deplane, customs, baggage) for afternoon weekday flights at NRT.

Narita Express looks to be a 90 min. commute vs the Sky Liner at 60 min.

Personally, I'd be worried about getting stuck in rush hour traffic coming into Tokyo by bus. If the official timetable indicates 1 hr 50 min then I'm really not eager to potentially spend another 2+ hours in a cramped seat.

I think based on this alone I would rule out the bus as an option. So now the decision is between Narita Express vs the Keisei Sky Liner. Is there any reason that I should consider the longer NRT Express over the Sky Liner?

Thanks so much!

Since we seem to be talking about a full hour (minimum) difference in arrival time, I think the convenience of door-to-door is less enticing than saving a full hour's worth of time. We could always just call The Pen (or hail a cab) from Nipori and skip the JR Yamanote transfer if it's a short enough distance. I'd rather spend $20 or whatever the added cost at that point to just get plopped in front of the hotel with our luggage.

Can anyone tell me approx. how much a taxi fare from Nipori to The Pen would be?

According to Google Maps, Nipori Station is a good 25-30 minute commute from The Peninsula. I haven't checked prices for the Yamanote Line but I wonder if a cab would be really expensive.

I'm also curious how much of an ordeal it would be for exhausted jetlagged travellers with 2 large suitcases, a duffle bag, and briefcase to navigate the rail stations and make the transfer? Is it a nothing thing that I shouldn't even consider? I understand that the Skyliner offers plenty of space but would there be ample storage for luggage on the JR Yamanote Line and approx. how long would that leg of the commute run?

Thanks for your help!

NewbieRunner

Nippori to The Pen by taxi would be about 3,250 yen but if you are concerned about getting stuck in traffic I would go to Tokyo by N'EX (which only costs 1,500 yen per person) and get a taxi from there to The Pen for 730 yen. NRT to Tokyo by N'EX takes ~60 mins.

It would be hard to beat the Limo bus door-to-door for 'exhausted jetlagged travellers with 2 large suitcases, a duffle bag, and briefcase'.

evergrn

As I said above, Skyliner to Nippori then JR Yamanote to Yurakucho makes a lot more sense than NEx to Tokyo (then either walk or JR Yamanote to Yurakucho). The above option will be quicker, and the transfer at Nippori will be less hectic than at Tokyo. You don't want to try to walk from Tokyo Sta to the Pen, especially being jet-lagged with bags in tow.

If you're thinking about taking taxi from Nippori, then forget about the whole Skyliner thing. Just take NEx to Tokyo then taxi to Pen. Tokyo Sta is much closer to your hotel than Nippori or even Keisei Ueno.

It would be an ordeal. If I'm taking a train and I've got that much stuff, I'm certainly shipping a piece or two. But it wouldn't be an issue if you would just allow yourself the idea of taking the Limo Bus. Honestly, just take the Limo Bus.

OliverB

Thanks for all the feedback.

I've spoken to the missus and I think we'll just take the Limo Bus afterall. Based on your experience, should we expect heavy traffic coming into Tokyo at around 4:30 PM on a Wednesday afternoon and would it likely be a 2+ hour commute or do you feel that the listed times on the website are fairly accurate at this time of day? I can live with the 1-hour 50-minute transfer directly to our hotel, but not another 2.5 hours of sitting in cramped seats after such a long haul.

Btw, I don't see how the Tokyo Station bus is serviced any more frequently than The Peninsula: http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/15

It looks to be approx. every hour as well. Is this not accurate?

beep88

I have taken the LimoBus and got stuck for 2.5 hrs (to Shinjuku, weekend afternoon) after a 13 hrs flight. I survived.

>> would there be ample storage for luggage on the JR Yamanote Line and approx. how long would that leg of the commute run?

I have also done the weekday late afternoon trek on Yamanote Line (Nippori - Shinjuku) because Narita Express was shut down due to strong wind. There is no storage except overhead rack as it's commuter train, standing room only crowded (in a western way, not Japanese sardine packed). There were other international travellers doing the same.

OliverB

From a travel website:

"The Limousine Bus allows you to take your luggage conveniently with you (in the bottom of the bus) but the down-side is that it is frequently caught in traffic jams. A good run can be done in a little over an hour; bad runs frequently last two or even three hours.

The train is highly predictable and fast. The down-side is that there are no special arrangements (porters or carts or adequate space in the train car itself) for larger luggage. It is possible to send your bags directly from the airport by courier (takkyubin) to any address in Japan. An address in Tokyo costs about 1,800 yen per bag."


I'm now leaning towards the Skyliner again. Is it impossible to carry our two pieces of luggage on the train? My briefcase is relatively small and easy. I'm not sure if we'll have anything in our duffle but it too is small (Filson) and doesn't take up much space. As I think about it, the duffle will likely be packed away as we're only bringing it for our short weekend trips when we'll need to forward our luggage ahead.

If luggage forwarding is a necessity for the train commute, how long would it take to arrive at The Pen and is it guaranteed for delivery the same evening? It sounds like it would cost us around $40 (JPY 1800) for both of our suitcases. We would need to have it delivered same day though without a hitch.

Thanks for this info.

I'm not suggesting we couldn't survive; I'm just trying to plan for the most comfortable and pleasant way to get into Tokyo after a very uncomfortable and unpleasant flight. 12 hours in an economy seat sucks so we'll just want to get to the hotel as quickly as possible, minimizing any further time spent on busses, trains, cars, etc. I would not want to sit in traffic on a bus for 2.5 hours.

You've answered my question with regards to luggage. It sounds like we'll need to forward our bags. I would just want to ensure that they would be received at our hotel the same evening.

Is the transfer from Nippori easy to navigate btw?

abmj-jr

Wow! So many options and so many of them bad.

For this trip, I'd eliminate the whole Skyliner + Yamanote Line option. The Skyliner is fine but the Yamanote during rush hour with several pieces of luggage would be a nightmare. And, has been stated, the cab distance from Nippori or Keisei-Ueno is much more than from Tokyo Station.

Either take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station and grab a cab or use the limo-bus. Let the professionals do the navigating.

OliverB

Even with luggage forwarding?

At this point, I'm really leaning towards taking one of the two trains as I'd really prefer to shave an hour plus off our commute. I just don't have the patience or tolerance to sit in traffic after such a long flight. I'm open to forwarding our bags if that would make the Skyliner more feasible and would facilitate the more convenient option. If NEX is the way to go then I'm just as fine doing that but wouldn't I encounter the same issues with luggage or is it more suited to travelling with large bags?

rts123

I'll second what abmj-jr said. Take the NEX (there is ample luggage storage room at the end of each car, complete with cables to lock your bags to the luggage rack if you'd like) to Tokyo Station and cab it from there, or take the limo bus. Either one works fine. Relax and enjoy the trip.

OliverB

^ Thanks N'EX it is then!

This seals the deal - http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/facilities.html

I'll be reserving 2 green car seats later next month.

ajGoes

The Limousine bus I took last fall had a toilet. I'd have been very happy to get to my destination sooner, but the bus was at least less uncomfortable than my economy seat on the flight from ORD.

NewbieRunner

Save yourself 6,120 yen. There's no need to reserve green car seats for a one hour ride to Tokyo. Get two 'Tokyo Direct' tickets for 1,500 yen each.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/pass/nex_oneway.html

There's absolutely no need to reserve afternoon N'EX trains ex-NRT in advance.