nishimark

My first face to face meeting with my wife-to-be was at Tokyo station. I'd lived in Japan for a long time, though not in Tokyo. She worked daily in Tokyo. I got confused and was waiting at the wrong place. She still laughs at me about that, but actually it was her fault. :-)

Yeah, I'd recommend another station too.

5khours

Oh god... don't get me started on the subject of waiting for women.

FlitBen

McDonalds is your best bet, especially if you take the Ginza bus from Narita as it will drop you almost in front of Tokyo station across the main road, Yaesu side. From the outside steps, McDonalds is located to the left of the front entrance.

As an alternative and if you aren't schlepping much luggage, how about Higashi-Ginza station? A few pre-9am Keisei Main Line trains bound for Nishi-Magome go straight there from Narita.

From Haneda, the rest of your party can just take a taxi to the same Yaesu entrance if they're a bunch. If they'll entrain, the others can take the monorail to Hamamatsucho, walk to the adjacent Daimon Station and take the Toei subway Asakusa line for Aoto, get off at Higashi-Ginza.

Meet at the main station concourse near tourist info, or outside at the grand Kabuki theater upstairs. Or even at the Nearby Denny's in front of the Courtyard Tokyo.

5khours

Are you serious. If the OP had any idea what you were talking about, he wouldn't be asking directions. Your post reminds of the directions I got asking a passerby on the street in a small town. "Take a right at the corner where the rice shop used to be..."

FlitBen

They plan to make it to Tokyo Station. The Access buses go straight from the Narita T2 bus stops to a bus stop to the front right of Tokyo Station across the avenue. From Haneda I did mention to take the taxi.

Unless you are referring to the Higashi-Ginza option? That's more adventurous, but it's doable with some Google Maps Fu. We did it on our first try, although I did use Hyperdia to find one of the few Keisei trains directly passing there.

AlwaysAisle

I also think that if OP can let us know the ultimate destination after OP and his friend meet upon arrival at HND/NRT, then we can recommend OP better place to meet at Tokyo after arrival at HND/NRT. For first time visitor I will not consider Tokyo station as one of the best place to meet, although there must be many first time non-Japanese visitors getting off N’Ex every day at Tokyo station and they do just fine.

mkjr

sure. not the best place but please, it is hardly the end of the world...no one is going to die folks.

so many posts make an assumption that one can not navigate with the pretty decent signage available...in english...

it is not like the 1980s at tokyo station. some here would have OP believe tokyo station is like arriving into a bazar in Cairo in the 1940s....

google maps is pretty amazing these days and almost every bloody store in the station is mapped and you can click and even get pictures for crying out loud of the shops to get your bearings.

please, the drama about it being soooooo hard to navigate tokyo station is making me sick.

jamar

You'd be surprised by how... directionally challenged some people can be. That aside, though, Tokyo is pretty reasonable compared to Osaka/Umeda. Now that's a maze.

mkjr

sure but more and more information is out there that allows you get your bearings pretty easily.

With printed maps, which appear initially confusing, link below, in conjunction with google maps (which just gets better and better for the station), street view, pictures posted and linked to google maps, and blogs (sample below), there is more and more and more information all the time on Tokyo station.

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/stations/img/map_e/e1039.pdf

http://likeafishinwater.com/2013/02/13/tokyo-station/

And blogs of specific areas of the station like ramen street:

https://travelwithnanob.com/2015/12/...nsha-tsukemen/

And although unrelated to the current question and showing some dated construction areas, even blogs with photos of how to get from place to place in Tokyo station.

https://matcha-jp.com/en/2729

Matcha has all sorts of great pictoral guides for many areas https://matcha-jp.com/en/search/inde...=Tokyo+station

Either way, it is 2017 and there is WAY more information about this black hole of a station that you will only get lost in that you can use to make it feel much more comfortable when you arrive.

I am only more and more amazed at what a difference it is each time I go back from the very first time I was force to navigate around Tokyo station in 1992 with my limited knowledge of hiragana and katakana with my school band.

jib71

With a bayonet pointed at the small of your back? Are you sure it wasn't 1942?

mkjr

smart ....

ROCAT

There are two JR offices in the station a JR Central office on the Yaesu side (modern looking outside) and the JR East Travel Service Center on the Marunouchi side (older building seen in most pictures). The JR service center is a good meeting area as it is mainly tourists so traffic is fairly low, and it has probably the most fluent English speaking staff of the JR East offices so it is a good place to get your pass sorted out.

Oreto

Your post actually made me curious and apologies in advance if it sickens you further.

My companion who was arriving 5 days after me took the Narita Express and was scheduled to meet me per the "consensus" in this thread by Yaesu Central and near the J.R. travel center. Her knowledge of Japanese is almost non-existent so, in my opinion, this was an excellent test.

Her train arrived on time I would give someone with experience ~10 minutes to get where I was from the train. However, it took her 43 minutes. She was looking frustrated so I didn't press but I suspect that she didn't follow the crowds or the signs and had to ask/mime someone where our agreed-upon location was. If she knew about my test, I imagine I'd be in more hot water so I'll let the matter rest for a while and see if she will give me the full story.

To give another anecdote, she was using Google maps which had us going through Daimon station and she had us boarding the right line but on the wrong platform.

Even with technology, things like unfamiliarity with terrain and time constraints can confuse foreigners who don't have almost 30 years of experience such as you. That's all we're saying about Tokyo station. I would urge you to try this out and post your results as my companion has a little bit of a diva reputation so it could be a one-off.

5khours

Are we still talking about this. As I have said... Gin no Suzu. Keep a picture of it on your phone. For any other landmark, fewer than 1 in 10 people in the station will be able to give you directions.

jib71

You appear to be still talking about this.

The OP has disappeared. The most recent suggestions appear to be mostly for the satisfaction of the people posting them.