5khours

The airport hotels are boring. Take a train into Tokyo. People have mentioned the Skyliner. You can also take the airport express train, NEX. I think it's $15 these days. Takes about an hour. Runs every 30 minutes.

NewbieRunner

NEX is 1,500 yen from NRT to Tokyo but will cost about double the price on the way back to the airport.

Q Shoe Guy

Which is almost exactly the the roundtrip fare on the Skyliner to/from Ueno ! How's that for competition !

5khours

Great if you don't mind ending up in Ueno.

msb0b

Take the N'EX to Tokyo, take the Skyliner back and pocket the savings!

For even more savings, take the 1000 yen Keisei/Heiwa Kotsu bus.

Q Shoe Guy

Be careful, the NEX pumpers will be all over you for suggesting this !

undersky

Hi All,
I have been to Tokyo 8 times so am pretty familiar with the city and airport transportation. I am flying from BKK -> NRT -> SJC on ANA business class, arriving at Narita at 8:30am and leaving for San Jose at 5:30pm.
I know this might be a bit rush to go to Tokyo, but I plan to check as much luggage as possible and probably will be the first off the plane, so realistically i am thinking getting onto a 9am train and arriving at Shinjuku at 1030am. I will hop back on a 2pm train to arrive back at NRT no later than 4pm to catch up 530pm train, even with enough time left for a shower at ANA lounge.

That will leave me with 3 and half hours in Tokyo for which I plan to walk around shinjuku, towards yoyoji park, shibuya, and have a nice lunch before heading back to airport.

Do you guys think that this is a good plan? I personally love Japan but my wife has never been there, so I really want her to see it and maybe she would want to go back one day! I just don't think the Narita downtown is really a Tokyo experience, so am planning this crazy stopover trip. Also, even sitting on the train you can look out the window and see the country side too. What do you guys think?

jib71

Looks good to me. I'd probably choose a different area to explore, but if that's your favorite stomping ground, have at it.

IAHUArunner

How is the security check if you are on a transit (>3hour) and wanted to breath outside air and walk around for 15 minutes, grab a snack and come back in to your connection? Do they give you trouble? Is it doable .....Or is better just stay in the Lounge?

teemuflyer

In my experience, getting back through immigration & security takes about 15-20 minutes max. It been speeded up further by fast track for premium flyers for OW. Not sure if it the same for *A..

odoyle81

Hi Guys,
I have a ~ 11hr layover in NRT and I’ve been doing some research and hoping you can comment on my plan. Also, I’m not interested in Narita Town or Ueno options, so please don’t tell me to do that instead - I’d like to do at least one of the things I mention below. Thanks in advance!

6:15am arrive
left luggage, get money
~ 7:30am NEX to Toyko Station, then Shimbasi Station using this? http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_nex.html
Does anyone have a link to the current schedule? Also, if I get the Direct Ticket, I guess Shimbasi isn't part of the allowed destinations, so I guess I buy a separate ticket in Tokyo Station?
Is there a better way to get to the Tsukiji Fish Market? I heard there is a direct train?
Recommendations on places to eat sushi at the fish market?
From there, I’d like to go to Shinjuku or Shibuya for a little bit
What is the best way to get back to the airport from these areas?
Then head back to the airport around 1pm, making a stop at Akihabara
What is the best way to buy the subway tickets? All at once at the beginning?
5:55pm flight..

Thanks!

jpatokal

Tip: Put your destinations and departure/desired arrival times in Google Maps. It will then suggest the best routes, complete with exact schedule information.

shinjukuflyer

For current schedule see here: http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/
Click on Further Details under Timetables and then either From/To Narita accordingly. 7.30am train from NRT will put you in Tokyo Station at 8.59am.

NEX ticket will allow you to transfer to any other JR Station in the Tokyo metro area, so long as you don't exit any ticket gates in between. Shinbashi will be included. You'll have a choice of lines from Tokyo Station to Shinbashi, either the Yamanote, Tokaido, or Keihin-Tohoku, depending on whichever one is leaving earlier.
From Tokyo Station you can take the subway to Tsukiji Station. Take the Marunouchi Line to Ginza, transfer to the Hibiya Line to Tsukiji. It's a 5 minute walk from there to the market. But this fare won't be included in your NEX ticket, you'll need to purchase it separately. 170 yen one-way.
No clue.
Sounds like you want to stop in Akihabara first. Once you're finished there, your best option will be to go back to Tokyo Station. From there you can either take the bus or the NEX back to the airport.
For subway tickets you can get a prepaid SUICA card at the start. First time you charge it, there's a 500 yen deposit. Once you're back at the airport (or your last station when you know that beyond that you won't need it anymore) you can return it and get your deposit back plus whatever unused amount is on there.

joejones

For sushi at the fish market, you basically want to explore the back streets to the northeast of the market (around Myosenji Temple and the Tokyu Stay). There are a number of good places in there and several are open 24 hours. Most will have English menus on hand as they get a lot of tourist traffic.

illico

I have a 4 hour layover coming up at Narita. I dont really feel like leaving the airport this time around. Arriving and leaving on JAL at Terminal 2. My question. Am I allowed to use the airside shuttle to go to Terminal 1 just to check out the duty free shops, restaurants and other to kill some time? I read somewhere that I might need an ongoing boarding pass to do so.