FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - tight connection: international NRT arrival to train
Old Mar 16, 2010 | 1:47 am
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cornellalum
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 515
tight connection: international NRT arrival to train

I'm scheduled for a 4:45pm arrival into NRT this Friday on JL1 from SFO. I hope to take the train straight into Osaka that evening. After checking out Hyperdia, it seems that I need to be on the Narita Express that leaves Terminal 2 at 6:52pm; otherwise, I will either have to take a sleeper train or spend the night in Narita/Tokyo.

Do I have enough time to make this connection? After landing, I need to clear immigration and customs (flying economy, but hopefully with no checked luggage), pick up a prepaid SIM and rental phone from Softbank, exchange my voucher for a Japan Rail Pass at the Travel Service Center, and grab some money from the ATM. I am not familiar with the airport but I consider myself well traveled. Unfortunately I do not know any Japanese.

Of course I will have a fall back plan in case I miss the train, but if the plane arrives as scheduled at 4:45pm, do I have enough time to accomplish what I need to do and make the train? What's a reasonable amount of time from landing to the train (including all I have to do: immigration, SIM, ATM, Rail Pass)?
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