Originally Posted by
totmode
Not sure if you have already started your trip but I would like to warn you the bus can take more than 2 hours depending if it hits rush hour traffic. My flight arrived at 3:30PM and immigration took a long time so by the time I got on the bus we hit major rush hour traffic. Had the same problem returning to NRT but it was not rush hour; bus left the hotel at 11AM and we arrived NRT a little after 2:30PM. I would not hesitate to take the train for my future Tokyo visits although the bus is door-to-door service.
Originally Posted by
Weez_1000
^
Thanks for the info, I leave this weekend.
If you do decide that you want to visit downtown Tokyo, I would also discourage you from taking the bus. With your limited time, you'll save some money taking the bus, but you could end up losing several hours roundtrip if you get stuck in traffic.
On our way back from TPE this past Fall, my wife and I had built in a one-day stopover in Tokyo. We took the morning TPE-NRT flight and took the Narita Express (N'EX) train from NRT downtown to Shinjuku Station (about 80 minutes and very comfortable). This was really easy for us because there are several area hotels that offer free shuttles to/from Shinjuku - we stayed at the Hilton, which was about a 5 min. ride away. Another advantage of using N'EX vs. the Keisei is that to get to downtown Tokyo, you don't have to transfer trains along the way (or on the way back to NRT). You could also look at where the N'EX stops to see if hotels nearby within your budget offer the same service.
With foreign passports, we took advantage of the N'EX + Suica card package, which combined a significantly reduced roundtrip N'EX ticket with a preloaded shopping card (which for us eliminated the need to get foreign currency). When you return to the airport, they refund you the unused amount on the Suica card:
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/suica-nex/
On our next visit to Tokyo, we'll definitely be using the same method of transportation to downtown Tokyo. Have a great trip, whatever you decide to do!