hellodali

I can really really use the knowledge on this board to reduce my stress level right now.

1. What's the least complicated way to get from NRT to Shibuya after 9 on a Sunday night (that doesn't cost $300 like a taxi would)?
2. Is there some place in NRT that let's you buy a data SIM or rental phone after 9 on a Sunday night? (I didn't see one listed here)?

I am leaving in a few hours to take a flight from NY to Narita, scheduled to arrive a little after 9 PM Sunday night local time. I am going to the Cerulean Hotel right near the Shibuya station. Two colleagues who have been there before suggested I take the Limousine Bus, which lets you off directly in front of the hotel. The problem is that it looks like the last Limousine Bus leaves at the exact same time my flight lands.
They also warned me that someone new to the Tokyo train system should not try to take the train from NRT to the city right off the bat.

I explained the situation to my business contact in Tokyo, and he suggested:
Does this sound reasonable/manageable? I found this page, which seems to be describing the same path, but I'm worried about being confronted with too many different kinds of ticket machines and ticket types for this multi-part trip, finding the right platforms in NRT and Nippori, and then navigating out of the Shibuya station to my hotel without my beloved Bing Maps (I'm a WindowsPhone guy). And given that it's a late Sunday night, I worry that there won't be enough people around to ask for help.

And on the subject of my phone, it looks like I get in too late to pick up a rental phone or B-Mobile SIM before I leave the airport. I feel kind of naked without a working phone. The official airport page I linked to above makes it seem like I'm out of luck until the next morning, when I can go to a Bic Camera or Yodobashi or something (because I've hopefully made it in to Tokyo). Is there a hidden option at the airport?

Please help talk me down off the ledge

jib71

The directions from your business contact will work. In fact, you're probably going to be in time for an earlier train. Just follow the same route. There are trains every few minutes on the Yamanote line.

You won't find a SIM after 9pm at NRT. You might find the advice in this thread helpful:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...de-buying.html

hellodali

I kind of get the impression that there aren't many, if any, other flights coming in that late, so that customs & immigration would be relatively quick. But it still seems like a long shot to get a 9:39 Skyliner or 9:44 NEX, since I am sure I will need to talk to a ticket window agent (more than one in the worst case scenario).

Is there a case to be made for just throwing my hands up and telling my hotel to reserve a cab? I could always try to beg forgiveness for getting reimbursed for one later.

RE: Phones, I made a point of saving a photo of the B-Mobile SIM I wanted on the advice of one of the threads here

Scifience

Assuming your flight arrives early or on-time (TPACs often do) and you have no checked luggage and walk fast, it's definitely within the realm of possibility to make one of these trains. Lines at immigration are minimal that late. Tickets can be purchased from machines as well as the agents.

No. There is absolutely no good reason to take a taxi into Tokyo as a solo traveller. The trains are efficient, comfortable, and easy to use.

hellodali

Thank you, you guys are making me feel much better about this.
No checked baggage, but we'll see about walking fast with a sprained ankle :-/

Based on what I read on the JR and KEISEI pages, if I take the Skyliner I need to buy 2 different tickets from different companies, but if I take the NEX I only need to buy one, is that right?

Scifience

Right. If you take the Skyliner, you will transfer to a regular local train operated by JR at Nippori, for which you will need to purchase a separate ticket for ￥190 from one of the machines once you arrive at Nippori. If you take one of the NEX trains that stops at Shibuya, you'll be on the same train the whole way, so obviously you'll only need one ticket.

The Skyliner + Yamanote line combo is a bit faster and cheaper, but a bit more hassle than the NEX.

jib71

If you take the JR Narita Express (9:46pm departure from NRT Airport Terminal 2) you can to all the way to Shibuya on that train. One ticket. I think it's a good idea to purchase a N'EX + Suica combo, because it's a money saver and it's nice to have a Suica for getting around Tokyo. Make sure you take your assigned seat on the Narita Express or you could end up in a car that goes to a different destination.

If you take the Keisei Skyliner (9:42pm or 10:21pm departure from NRT Airport Terminal 2), just get a ticket to Nippori. When you get to Nippori, I would advise you to purchase a Suica card with some stored credit. You can use that to take the Yamanote line to Shibuya and for other short journeys around Tokyo during your stay.

NewbieRunner

Just one more thing about the Yamanote Line. It's a circular line so it doesn't matter which way you travel but Nippori to Shibuya via Shinjuku is quicker. Don't worry if you don't get on the 23:36 from Nippori. On Sunday night after 23:00 trains run every 7 or 8 minutes and the last train from Nippori to Shibuya leaves at 00:39.

MSPeconomist

Especially if you don't have checked luggage, try to race through the airport to catch the last limobus to the Cerulean, which is a very pleasant boutique hotel. Be sure to visit their lounge and rooftop terrace, including at happy hour time. If you get to the limobus counter before the departure, they will try to take you to the platform and inform the driver than one more passenger is coming. Depending on the terminal where your flight arrives, you might have an extra five or ten minutes.

If this fails, either take the NEX (and then I would take a taxi at that hour to the hotel; IIRC the train station isn't close or an obvious walk to the hotel) or a limobus to Tokyo Central (there should be a departure about every fifteen minutes until late) and a longer/more expensive taxi to the hotel. You could take subways and more complicated means of public transportation, but for a late night arrival after a long flight with jet lag, I wouldn't advise someone who isn't familiar with Tokyo to try multiple transfers. There are also some confusing small streets near the hotel with lots of shops and restaurants where it is easy to get lost on foot, even in daytime.

joejones

You could also take the limousine bus to TCAT (55 minutes) and then take the Hanzomon Line subway from there to Shibuya (20 minutes).

The bus to TCAT is available until midnight: http://www.tcat-hakozaki.co.jp/eng/i...on/narita.html

If you wanted to take a taxi from T-CAT it would probably be 4,000 yen or so.

MSPeconomist

A taxi from Tokyo Station would be cheaper, although the limobus ticket would probably be a few hundred yen more expensive.

RichardInSF

No, you don't have to do it this way, this is wrong info. If you tell the Keisei line ticket agent your final destination, they will sell you a single ticket that works for the whole trip. At Nippori station, just use the turnstiles marked "Transfer to JR."

It's challenging, but (I believe) possible, to get from the Hanzomon station line station at Shibuya to street level without having to lug your bags up a lot of stairs. You might not want to face this late at night after a long flight.

gnaget

Yes, this is indeed a good option. It probably takes less than 55 minutes after 9 pm. Also the most important advantage of this option is the frequency of operation. Around every 10 minutes versus 30 or 60 min for the train. http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/10
I think NEX reduces operations to once per hour later in the evening and sometimes it doesn't go to Shibuya so you have to go to Shinagawa and take Yamanote line, which sucks and takes time.

Once you emerge from customs then the Limo bus counter is right in front and you can immediately be on the bus versus going downstairs to the train.

Hanzomon line is not ideal for Cerulean. It's not too bad but you will need to study Google maps carefully and be prepared to carry luggage up or down stairs because you need to cross the highway. The direct route: you take exit 5 and then get across route 246 via the pedestrian overpass. But if you are on an expense account then 3k for the bus and 5k for a cab is not too bad.

hellodali

We landed at 8:30 and I was able to catch the Limousine Bus. Thank you all for your detailed advice! I'll catch up on the rest of the thread tomorrow, when I haven't been up for 22 hours :-D

NewbieRunner

Good to hear. Thanks for the update!