maltasr

Wife and I will be flying SIN-NRT-LAX on Feb. 18. We plan to arrive at Narita on JAL #710 at 9:35 AM and depart Narita for LAX on AA #170 @ 4:10 PM. We've never visited Japan and am wondering if the seven hours we'll have between flights would be adequate to take the train from Narita to downtown Tokyo to have a look around. Could someone advise us on: 1) any formalities of leaving the airport area and then returning a few hours later, 2) cost of train to downtown (Ginza?) district and lunch including safety issues we should be aware of (we wouldn't consider using any mode of transport other than train) 3) any highlights of downtown area), 4) time we should plan to depart downtown to get back to airport with comfortable timing, and 5) anything we should definitely avoid. We're flying first on both legs and want to have time to check out the JAL and AA lounges. Any advice/suggestions will be very much appreciated.

Comet21

I guess you're taking a bit of a risk, but if your intention is to go to Ginza and have a look around then you should also be aware that depending on your nationality you may need a transit visa.

Narita express would be your safest bet. (https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/nex/index.html) They cost 2940 yen each way per person, and the nearest JR station to Ginza would be Yurakucho which is a stop away from Tokyo station.

In terms of time, it'll take about an hour to Tokyo station, and probably another 15 - 20 minutes to Ginza from there whilst you figure your way around the trains and subways if you prefer. Say you get through immigration by 10:15, you should arrive in Ginza by noon. That will give you about an hour before you should head back to NRT which will be close to 3pm once you get through to the transit area. Won't give you much time to spend at the lounge.

As for having a look around, as suggested, visiting Narita city might be a better adventure and you're not too far from the airport and will be more cost effective than spending time and money for 1 hour possibly to visit Ginza

Himeno

The fastest way to Tokyo from Narita is the SkyAcess train. 36 mins from T2 to Nippori. Then you'd need to connect to another train to get to Ginza.

I've done the day trip into Tokyo from Narita twice, on the same trip (had SYD-xNRT-ITM-xNRT-ICN). The first was a 12 hour connection, the second 9 hours. In both cases, I used the Keisei Sky Access to Nippori or Ueno.
The first one, I went to the Shinjuku area for about 6 hours (I had to get my bag checked for the JL domestic flight and find a locker to store my laptop for the day before I left NRT). The second time, I went to Akiba and Ueno Park. Spent about 4 hours there, but headed back to NRT earlier then planned to nap in a lounge due to a migraine.

Depending on if you need to do anything at NRT (eg, check/store any baggage, customs, etc), you'll only realistically have 4.5 hours, including travel time, before you need to be back to board your outbound flight.

yamanote8

Don't even think about taking any mode of transport other than the trains- with the bus, any congestion and your time in Tokyo proper will be ruined.

Given your limited time, I'd take the Keisei. Take the Access Express (not the Skyliner, which goes to Nippori & Ueno) toward Haneda Airport. It stops at Higashi-Ginza which puts you near the action in one hour flat. Fare is around 1300y per person, one-way.

Keep in mind that the Narita Express is considerably more expensive than a comparable Keisei fare, which is usually faster as well.

As I see it, you'd have 2 or so hours at most. If your inbound flight is on-time/early and immigration lines are not too long, being in First you have a chance of catching the 10:06 train, which puts you in Ginza by 11. Start heading back around 1:30 or so to be sitting in the lounge at 3pm. AA lounge is really nothing special, I'd spend the 45m you have in the JAL lounge instead.

With that little time, do some research about one or two things you want to see or do and go straight there. Skytree wouldn't be a bad idea- it's a new landmark and there's a shopping mall at its base which you could buy stuff and eat at. I think the Access Express stops at Oshiage which is right next to Skytree too.

Himeno

Depending on when you go, the Skytree can be very time consuming if you want to go up to the viewing decks. The first time I went, I would have had to queue to get a timed ticket to let me in the line to buy a ticket to go up. If I didn't give up and go back the next morning, it would have been 3 hours of lines.

JDiver

Airport related questions are best asken in destination fora, so we've moved your question here.

If you've never been to Japan, the suggestion to go yo Narita town is the best, IMO, for time on the ground, cost effectiveness and a microcosm experience.

Search here for thr Narita Layover thread for a lot of information, and look for posts about - or Google - Mike Newman's Narita Layover pages. Visit Narita temple and gardens, walk Ometesando street, enjoy a meal in one of its restaurants.

JDiver
senior moderator

yamanote8

Oh yeah, I should've mentioned that he'd just be looking at the Skytree. Don't plan on actually going up to the observation decks- as you say, lines can be very long.

Narita City is much closer and offers a taste of 'traditional' Japan, but there's not much to do there IMO. Could be a good thing since he wants lots of time to roam the lounges though.

5khours

Take the NEX. It goes directly to Tokyo Station non-stop, from where you can easily stroll into Ginza. Green car (first) is a little under 5,000 yen per person each way. Regular fare is about half. It takes just under an hour.

You can probably catch a train around 10:18 which will get you to Tokyo at 11:19. For the return, catch a 13:33 train which will get you back to Narita at about 14:28. (If you miss that train there is another one around 2:00, which will get you back in time).

Customs/immigrations/security are very straightforward and won't take more than 15 minutes each way.

There are no significant safety issues.

I would avoid the other trains as you have to figure out which train to get on, which stop to get off, and sometimes where to transfer. NEX is easiest and fastest, but more expensive.

You can walk along the Imperial Palace and then the Ginza shopping district. I'd probably skip lunch as you don't have a lot of time.

You should have at least 30 or 45 minutes in the lounge before you're flight to SFO.

ksandness

While in one sense, there isn't a lot to do in Narita, the area around Tokyo Station isn't very interesting, either. Unless you carefully read up on what you want to do in Tokyo and target those areas, you'll just be wondering around aimlessly wondering why you bothered with Generic International Business Land.

If you want to see something that "looks like Japan" and you absolutely must tell your friends that you've been to Tokyo (and Narita just doesn't have the caché you're looking for), take the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno, and transfer to the Ginza subway line bound for Asakusa. This lets you off two blocks east of the Nakamise-doori, the shop-lined approach to Sensoji (the Asakusa Kannon Temple). Lots of tourists, but it's a working temple, and if you're really lucky, you may even see a sumo wrestler.

Narita has a significant temple with wooded grounds and is a real working small city. Air crews lay over there, so the people are accustomed to foreign visitors, and there is a visitors' center in the middle of town.

Best of all, it takes only 15 minutes and Ą250 to get there on the Keisei local train (I did it just the other day, having to spend the first night in Narita because all my favorite hotels in Tokyo were full).

You get some rural scenery on the way to Narita, temple grounds to relax in, the full range of hole-in-the-wall restaurants (safe to eat at, by the way), and a glimpse of everyday Japanese life, all in a walkable microcosm.

But the area around Tokyo Station? Meh. Even the Ginza is no big deal unless you know what you're looking for. It's just an area full of stores and offices with only the newly reconstructed Kabuki Theater being of interest.

Time traveller

Can someone give me some guidance for taking public transport into downtown Tokyo from Hilton NRT?

I'll be arriving at NRT at 1:45pm on ANA and would like to check-in at the Hilton NRT and then take a train to Tokyo from the Keisei Narita station. How frequently does the train depart for Tokyo and what is the train fare like? What would be the last train back from Tokyo back to Keisei Narita?

Thanks.

ksandness

Some of this is covered in the FAQ pinned at the top of this board, including links to the schedules of the various ground transport services.

The Hilton Narita is located on a strip of highway with little else around it but other hotels, and you'll need to take a shuttle from it to Keisei Narita. Here is the schedule:

http://www.ishinhotels.com/hilton-na...ble_201306.pdf

ray1966

From Tokyo Tree Tower, you will have the best view for a missed flight though.

Not worth the hassle. Go to Narita Town instead

LapLap

If your stay is a very short one and you are looking to maximise time in Central Tokyo then I would strongly suggest "roughing" it a little and staying at one of the hotels within Narita such as the Mercure.
Mercure is almost next to the Kesei Narita rail station, whilst they have a courtesy bus it's quicker to just get the train into/from the airport (about 10 minutes and 250yen)
Depending on timetables you could be checked in at the Mercure and back on the platform for the train into Tokyo before the Hiton Courtesy bus arrives at the airport pick up point.

There are other options in Narita close to the rail station; Richmond hotel, Comfort hotel and the APA hotel (which gives access to a communal Japanese bath and sauna - a plus point for me). I've stayed at both the Hilton and the Mercure. Mercure (or APA) over Hilton would be an easy choice for me if I had only limited time to spend on anything other than sleeping.

For train timetables you can look at this website
http://www.hyperdia.com
There is little difference on foot between JR Narita and Keisei Narita, just use Narita as a search term when looking at timetables.

evergrn

I agree with the above, if you must go into Tokyo. However you pull off a trip into Tokyo, you're really only going to have ~2 hours in Tokyo. The Tokyo station itself can seem like a bit of a zoo, and getting lost and trying to find your way will easily eat up 5-10min quick.

Honestly, for the little time you have, I'd forget about Tokyo. It's going to be a real rush. If you're like me and you enjoy a bit of eating and shopping for Japanese goods, then go spend a few hours at the Aeon Mall right near NRT. I could easily spend half a day there.

yamanote8

I really don't understand the preference for the N'EX- it's slower, the closest stop to Ginza is Tokyo Station (which is a good 10 minutes away from Ginza proper- and that's after he figures out the maze that is Tokyo Station) and costs way more than the Keisei. The only reason I still take it is because the Skyliner doesn't go straight to Ikebukuro where my place is, but I digress.

Heh, yes, he'd have a fantastic view of the plane leaving without them