10 hrs NRT Jan - what do?
 

Hi all,

My wife and I are vacationing in SE Asia in January and have 10 hours on the return in NRT. Time of day is 0600-1600, weekday. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what to do. We were thinking since we have that much time we could take a train into Tokyo and stroll around. I am a photographer and would be especially interested in any recommendations for winter shooting sights.

Thanks very much!

Well, it takes anywhere from 35 to 60 minutes to get into the city, depending on which mode of transportation you choose. Assuming you manage to get through Customs and Immigration relatively quickly, get some money from an ATM and catch the next train, that means getting somewhere in Tokyo by +/- 0800 - right in the rush hour. For a 1600 flight, you'll want to get back to NRT by 1430. Add in travel time and you will need to be on the train by 1330 +/-. That leaves 5+ hours in the city, in the middle of winter.

I might be tempted to take the Keisei Skyliner rather than the JR Narita Express. That would put you in Ueno right next to Ueno Park, which should offer a few things to photograph and several good museums to look into if you get cold. The Ameyoko street arcade is right across the street. If time allows, a quick ride on the subway two stops puts you in the old-town of Asakusa. Again, Senso-ji temple complex and the Nakamise Arcade which leads up to it should offer some good pictures. There are several pretty good places to grab a nice lunch near either Asakusa Station or Ueno Station. An advantage to using the Skyliner is that it is both cheaper and faster than the JR train, which takes you to Tokyo Station or beyond. And Keisei Ueno Station is MUCH easier to navigate.

The above is a rather non-traditional approach. I am sure others will chime in with suggestions that would take you to Tokyo or Shinjuku Stations, which would put you in the more modern, uptown parts of Tokyo. That would work, too. Just remember the travel time back to NRT.

But a good one - both for photos and short travel time. The area is gritty and quite interesting for that.

You could also get off the Skyliner at Nippori and follow this walk
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/tokyo/250113

If you want take things at more slow pace, also consider visit the city of Narita.

I'd advise the town of Narita, too.

It's a 15-minute ride, it's walkable, and even though it's not Tokyo, it's definitely Japan. You can enjoy the large temple at the center of town and wander the streets, people watching, enjoying a meal or two and poking around in the stores.

The best part of it is that you won't have to keep wondering if you're going to be late for your flight.

Great suggestions, all. Thank you very much. We had considered Narita as well. And we really aren't interested in being dropped off in the middle of a bunch of shiny skyscrapers. Grittier and local is what we prefer. Sounds like in practicality we would have the morning and lunch in Tokyo and then would need to make our way back to NRT. And it might be nice to see a museum after walking around in the cold, which we're aren't much used to.

Is there enough to see and do in Narita for that much time?

What would be worst case time frame between walking off the train at NRT and being in our terminal after immigration and customs in early afternoon on a weekday? Airline is UA.

Thanks again!

Narita city might hold you over for a couple of hours (but you'd have to wait until shops opened up first, considering when you land at NRT), but besides the shopping street (Narita Omotesando) and the temple (Narita-san), there's not much else, given your interests.

abm-jr's suggestion of Asakusa/Ueno would be good. Ueno has a large park with a few museums dotted around, helpful since you mentioned visiting a museum would also work.

To add to abmj-jr's solid response, the area just around Nippori station is one of my favourite districts in Tokyo.

There are three areas that make up what is popularly known as YaNeSen.
There are lots of websites with information and suggestions for walking tours - use Yanesen as a search term and Flickr will yield a lot of results also which will give you an idea of what to expect
http://en.japantourist.jp/view/a-day...anaka-in-tokyo

There's a travel writer (best when writing) I've come to respect who covered this same area in his own 48 hours in Tokyo guide.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qc8bs3...%3D9Qc8bs3oXJM
The coverage is here - scroll through to the 6 minute point for a short guide. I second the recommendation of the udon restaurant he visits (my husband used to work regularly in this area which is how I got my own introduction)

There's a group here who are very much in agreement with you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDAlZ7PDMDU&sns=em

I LOVE this video - been meaning to post a link to it for some time.

Exit time depends on a number of factors, including class of service. Traveling in F or J on UA, I have made it through and down to the train station in 15 to 20 minutes, but I cut the time down by only having carry-on luggage, having my money already in hand and knowing exactly where to go. I have yet to be examined at Customs. They just wave me through. When traveling in Y, it always takes longer as you won't be at the head of the line at Passport Control. My flights always arrive in the afternoon, so I am not familiar with the morning arrivals but if several flights arrive at the same time, the lines to get through immigration can get pretty long. That all said, I can't imagine taking more than 45 minutes to an hour. You can cut the time by getting cash at an ATM rather than an exchange window and the line at the Keisei ticket window is always shorter than that at JR, right next door. Figure you could be on the train platform in an hour or so, could be less. The Skyliner is pretty fast and will get you to Keisei-Ueno in less than an hour.

All the above is a bit beside the point as the first Skyliner doesn't depart until 8:17 am, arriving at 9:15 am. There are a couple of earlier trains but they are slower and would only save 6 to 9 minutes. Plus some of the options involve a change from train to subway at Aoto, which I don't advise for a first-timer. I'd say take your time, get your tickets and then look around NRT a bit, maybe buy some snacks for the morning (I must have my bottle of green tea for the ride) and be a little less rushed getting on the Skyliner. There is a return Skyliner at 13:40 which arrives back at Terminal 1 at 14:23. The next earlier one is at 13:00 and the next later at 14:00.

Getting back through security at NRT Terminal #1 is very quick and painless. You may have time to do some shopping, eat or check out the observation deck.

All that to say, using the most comfortable and easy travel options, I think your actual time in Tokyo would be 0915 to 1340, a bit less than 4-1/2 hours. If it were me, I'd purchase my return tickets upon arrival at Keisei-Ueno, exit and immediately go up the steps to the park and stroll around, looking for pictures. The National Museum (and several others) are toward the back of the park for a place to get indoors. After that, I'd walk through Ameyoko, avoiding the foreigners selling fake phone cards and whatnot. Then, assuming it is after noon, I'd go across to the Ueno Station area to find a likely spot for lunch and then head back to Keisei-Ueno for the ride back to the airport. Alternatively, you could forego the park and instead find the Ginza Line subway station and go straight to Asakusa, walk the old town or Nakamise Arcade, visit the Senso-ji Temple complex and find some lunch in Asakusa. I might just graze the food stalls on Nakamise instead of a restaurant but either would be good. Then return to Ueno on the subway, walk across the street to Keisei-Ueno and return to the airport. Doing both Ueno Park/Ameyoko AND Asakusa in 4-1/2 hours would be rather rushed and hectic. If you want to try it anyway, I'd suggest going straight to Asakusa upon arrival at Keisei-Ueno, leaving Ueno Park for whatever time is left on the way back.

Thank you for posting this link. I loved it too. It gave me nostalgic feelings for such iconic places I have visited.

For those who aren't familiar, the first half or so of this video is shot in and around Asakusa and Ueno. The opening scene is of the group marching down the Nakamise Arcade, which leads up to Senso-ji Temple, the giant red torii gate with the huge red paper lantern is the gateway to the Arcade and several street locations are iconic old-town Asakusa. A bit later, they are in front of a triangular building at a "V" crossroad intersection. That is the entrance to Ameyoko in Ueno. The big statue they dance in front of is at the entrance to Ueno Park and is of Saigo Takamori, often referred to as the true "last samurai." The red and white old-looking building in the last scene is the old Tokyo Station building, which now houses the Yaesu entrance to the larger, modern Tokyo-eki.

Holy cow! Thank you so much for posting the link to this amazing video.

!

Seamless.

I think we may just extend a stopover, since it's an award with no change fees. Even though it's winter - so what? Having only a morning would be woefully inadequate, it now appears.

Abmj-jr - especially great and thoughtful responses. Thank you and to everyone else.

We're flying awards in X.

If we don't change to a night or two, it sounds like to/from Ueno station is a good bet. My wife is up for extending, so we might have more time to explore.

Especially in the park, take notice of the amazing bird calls. I suspect they're ravens.

amazingly soothing!

We extended a day in Tokyo, so we have time to do more! :-)