OliverB

I just booked our honeymoon flights for Japan, 10/28 to 12/03.

We are flying SFO to NRT direct.

Our last night is in Nagasaki, December 2nd.

We fly out of Narita on a late afternoon (05:20 PM) flight, December 3rd.

I need to get to NRT by 3:00 PM at the latest on December 3rd, in order to connect for our NRT - SFO return.

The problem is that I'm not finding any flights through ANA.

Can someone please help me to figure out the best way to coordinate this?

I booked our RT this morning, so if for any reason I need to extend our trip by one day in order to accommodate our return travel from NGS to NRT, I'd like to figure that out ASAP while changes can still (hopefully) be made!

What's the easiest, cheapest and most convenient way of getting from Nagasaki to Narita Int'l by mid-afternoon the same day?

Thanks so much for any and all help!!!

Kieron

Take any of the morning nonstop Nagasaki-Haneda flights (ANA departures at 08:35, 09:25, and 10:55; also some JAL flights available), then the limousine bus from Haneda to Narita?

In principle it could all be done on the train, but it's a looong day on the rails: an 06:00 departure from Nagasaki Station can get you to Narita T1 at 14:57. I think you're losing out on the "easiest" and definitely the "most convenient" at that point - its only advantage is that it's cheaper than a standalone NGS-HND flight. Perhaps you can add that segment to your existing NRT-SFO ticket for a more reasonable price?

kevincrumbs

FWIW, there are no flights from NGS to NRT, so as Kieron has noted, you'll need to fly into HND and do the ground transfer to NRT. It's a shame none of the LCCs fly to Tokyo from NGS.

I guess another option would be to take the train to Hakata Station in Fukuoka and then the Fukuoka City Subway to FUK but depending on your level of comfort and how much luggage you have, this might not be feasible. From FUK, JL, NH and Jetstar and Skymark all fly to NRT.

It also doesn't seem like there's a direct bus service from Nagasaki to FUK, which would no doubt make getting to FUK much easier.

OliverB

Ouch!

We have a 9.5 hour int'l flight from NRT to SFO that same afternoon, so convenience, duration and agony are my main concerns!

It sounds like NGS-HND is the answer... are ANA and JAL the only two operators?

If so, is there usually a preference in terms of cost, flight time, and comfort?

I was using amextravel.com to price tickets and was pulling up $500 per person fares with transfers in Osaka, which seemed a far more ambitious and costly itinerary than I'd initially planned.

jib71

Travel to Fukuoka at the end of your last day and spend your last night in Fukuoka. From there you have direct flights to NRT.

OliverB

Btw, with a 05:20 PM departing flight from NRT to SFO... what time should I aim to arrive at HND in order to collect our bags and transfer to NRT without stress, and with ample time to check-in, clear customs, and possibly enjoy a final meal in Japan before boarding? It's typically recommended that passengers arrive 2 hours in advance for international flights, which would mean 03:20 PM (I would prefer closer to 03:00) for our 05:20 departure. Accounting for traffic and other possible delays between HND and NRT, what time should we ideally reach HND? I'm trying to book strategically as I also want to avoid spending unecessary time hanging around in airports as we'll be in transit most of the day and night. I would prefer to reserve a few extra hours in the morning for Nagasaki rather than arrive too early at HND, if that makes sense.

Thanks again for all the help!!

OliverB

What is the easiest (in terms of duration and agony) way to travel between Nagasaki and Fukuoka?

We'll have spent the better part of the month crossing Honshu: Tokyo-Hakone-Tokyo-Minakami-Yamanouchi-Matsumoto-Takayama-Kaga-Kyoto-Nara-Osaka-Matsue-Miyajima-Nagasaki.

Needless to say, by the end of our month in Japan, we'll have gotten out fill of sightseeing and adventure. That said, any further travelling to accommodate an easy return to NRT Int'l would be based entirely on practicality + convenience.

We only have 3 nights booked for Nagasaki and there's a lot to see and do, so I wonder if I should extend our return trip by one night in order to take the train to Fukuoka and add one extra night there? How long is the shinkansen between Nagasaki and Fukuoka?

Thanks so much!!

OliverB

I wonder if adding a full day to our already exhausting itinerary, travelling by rail between Nagasaki to Fukuoka, checking into yet another hotel - only to spend the entire duration of our next day in the sky, is really worth all the effort versus just doing the transfer from Haneda to Narita?

Kieron

It's a two hour ride from Nagasaki to Hakata (Fukuoka) on the limited express. Not a true shinkansen yet.

Are you flying UA? Could you possibly get a return on the KIX-SFO flight instead? There's still no useful connecting flight out of NGS (the one daily flight on Peach arrives too late), but it is at least a little more reasonable by train - just under six hours from Nagasaki to Kansai Airport, instead of nine to Narita. Nice airport, too.

abmj-jr

You will have already been in Japan for well over a month. I would strongly recommend just getting your butts to NRT in plenty of time to avoid stress or potential problems with making your departure. Rather than trying to squeeze in "a few more hours," consider that Nagasaki is a long way from NRT and act to ensure no snags along the way.

I have made an easy departure from Fukuoka to KIX by train for departure back to SFO, and I might even try Nagasaki to KIX, but Nagasaki to NRT is another kettle of fish. Unless you want to try jib71's idea of moving to Fukuoka for your last night, flying from NGS to HND is your best bet. Give yourself plenty of time for the connections and the possibility of road delays between HND and NRT. I would want to be at HND by noon, one at the latest.

If you are flying first or business class, any extra time at NRT is simply more time in whichever executive airport lounge you have access to. If not, extra time at NRT can be spent picking up a few last gifts or souvenirs at the extensive shopping area or a last meal at one of the land-side restaurants. Better to be an hour or two early for that flight home than 15 minutes late.

OliverB

I'm flying ANA round trip.

I think based on the above info (2 hour train ride + unecessary hotel stays, check-ins/outs/luggage, etc) that we'll just fly into Haneda direct from NGS on the same day, and transfer to NRT which seems to be about 1 hour by car.

My last question before booking our flight is whether it makes more sense to leave Nagasaki a bit later and salvage our last remaining morning before the long haul home... or to spend the extra couple of hours around Haneda airport? Is there anything of interest nearby? A destination worthy restaurant or tea house, a nice park to visit perhaps, stuff like that? The only thing that I know about the area around HND is that it's right on the bay... would that suituate it right on the outskirts of Central Tokyo? If so, perhaps it would be worthwhile to fly in super early and spend our final morning in Tokyo, before transfering to Narita for our flight home. Would this be a recommended plan... or am I missing any important info about ease of access from Haneda, traffic, etc?

OliverB

Thanks and good advice!!

I'm just trying to decide between AM arrival times at HND - 8:35, 10:10, 10:40, 10:55, 12:35.

Would 12:35 be cutting it too close? 8:35 AM would mean a very early morning and doesn't sound like fun. I suppose any of the 10-11-ish itineraries would be best. The only consideration is to leave Nagasaki closer to 10am and get into Tokyo as early as possible (without having to wake up at 5am - that would be the 10:10am flight!) which means we'll either be spending more time in an airport lounge or hopefully grab lunch near Haneda... or to fly in closer to 11am/noon.

OliverB

What are reasonable rates for domestic flights with ANA/JAL?

I'm pricing out $397 p/p with ANA (NGS-HND) for ONE-WAY, which seems very expensive and much higher than I had expected. Is this a standard fare?

abmj-jr

Personally, I'd be ok with the 12:35 arrival if there is a later flight in case of trouble. I'd check the limobus times from HND to NRT first, though. Even the 11-ish arrival lets you have a leisurely morning before catching your flight and still leaves a fall-back flight in the rare case that the 11 departure is delayed or canceled. Being a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy, I never like to rely on the last possible flight to make an international connection. YMMV.

AlwaysAisle

Both ANA and JAL start domestic flights' reservation two months in advance. If you try to book Japanese domestic flights for December now using website as you have used then all you will get today will be full economy fare. Discount fare will be available starting two months before the flight. December 3 is way before end of the year travel season so you do not have to worry about flight selling out.

If you want to get cheaper discount fares for NGS-HND then wait till two months before the flight. Use ANA or JAL website, make sure location is Japan not the US sight. US based travel tools such as Amex travel, Travelocity, etc. do not have access to discount domestic fares in Japan for what ever reason last time I needed to book Japanese domestic flights.

Last time I booked domestic flights via ANA Japanese website they took US issued credit card and no problem booking cheap discounted fare.

Use to be both ANA and JAL Japanese website did not take credit cards issued outside of Japan but now they do. Just have to wait till two months before the flight.