Daichovo

Yes, I know you are asking why I would even do that. Simply, I'm a crazy budget traveller.

I'll be arriving on a flight around noon, but my next flight (an award ticket booked on a different alliance) is the next day at 6p. If award availability changes or I find some crazy hotel deal, I'll take it, in the meantime, if I just stay in the lounges, will they kick me out? or even let me in before 24 hrs before?

I'd really love to eat some decent food in ANA lounge, take a nice shower in the UA lounge, and then head back to ANA lounge to one of those sleeping areas (or maybe there will be even nicer ones if renovation is finished). Then just relax, use internet and read the whole next day. I just don't want the expense of heading into the city for just one day.

MSPeconomist

Check the hours for the lounges to which you ahve access, but most NRT lounges aren't open 24/7.

If you're arriving on an international flight, you must either follow the signs to immigration and customs (enter the country) or for connections, where IME boarding passes are inspected before you go through security. With a 24+ hour stopover, I don't think you'll be able to get a boarding pass before departure and perhaps not at a NRT transfer desk either. AFAIK you cannot go airside as an originating departing passenger the day before your flight, but I've never tried this.

Q Shoe Guy

NRT closes between 23:00 and 06:00 the following morning. IME they will not let you stay in the terminals overnight. There are quite a few "cheap" hotels nearby.

evergrn

Hotels near NRT are very cheap. You can often stay at decent places like Richmond (Narita town), Radisson and Nikko for 6000-8000yen/night single occupancy. There're some hotels that are even cheaper, albeit with probably substandard accommodation. There's supposed to be a capsule hotel next to T2, but I've never been. But considering how cheap hotels are near NRT, I just don't think the capsule is good value for money.

NewbieRunner

Thanks to early morning LCC flight departures NRT T2 is now effectively open 24 hours with many pax spending the night in the terminal. There is a 24-hour 7-Eleven in T2 (and a 24-hour Lawson in T1) and the capsule hotel next to T2 is called Nine Hours for some reason.

Q Shoe Guy

It certainly won't help the OP who is trying to stay in the lounges of Terminal 1......

ToGo

what does transfer passenger do who have no permission for the imigration?

AlwaysAisle

This is pretty much pre-security LCC check-in area of Terminal 2. Lawson (convenience store) at Terminal 1 pre-security is open 24 hrs. but places where people spend over night is pretty much around pre-security of LCC check-in area at this moment. I heard that some backpackers type do stay overnight in pre-security area that now Lawson is open 24 hours at Terminal 1 but I am not sure how it works at this moment.

NRT is not 24 hrs. airport and passengers cannot stay overnight at international transit/post-security departure gate area as OP wants to do. If capsule hotel Nine Hours may not provide privacy (locker room, restroom, shower setting may be like gymnasium locker room for some people? ) then there is also Narita Airport Rest House, closest hotel from the terminal at NRT. The rate at Narita Airport Rest House starts from 4000 yen, where rate from Nine Hours starts from 3900 yen. Little more privacy for 100 yen extra is good deal, I think.

AlwaysAisle

It is a responsibility of each passengers to have proper documents for each transiting and visiting countries. Also airlines are required to check for such situation for passengers at the departure airport. If passengers have overnight connection at NRT, then an airline supposed to check that those passengers can enter Japan, such as visa waiver, transit visa, etc. If passengers with overnight connection who cannot enter Japan arrive at NRT, then an airline transported such passengers will be fined by Japanese government. This is nothing unique to Japan, pretty much most countries have a law where airlines are fined by the government for transporting passengers without proper documents.

As to what happen to such passengers, I think it depends on the passport passengers hold. Some passengers may receive temporary landing permit with warning and some other may be confined to immigration holding rooms.

NewbieRunner

If the itinerary requires an overnight layover a passenger will have to apply for a transit visa in advance. If a passengber is forced to overnight because of an unexpected delay, the airline can apply for a shore pass on their behalf which allows them to stay until the next available flight.

mapleg

Book a cheap hotel at Narita City--the Mercure Hotel at Narita can be booked very cheaply on line.. I think I once paid as little as $45 for the night and a few bucks for the rail ticket. Comfort Hotel is pretty cheap as well and includes breakfast

Sure beats staying in an airport

txflyer77

Here's a budget solution that's a lot more fun than staying at the airport.

Take the Keisei local line to Asakusa in Tokyo, I believe it runs around 1100 yen. When I first came to Tokyo in college I stayed at K's House hostel in Asakusa for around 2500 yen, this was three years ago. Noon to 6pm the next day is more than enough time to get into Tokyo.

You said you don't want the expense but if you eat cheap you could probably still do this for less than 5000 yen if you're careful, about what you'd pay for a cheap Narita hotel. Walking around Sensoji Temple and Ueno Park is free, you wouldn't even have to pay for a metro ride.

gnaget

I think this stems from a bubble era hangover in westerners' minds that everything in Japan in super expensive. "Dude. Japan. Isn't that where an apple costs like $20."

siaa380

I've stayed overnight in NRT T1 when I accidentally bought a train ticket back to the airport for the wrong day. It was on the land side of the terminal though. After the last arrival landed (I believe it was around 2am), security brought everyone who was staying overnight in the terminal to one general area. They checked to make sure that we had passports and boarding passes for the next day. You weren't allowed to leave the area (they had a security guard watching) but there was a bathroom nearby you were allowed to visit along with a couple of vending machines.

gnaget

You know that you can change date and time for train tickets?