Tartegnin

you guys are AWESOME. Thanks. The votes are in and it seems train is the way to go, but noted that it may be tough to navigate Tokyo station and find a taxi. We have taken note also of other good comments on this site and will be travelling relatively light.

We are ordering two week train passes, and I will count carefully, but I think that we should just about stretch to start the two weeks running at the airport - is it easy to figure out how to pick up/validate the passes at NRT?

ksandness

You buy the vouchers from a travel agent in your own country, and you exchange them for the passes in Japan. You can do that at NRT in the JR Ticket Office in the basement of the NRT terminal on the way to the tracks, although lines can be long.

As foreign passport holders, however, you can ask at the main floor ticket counter about the special half-price N'EX tickets for foreign passport holders, use them to get into Tokyo, and exchange the vouchers for a pass at any of the major train stations in Tokyo. Look for the midori no madoguchi ("green window"), which is marked with a green four-leaf clover.

Note that the JR Pass is good for JR trains (including JR commuter trains) and some JR buses only, not for the subways or city buses. Stations that are served by JR trains usually have JR in their name.

angra

I don't know enough about your trip to assert that this is a better idea, but: Have you considered whether you really need 2 week passes? If you're going to spend a while in Tokyo before heading out to the rest of the country, you might find that you can arrange your trip such that a 1 week pass covers your needs. Just a thought.

ksandness

This is true. If you are spending the first week in Tokyo, you may be able to get by with a Suica debit card for local transportation within Tokyo (It's good on both JR and non-JR trains, as well as the subways, and it can be purchased and topped up at most train stations. You don't save any money, but the convenience of just tapping it on the turnstile, as opposed to buying a single ticket from a machine and making sure not to lose it during the ride, is priceless. (It is similar to London's Oyster Card or Seoul's T-Money.)

abacaxi

A combination of the Airport Limo to Prince Park Tower plus a taxi to the American Club might also work.

5khours

Once was more than enough.

MSPeconomist

IIRC this hotel is on the same route from NRT as the Sheraton and Westin, with service that isn't as frequent as many of the other routes. It might not be worth the wait for the bus to go this way.

iqbalt80

I will just piggy back on this thread. Arriving from PEK to HND (21:05) (destination is Conrad) with 2 small Kids and wifey.
Of course, will have some luggage and strollers.
What will be the best way to get to the Conrad?

Tartegnin

Thanks - that had occurred to me, but we are splitting our time in Tokyo - three nights at the beginning and three nights at the end, with other cities in the middle. Counting the days, we'd be just over seven days in the middle for travelling by train, so the thought was to suck up the extra cost and get the two week pass and not try to confuse matters with additional one way tickets at either end.

So as not to confuse this thread and also to get some more good tips from you gurus, I am going to post our planned itinerary on a separate thread and would oh-so-welcome your feedback.

AlwaysAisle

I stayed at Conrad several times. Very limited Limousine Bus from HND to Conrad, and no service at the time of your arrival. Your best bet is take taxi, which should be 7,000 � 8,000 yen. If you have luggage and need larger taxi than mid-size car, then you may have to wait little but wait should not be more than 5 - 10 min.

If you want to spurge little, then you can arrange directly with Conrad, I used that service once. There will be a person with your name waiting for you at exit from customs, got V-class benz for three of us for 35,000 yen, no problem with luggage. The driver call in advance of arrival so the hotel can have check-in detail all prepared for you.

jerry a. laska

There are six limousine buses each day to the Conrad, unfortunately as noted above, none operate after ~1830. See:
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/70
I agree with AlwaysAisle and would consider a taxi or car service with the kids.

Returning to the airport I would just board the limousine bus at the Conrad.
http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/1/70

hxhbk

Another tagged on question if I may.
Two of us will arrive NRT on Sat around 5PM on JAL. We will go to the Tokyo Conrad.
I am familiar with both the Airport Limousine Bus and the NEX.
My current plan is to take NEX to Tokyo Station and cab to the Conrad to cut down on the travel time. The hotel staff told me the typical cab fare should be around 1500 yens.
Given this is a weekend day, would anyone recommend that I use the Airport Limousine bus for door-to-door service?
Of course, my decision for this option, should I decide to go with it, will ultimately depend on when I clear custom to landside and what is the next Limousine bus schedule.

ksandness

I think you've just answered your own question.

hxhbk

Let me restate my question differently.
On a weekday, typically it takes about 2 hours to get from NRT to downtown Tokyo via the Limousine Bus. Does anyone have an idea on how long a similar bus trip would take on a weekend day?

angra

from what I can see on a quick search, the timetables are not differentiated by weekday/weekend.