10 Hours in Tokyo... advice?
May 8, 2018, 8:52 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
10 Hours in Tokyo... advice?
Hey FTers,
I will be flying from YOW to HKG next month to attend a conference. On my way back from the conference I will be going HKG -> HND on NH arriving in around 6 AM then going NRT -> EWR at 5 PM the same day so I have around 11 hours to kill in Japan.
Do I have enough time to explore Tokyo? If so, what's the best way for me to go from HND to Tokyo and from Tokyo to NRT? How much time should I budget for those transfers? Also I'm *A Gold with UA and would appreciate any lounge recommendations or places I can crash for a couple of hours as I suspect I won't be getting much sleep!
Safe Travels,
James
I will be flying from YOW to HKG next month to attend a conference. On my way back from the conference I will be going HKG -> HND on NH arriving in around 6 AM then going NRT -> EWR at 5 PM the same day so I have around 11 hours to kill in Japan.
Do I have enough time to explore Tokyo? If so, what's the best way for me to go from HND to Tokyo and from Tokyo to NRT? How much time should I budget for those transfers? Also I'm *A Gold with UA and would appreciate any lounge recommendations or places I can crash for a couple of hours as I suspect I won't be getting much sleep!
Safe Travels,
James
May 9, 2018, 12:44 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Honolulu
Programs: UAL 1K, Hawaiian Platinum, SPG Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 17
You definitely have time to explore Tokyo and I would suggest catching the monorail or limousine bus. It will take approximately an hour or more. If you have luggage, there are storage lockers at each station but they can fill up fast. If you go to Shibuya or Shinjuku, you can catch the Narita express which takes a little over an hour to Narita. If you decide to explore, you won't have much time to nap but there are day rooms you can rent for a few hours. When I have a four or five hour layover, I like the ANA lounge because they have better food and the United lounge because of bigger showers.
May 9, 2018, 3:01 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,405
More like 8 hours. Still plenty of time to do sightseeing and have lunch.
May 9, 2018, 6:13 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Any advice on when I should be leaving for Narita airport if I want to access the lounge showers (flying UA back to EWR)? Being awake for over a day without showering means I'll be a bit smelly!
Also I was reading that immigration queues in Tokyo are notoriously long (i.e. an hour or more)? Will that be the case early morning in HND? What about in the afternoon at NRT? I plan on having on carryons so I don't have to waste time sitting in yet another airport queue.
Safe Travels,
James
Also I was reading that immigration queues in Tokyo are notoriously long (i.e. an hour or more)? Will that be the case early morning in HND? What about in the afternoon at NRT? I plan on having on carryons so I don't have to waste time sitting in yet another airport queue.
Safe Travels,
James
May 9, 2018, 9:13 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
Programs: UA, NW
Posts: 3,752
Tokyo is huge and sprawling, with several "downtowns," more like Los Angeles than like New York or Toronto, so the sights are not concentrated in one place.
I suggest getting a guidebook and a city map and picking out two, maybe three things that you would like to do in ONE section of the city.
If you want trendy, modern Japan, Shibuya is your best bet. If you want more traditional Japan, Ueno and Asakusa will have more of that atmosphere.
I suggest getting a guidebook and a city map and picking out two, maybe three things that you would like to do in ONE section of the city.
If you want trendy, modern Japan, Shibuya is your best bet. If you want more traditional Japan, Ueno and Asakusa will have more of that atmosphere.
May 9, 2018, 9:42 pm
#6
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
Figure an hour to NRT from anywhere in Tokyo, figure 2.5 hours before listed flight time to check-in, get to the lounge, shower, relax, have a bite to eat. You can do it in much less than that but you sound as if you'd like to enjoy the lounge a bit. There is also sushi near gate 35 or so. NH lounge (near gate 42 or so) is light years ahead of the UA Lounge. Sleeping chairs in a separate area and if you are able to sleep sitting up the cubicles in the working area are awesome fro a quiet place.
Haneda to Tokyo via Monorail puts you at Hamamatsucho which is a nothing area, but from where you can connect to the Yamanote Line (Circle line if this were London) to get to Tokyo station area, the above mentioned Ueno, and Shibuya areas. I'd shy away from getting to Asakusa as it requires train changes and the other spots are direct shots. If the weather is rotten the Tokyo station complex is good for food, a bit of Japan culture overload and then easy to get to NRT. Shibuya and Ueno will likely appeal in better weather.
Lines at HND should be pretty short at that time of day and they are very efficient. I would not expect more than 30 mins, but even if it is an hour, you'll be fine to have plenty of time in Tokyo before heading ion to NRT.
If you are plane spotter sort of person, very few airports rival Narita for that so you may want to use that as an alternative form of entertainment if your energy flagging.
Haneda to Tokyo via Monorail puts you at Hamamatsucho which is a nothing area, but from where you can connect to the Yamanote Line (Circle line if this were London) to get to Tokyo station area, the above mentioned Ueno, and Shibuya areas. I'd shy away from getting to Asakusa as it requires train changes and the other spots are direct shots. If the weather is rotten the Tokyo station complex is good for food, a bit of Japan culture overload and then easy to get to NRT. Shibuya and Ueno will likely appeal in better weather.
Lines at HND should be pretty short at that time of day and they are very efficient. I would not expect more than 30 mins, but even if it is an hour, you'll be fine to have plenty of time in Tokyo before heading ion to NRT.
If you are plane spotter sort of person, very few airports rival Narita for that so you may want to use that as an alternative form of entertainment if your energy flagging.
May 10, 2018, 7:19 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA
Programs: UA, NW
Posts: 3,752
If you decide to explore Ueno, then you can catch the Keisei Skyliner, at Keisei Ueno (not the nearby JR Ueno) Station and be at NRT in about 40 minutes. From Shibuya or Shinjuku, take the Narita Express, about 1 hour.
May 10, 2018, 9:46 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,632
I believe Narita Express (N'EX) from Shinjuku to NRT takes about 90 minutes. From Tokyo station the same train takes about an hour.
Exact departure and arrival times can be found on Hyperdia or Google.
Exact departure and arrival times can be found on Hyperdia or Google.
May 10, 2018, 11:50 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 29
May 10, 2018, 5:37 pm
#10
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
May 10, 2018, 6:06 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 190
What I would do:
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
May 10, 2018, 6:18 pm
#12
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Tokyo, Japan (or Vienna whenever possible)
Posts: 6,379
What I would do:
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
May 10, 2018, 7:59 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, AAdvantage, Southwest, HHonors, National
Posts: 528
What I would do:
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
Haneda via monorail to Hamamatsucho station. Transfer at Hamamatsucho to Yamanote line, 3 stops to Tokyo station. Total trip time should take 34 minutes, so you should get to Tokyo Station no later than 8am. Store bags in locker at Tokyo Station. Go down to ramen street in the basement of the station for tsukemen breakfast at Rokurinsha (https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/...n-noodles.html), then walk to Ginza (15 to 20 minutes on foot), check out a couple of depachikas such as Mitsukoshi (make sure to check out the basement levels for the amazing food stalls). Walk down Harumidori, past the famed Kabukiza theater, to the world-famous Tsukiji fish market (total walk from Mitsukoshi to Tsukiji market is about 10 minutes). Quick visit of Tsukiji inner market followed by a stroll around the stalls in the outer market. Walk back to Ginza for a world-class sushi lunch at Ginza Iwa (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) or Kyubey (https://www.thesushigeek.com/the-sus...in-ginza-tokyo) - both should still be reasonably easy to book with a few weeks notice. Then, take a leisurely walk back to Tokyo Station from Ginza (20 minutes), collect your bags from the locker, and hop on the N'EX train to Narita (one hour). This should put you at the airport with plenty of time to check in, shower, and relax a bit.
Now that's a fun day in Tokyo! (in my opinion)
May 10, 2018, 8:18 pm
#14
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hilton, Hyatt House, Del Taco
Posts: 5,378
Are you flying business class? If so, then while ANA Lounge is far superior to UA Club, nonetheless I might consider stopping off at UA Club to see if a shower there is immediately available. If so, then just shower there before heading to one of the NH lounges. That's because: 1). UA Club is right there after you come out of exit immigration; 2).There always seems to be a queue for shower at ANA Lounge.
If there's a shower queue at UA Club, then simply skip it and go straight to ANA Lounge and then put yourself on the wait list right when you check in.
Perhaps someone else who showers more often than me at NRT (can't remember the last time I showered at UC in Narita) can chime in to see if this is correct info, but this is what I would do.
May 10, 2018, 10:42 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Flying UA economy in NRT but am UA Gold which means I should have access to at least NH and UA lounges.
One other question : how ubiquitous are credit cards in Tokyo? Is it like London where I can use my card to pay for everything from transit fare to food or is more like Frankfurt where you have to pull out some Euros for public transit and the odd store that doesn't accept card? If I need to use an ATM how much would you recommend I pull out for this 11 hour trek?
Safe Travels,
James
One other question : how ubiquitous are credit cards in Tokyo? Is it like London where I can use my card to pay for everything from transit fare to food or is more like Frankfurt where you have to pull out some Euros for public transit and the odd store that doesn't accept card? If I need to use an ATM how much would you recommend I pull out for this 11 hour trek?
Safe Travels,
James