How much time transfer from nrt to hnd?
 

I'm making a booking on ANA from SFO to NRT, HND to KIX. They are suggesting a flight the leaves 3hrs after my first leg lands, but I have to make my own way to HND.
Any suggestions on how stressful this connection will be?
Will I have to collect my luggage and bring it with me on the bus?

I've always had fast track immigration and somehow I always end up flying into NRT and out of HND when I go to Japan, but even with the speed I've gotten for immigration and priority bags I would be too nervous to do 3hrs because I've landed at some far gates before where it took 10-15min just to get to immigration. I would do it for a 4hr connection though. Others who are more familiar with the normal immigration lines should chime in on that.

You can either do the bus, or take the skyaccess train, both take about 1.5hrs, the latter is about half the price IIRC. You will have to bring your luggage.

3 hours is very tight for changing between the airports. I would definitely prefer 4.

I would go for the bus, while there is a direct train, it is basically a local commuter train with no space for luggage and can get pretty crowded.

Also if you're taking the train note that on weekdays after 4pm the Access Express goes to Keisei-Ueno (except the 1604 for Misakiguchi) not Haneda Airport — so you'll have to transfer as well, which makes it an even less appealing option (although still cheaper than the bus)

i've done HKG NRT//HND SFO a few times (need status miles) with a 1530-1900 transit
once in a while it gets a bit nervous. never missed tho

i reckon if the delay is anticipated at HKG or NRT i'd get rerouted then without needing to go to HND (happened once on HKG NRT JFK)

If you give me your date and time of arrival + departure I can look up the exact schedule for you.
Transport in JP runs like clockwork so at least if you know your schedule it soluld not be too stressful.

Yes you will need to haul your luggage with you on the limo bus/connecting train.

There is an ANA flight departing from NRT to ITM (Itami airport, Osaka) at 6:10pm. That's the one you should take. Very odd that they're recommending going all the way to HND with minimum connection time.

As regards to traffic, I would factor a tolerance of 30mns just to be extra safe if you are taking the bus.

That said typical traffic delays are taken in account in the bus schedule. Dozens and dozens of airport limousine bus trips I have been late a couple of times and not by much. A Japanese bus is more reliable than a British train and by far.

Depends if you are buying via united 016 or ana ticket, or whether the routing engine had a hiccup

They are JV partners (so they share the flight space and revenue), but will have different availability. And different flights have different space, OP may not have the fare available on the good connecting flight

UA has a nonstop sfo-kix, but you have to fly UA :)

First time visit to Japan. Help with Itinerary please
 

Hello! This is my first post here as well as my first trip to Japan. Would greatly appreciate some help, as I am seriously confused after all the blogs i have read..

So I am traveling to Japan in April (4-17). I will be traveling alone and am a woman and I fly in and out of Tokyo.
This is the itinerary I have finally decided on, do you think it is okay or should i change it in any way?

Tokyo 4-7
Osaka 7-10
Kyoto 10-13
Hakone 13-15
Tokyo 15-17

Also I am planning to take the 14 day JR pass, would it be worth it for this itinerary?

Thanks! :)

Hello enya, welcome to Flyertalk and to the Japan forum. Quite a few of us are female and pretty used to travelling around on our own.

Looking at your itinerary, and knowing that very little actual touring typically happens on arrival and departure dates, your list tells me you plan to spend:

4 days (2.5 + 1.5 days) in Tokyo
3 days in Osaka
3 days in Kyoto
&
2 days in Hakone

Without knowing what your plans are in each area, I couldn’t tell you whether it’s OK or not. From my personal point of view, it seems rather lopsided, with both Osaka and Hakone given rather more time given the sum of their sights and attractions than Kyoto and Tokyo, which are generally considered to offer far more. But you may have particular interests or goals at Osaka and Hakone that would make this the right choice for you.

As for your question about the 14 day JR Pass, no for this itinerary it wouldn’t make sense to buy it. If this is the itinerary you want to stick to it would make more sense to buy a 7 day pass to activate on the 7th and use it to get to Hakone on the 13th. From Hakone to Shinjuku station it only costs about ¥1,100 yen (or ¥2,330 if you get the faster “Romancecar”). Depending on your itinerary you might want to get the Hakone Free pass for travel within the area anyway - this page will explain your options there, a JR pass for this part of your itinerary would not be particularly useful:
https://www.odakyu.jp/english/passes/hakone/

Hi! Thank you so much for your help!

Okay, so honestly I don't have any specific ideas for any of the cities as of now. I usually just like to keep enough time to properly explore a place. I want to experience a bit of everything, the cultural sites, historical sites, city areas, one ryokan experience maybe and lots of yummy food :D
And of course i am going during cherry blossom season, so want to make the best of that too!

As of today I haven't booked any hotels, hoping to do so by tomorrow, so I can still change the dates if you have any suggestions for sure!
I thought there were some day trips worth doing from Osaka? So thought the number of days were fine. But is you suggest it is too much, i can maybe stay longer in Tokyo instead?

On the 4th i arrive at Tokyo early morning, 7 am. So hopefully I won't be too tired and will have most of that day too. Plus most check ins seem to by only post 3 pm, so will move about in the day after depositing luggage as well.

As for the Hakone two nights, when i was looking for the trains from Kyoto, it showed me that i would arrive in the afternoon around 2 pm. So by the time i reached the hotel it would be evening already. So exploring mt. Fuji and other sites would happen on the next day only. The train back to Tokyo was in the afternoon as well from what i understood, so wouldn't have the day to explore. Therefore I decided to stay that night and leave the next morning. Do you have a more efficient way to go about this? Or any other suggestions?

For the JR pass, it isn't very necessary in Tokyo while moving about? Local subway tickets are worth it instead right?

Thank you once again for the help and sorry for barraging with so many queries! :)