I guess yesterday was an anomaly, you couldn’t get near the machines or counters for either company and it was about 100 degrees in there.

Will try again next week

That would in my experience be an anomaly. There is the EX app of JR that allows you to buy tickets for limited express and shinkansen, so you could potentially use that plus SUICA. But it used to require a Japanese credit card, not sure if it still does. And I am not sure it "speaks" English.

Thank you! I have the EX app which I’ve used before so I’ll give that a try

I have a 10 hour layover at Haneda airport beginning at 3 pm. Is it reasonable to think i can leave the airport and go to a hotel nearby? Of course, the next question is, if so, any hotel recommendations especially with a shuttle service?

Villa Fontaine, it is connected to terminal 3 by an indoor pedestrian bridge

Thanks CPH Flyer, i checked out Villa Fontaine and it looks great. I have one final question. My destination is really Manila but i have this long layover at HAN. Am i going to. have anyt immigration or customs problems by going to the Villa Fontaine? I don’t want to spend the whole 10 hours of the layover trying to get in or out of the country. or is that even necessary as it may be open to transit passengers?

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Villa Fontaine is landside, so you do need to enter Japan. Royal Park The Haneda has an airside hotel. Somewhat more pricey than Villa Fontaine, but I guess that's convenience setting the price. Be careful when you check prices and if you book, it is not always that easy to see if the rooms you are looking at are airside or landside (they have both). Read carefully....

Osaka to Haneda
 

I would welcome advice about last 24 hours of 3 week trip. End in Osaka, wake up Friday morning in Osaka, and leave Saturday morning 0850 on British Airways from Haneda. On assumption have sort of "done" Osaka and main Tokyo as tourists by then, advice welcome for a 24 hour not too busy itinerary that I assume includes:
Shinkansen to Shinagawa and change to Haneda?
or dump all luggage at Shinagawa and do what?
Have eye on Villa Fontaine hotel at Haneda - could get there early afternoon and do some kind of trip from there? Dinner at hotel?
Any recommendations for the final 24 hours welcome.
And thanks.

Here's an idea. Send luggage straight to airport two days before departure (2 days ahead is required when sending to airport) or one day ahead to hotel. Morning of day before departure take shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Yokohama and spend the day there. Take train or airport limo bus back to Haneda that evening.

transit visa or shore pass?
 

us citizen here, travelling to Indonesia the 22nd and arriving the 24th, which I know I need a visa on arrival for. but I have a 17 hour layover in Tokyo and have to make a self transfer between Haneda and Narita airports during that time. wondering if a transit visa is required to leave Haneda and travel to Narita? or just a shore pass? can I get a hotel?

With a US passport you have visa waiver entry to Japan so no problem at all. You can pre register for immigration and customs via the Visit Japan Website. Immigration via the website does not save you much time if any, but customs does make it a lot easier with the electronic pre registration.

What are your Japan arrival and departure times?

Has anyone had any experience with a tight connection at NRT? I am flying in to NRT from LAX and want to continue on to ITM on a separate itinerary. The issue is that the connection is only 1 hour and 45 mins which is cutting it really close. I will be arriving via Japan Airlines and the next flight will also be on Japan Airlines without a need to change terminals. Is there an expedite line for customs and baggage claim for transfers? I've been hearing a lot of horror stories lately about immigration taking more than an hour.

Thanks in advance everyone.

It is very close. Luggage will probably not be the issue, but immigration can be.

If you do the visit Japan website registration for customs, there is usually no wait for customs.

If you are on one ticket, JAL will know you are coming and have staff ready to guide you, though typically they can't expedite you through immigration. Cut off for domestic flights is scanning your boarding pass at security 20 minutes before departure, but for a short international to domestic connection staff may even stretch that, if they feel they can run you to the plane before the door closes.

At the very least, I believe I should be able to check in to both flights when I initially check in at LAX, since it's Japan Airlines for both flights. Also, you are able to buy that exact route as a single ticket, so that gives me a little confidence, but it's just unfortunate that it's literally the last flight out of NRT and I will have other options after that.