Scored a unicorn ANA F award for next May so flying home from a Europe trip with my Dad the long way. He’s never been to Japan at all, I’ve been to Tokyo but prior trip to Kyoto was canceled twice due to COVID.

I am debating spending our 2 days/nights up in Kyoto vs Tokyo but here’s the question, our ANA F flight is currently schedule to leave at 5pm from NRT (NH 12, NRT - ORD) and it looks like there is only a single direct flight from either KIX or ITM down to NRT on ANA. Unfortunately that flight is scheduled to land at 3:50pm into NRT. I assume that is far too close for comfort even with typical Japanese efficiency standards, especially on separate tickets?

Any reason why so few ITM/KIX - NRT direct flights? I know that HND is more popular (and there are a ton of flights to HND) but I’m surprised there isn’t at least one morning flight down to NRT.

If the answer is that the time is too close, that’s fine, we’ll just spend our 2 days in Tokyo which is a perfectly good alternative since it has been far too long since I’ve spent any time there

There was never many domestic flights to Narita. But there used to be morning flights.

The alternatives are either flying Jetstar from Kansai International Airport (JAL's domestic LCC). Or since both ITM and KIX are pretty far from Kyoto anyway, jump on the Shinkansen from Kyoto, and change to the Narita Express at Shinagawa. (don't change at Tokyo Station)

Shinkansen to Narita Express is a good idea if we go the Kyoto route, thank you!

Now just need to decide if it’s worth it or given the short window we have if it’s just simpler to stick to Tokyo. Main goal here is food related — my Dad is a big sushi and ramen fan but has never experienced outside the US so that’s the real treat here. Everything else is a bonus, so I want to avoid overcomplicating things just for the sake of adding a new destination (which I would do if traveling on my own)

For a two day trip focused on sushi and ramen, Tokyo is as good a place to stay as anywhere.

2 days? Don’t contemplate leaving Tokyo 😂

Kyoto is famous for food, but not for sushi. Tokyo is much better when it comes to sushi.

You should also eat tempura during your two days here. You won't easily find the same quality outside Japan.

May as well also get some tonkatsu and Yakitori if you’re coming all that way!

HND T2 international arrival
 

Does anyone have any recent experience flying into HND/ANA T2 on an international flight? I see that 2 of my ANA international flights are scheduled to
arrive HND T2. I'm hoping that with just NH flights maybe it's not as busy as T3., or is this wishful thinking. Thanks

Does anyone know if there are VIP assistance services at HND for elderly pax? My mom is scheduled to fly from SEA to CGK via HND on ANA. She has pax assistance registered already - but we need to move up her departure and due to the schedule change, it did not make the cut off for guaranteed assistance. She's 81 yrs old, no physical challenge (no wheelchair needed) but she can use gate to gate assistance - that's all she needs.

The only reason why we wanted to move her date up is bc both me (positive) and my wife (symptoms - not tested yet) got Covid, and we wanted to minimize her exposure.

Update:
Got the ticket changed, and thank goodness - pax assistance confirmed by ANA. Their customer service so far is second to none.
I also got a quote from a Singapore based company called Asia Fast Track and they were asking for $999 plus 4.9% surcharge for a gate to gate transit escort at HND. Needless to say - I pass.

Easier now.
 

This would have helped a bunch when I began travelling to Japan. There is a Firefox add-on 'Translate Web Pages' which does an adequent task of it. Add it to Firefox. Then hit a rating World-Wide Web site like Supleks, translate it into English, and investigate the stands near where you will be. The shacks near the top of the ratings may be difficult to enter, but you should be able to find at least one which will suffice.

I am transiting from NRT to HND and a website referenced a direct train called the Keisei Narita Sky Access train that would take me from NRT to HND without having to connect trains. Is this true? I am finding the train maps to be confusing and I want to confirm this train is direct if I choose a train over the limousine bus (to avoid traffic). I have almost 7 hours to transit. Anyone used this train to get from NRT to HND before? Is there a certain line or train route in particular I look for at the station? TIA

It is correct it is a one seat ride from NRT to HND. The train changes names a few times along the journey—Japan has a wonderful system of rail operators sharing rolling stock on their lines and operating through trains.

Narita Sky Access Line is generally very tourist friendly, expect clear announcements and digital signage in English/Chinese/and maybe other languages.

Google Maps would display the journey like this:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...df7ea6893.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b1aceeac7.jpeg

Yes there are direct trains - they leave about every 40 minutes. We live in Tokyo and have never had a need to do it…. One question I would ask you is if you have a lot of luggage - if so I would recommend the limousine bus as they handle it for you versus having to lug it to the trains on both ends….

We take the bus all the time and I can count on one hand the number of times it was really affected by traffic - in 15 years…. Japan works much more efficiently than most of the world - don’t choose a route based on the fear of traffic….

i’d take the bus in a second - it’s a much more relaxing trip - for us of course….It also leaves much more frequently and could actually end up being faster depending on your arrival time….

Limousine Bus is reliable; the schedule has cushion considered for traffic. I have taken the Limousine Bus from/to NRT to Tokyo (including HND many times) and cannot remember when the bus arrived behind schedule. The operation center of the Limousine Bus keeps track of traffic conditions and in real time advises drivers of alternate routes to avoid traffic delays.

Yes, Airport Access Limited Express trains run directly between NRT and HND without the need for transfer. It runs one or two every hour. It is a regular commuting train, with no special baggage rack/space for site cases, and trains can get clouded as they get closer to the city. The first Airport Access Limited Express to HND departs NRT at 7:44 a.m. and runs every once or twice an hour. The last Airport Access Limited Express to HND departs NRT at 5:25 p.m. After 5:25 p.m. there is no direct train from NRT to HND without transfer.

If you have luggage, Limousine Bus will be a better choice. I also think seats on Limousine Bus are more comfortable than seats on Airport Access Limited Express which uses standard commuter train cars.