The buses are still not really running as frequently as prepandemic. From Narita to ANA Intercontinental which used to be one of the very frequent routes, there is 1.5 hours between the buses in the afternoon.

Sure - Also the discount bus services have merged. Routes are reduced and price is now 1,300 JPY.
The point that I wanted to convey is that the savings and convenience of using a JR pass to ride the N'EX are debatable. It might seem logical to exchange the pass at NRT and start using it straight away but that's not necessarily true if the destination for your first day of travel is somewhere Tokyo.

I posted this earlier, but I now have a specific follow up question having done some further investigation since my previous post:

Although it was not my plan to stay in Japan for a day, I may have to spend one night in Tokyo, at an airport hotel, enroute from USA to Vietnam in December. I am a U.S. citizen and I am fully vaccinated and double boosted. I have my white CDC card showing I have had 4 shots. However, due to some limitations involving my smartphone, it is not possible for me to download the mySOS app. Is it a requirement to have that app? What are the procedures for entering Japan if you have your CDC cards, but not the mySOS app? Would I need to fill out some forms, etc.?

I do have one option for avoiding entering Japan. There is one flight option which also departs from terminal 3 at HND. Does anybody know if airlines serving terminal 3 at HND have a transfer desk? Do the alliances (Star, One World, Sky Team, etc.) have a transfer desk that helps with onward flights for airlines within the alliance?

Thanks.

In principle you can manage without MySOS when entering Japan, but it is going to slow your process quite a bit. As all the document checks needs to happen at the airport, and you'll have to fill in the questionnaire after arriving at the airport.
​​​​​​Also at check-in, the airlines will be expecting the blue screen from MySOS to validate that you are eligible to fly to Japan.

Does your smartphone at least have a webbrowser? You can just use the MySOS web service: https://www.hco.mhlw.go.jp/fasttrack/en/ (scroll down, first comes the App process, then without). You can fill it out on your desktop PC, but you need something to show it while travelling as well.

With two separate tickets, I understand there will be no problem with JAL taking my bags all the way to the end.
Can anyone confirm that the F baggage allowance will apply for the 2nd flight as well?
Also, will I be able to use the NRT F lounge on arrival?
Thanks in advance

SFO-NRT F (AS award flight)
NRT-BKK Y (AS award flight)

I am not staying in Japan. I am only transiting through HND on my way to Vietnam and I plan to only stay airside at HND. Do I still need to go through the MYSOS procedure even it I am only staying airside and transiting? At the time of check in in the U.S., I can show proof of onward journey plus my Vietnam visa. It doesn't make sense to me that I will have to go through all this if I am only transiting through HND and not planning to physically go through Japanese immigration and customs. Does anybody know if you have to show MySos with the blue or yellow screen even in the U.S. at the time of boarding/check in or is that something that is typically only shown upon arrival in Tokyo?

Thanks.

If you're just transiting and not entering japan, there are no requirements aside from having an onward ticket and meeting your destination country's enter requirements (ie if they have a PCR test/vax requirement still). This also means your bags have to be checked all the way through and the limit of time at HND has been 24 hours, so as long as you hit those requirements, you don't have to do anything, including MySOS, before heading to Japan.

If you need to enter Japan for any reason, you will need to complete MySOS. Also keep in mind the airside hotel, The Royal Park Hotel, is still closed, so you'll have to find an empty gate area to sleep in overnight.

I believe the MCT for bags is either 50 minutes or an hour, so as long as your layover is longer than that, they will check you all the way through. If you're checked all the way through, then your baggage allowance will apply, the only time it won't is if you have to recheck your bags, then it will revert to the second ticket and/or status/credit card allowances.

I believe you can enter with a vaccination card or proof of negative COVID test even if you haven't registered with MySOS. MySOS just makes the entry process faster by vetting the documents in advance.

yeah, thanks, i found that out after I posted that, I hear the line is extremely long though so pointless to not use MySOS or MySOS web.

Has anyone gone through Immigration at HND since Japan opened up? Wondering what the wait times are like.

Will be transiting via HND from Chicago ORD to Nagoya NGO (scheduled to arrive in HND Terminal 3 on Friday 15:55 and to depart HND Terminal 2 at 18:05). It's a open jaw from the US to Japan to Canada booked through ANA awards, but flying United to Japan and Air Canada from Japan. Just realized too late that the United flight (UA881) typically arrives late by an average of 40 mins to an hour, do I have any chance of making the flight to NGO (mostly concerned about the Terminal 2 security wait time at Friday 17:00), and if not, will ANA set me up with a hotel for the night (due to United's delay) or would I be on my own? And if I book a Shinkansen to Nagoya instead, they won't cancel the second part of my trip to Canada right? Not a Japanese citizen unfortunately...

Security for domestic flights is very efficient. I have been flying out from T1 at the same time of day recently - lines have been short. Things might get a little busier with the travel subsidies that are encouraging domestic travel, but I think you have a chance to make that connection, even if your arrival is delayed.

As long as your international and domestic flights are on the same ANA award ticket, ANA will be responsible for getting you to Nagoya. If you miss the connection because of a delay of your incoming flight, I think that ANA would probably put you on the later JAL flight but they might offer to put you on a train, I guess. In any case, as long as you deal with ANA to get it sorted out, it won't affect other flights in the itinerary.

Interesting, thanks for the advice man!