End of golden week arrival. Should I plan extra time from NRT to Tokyo Station?
Oct 8, 2022, 6:16 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: The place where it gets so hot in the summer some planes can't take off.
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, WoH Globalist, National EE, United Platinum
Posts: 1,451
End of golden week arrival. Should I plan extra time from NRT to Tokyo Station?
I’m excited for my return to Japan in early May. I’ll be arriving on 5/4 around 2:30pm and want to get a quick start on my 3 week trip. I plan to get to Sapporo as first stop and then go from there.
since flights are expensive at that time I’ll head straight to Tokyo station from airport and hopefully get my JR Pass and be on my way to Hakodate. According to current timetable the last Hayabusa leaves at 7:20pm.
Think I’m cutting it too close during golden week? I assume travel will be somewhat back to normal by then, but not sure if 4 1/2 hours is enough time to get through immigration, grab bag, pickup JR pass, take the Express and still make the last train. I’m considering booking a hotel near Tokyo station and heading out in the morning.
Any advice? This will be my first time just wandering to different places in Japan without a set schedule except for starting North and then going south and west for a few weeks.
since flights are expensive at that time I’ll head straight to Tokyo station from airport and hopefully get my JR Pass and be on my way to Hakodate. According to current timetable the last Hayabusa leaves at 7:20pm.
Think I’m cutting it too close during golden week? I assume travel will be somewhat back to normal by then, but not sure if 4 1/2 hours is enough time to get through immigration, grab bag, pickup JR pass, take the Express and still make the last train. I’m considering booking a hotel near Tokyo station and heading out in the morning.
Any advice? This will be my first time just wandering to different places in Japan without a set schedule except for starting North and then going south and west for a few weeks.
Last edited by bigshooter; Oct 8, 2022 at 6:29 am
Oct 8, 2022, 1:56 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Kobe/Osaka
Programs: Delta
Posts: 1,597
I’m excited for my return to Japan in early May. I’ll be arriving on 5/4 around 2:30pm and want to get a quick start on my 3 week trip. I plan to get to Sapporo as first stop and then go from there.
since flights are expensive at that time I’ll head straight to Tokyo station from airport and hopefully get my JR Pass and be on my way to Hakodate. According to current timetable the last Hayabusa leaves at 7:20pm.
Think I’m cutting it too close during golden week? I assume travel will be somewhat back to normal by then, but not sure if 4 1/2 hours is enough time to get through immigration, grab bag, pickup JR pass, take the Express and still make the last train. I’m considering booking a hotel near Tokyo station and heading out in the morning.
Any advice? This will be my first time just wandering to different places in Japan without a set schedule except for starting North and then going south and west for a few weeks.
since flights are expensive at that time I’ll head straight to Tokyo station from airport and hopefully get my JR Pass and be on my way to Hakodate. According to current timetable the last Hayabusa leaves at 7:20pm.
Think I’m cutting it too close during golden week? I assume travel will be somewhat back to normal by then, but not sure if 4 1/2 hours is enough time to get through immigration, grab bag, pickup JR pass, take the Express and still make the last train. I’m considering booking a hotel near Tokyo station and heading out in the morning.
Any advice? This will be my first time just wandering to different places in Japan without a set schedule except for starting North and then going south and west for a few weeks.
Oct 9, 2022, 2:46 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: TYO
Programs: Tokyo Monorail Diamond-Encrusted-Platinum
Posts: 9,672
The Jetstar timetable does not show any flights beyond March 25th for many (perhaps all?) domestic routes. Perhaps someone here can confirm when Jetstart opens its reservations for May. Assuming that the airline continues to operate the same timetable, the 5:55 PM flight from NRT to CTS should be a no brainer for the OP.
No need to buy a JR pass yet - Wait and see.
Oct 9, 2022, 4:54 am
#5
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 914
Jetstar seems to be the only airline that flies NRT-CTS these days. I'm a little surprised. Did JAL and ANA decide to quit that route?
The Jetstar timetable does not show any flights beyond March 25th for many (perhaps all?) domestic routes. Perhaps someone here can confirm when Jetstart opens its reservations for May. Assuming that the airline continues to operate the same timetable, the 5:55 PM flight from NRT to CTS should be a no brainer for the OP.
No need to buy a JR pass yet - Wait and see.
The Jetstar timetable does not show any flights beyond March 25th for many (perhaps all?) domestic routes. Perhaps someone here can confirm when Jetstart opens its reservations for May. Assuming that the airline continues to operate the same timetable, the 5:55 PM flight from NRT to CTS should be a no brainer for the OP.
No need to buy a JR pass yet - Wait and see.
Oct 9, 2022, 5:47 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: The place where it gets so hot in the summer some planes can't take off.
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, WoH Globalist, National EE, United Platinum
Posts: 1,451
Jetstar should open up flight beyond March sometime towards the very end of this month. ANA and JAL essentially suspended the NRT to CTS route during covid although not officially suspended I doubt they'll return. ANA codeshares with Peach so "technically" they do cover the NRT to CTS market just in a low cost form.
Oct 9, 2022, 12:39 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Ambassador, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,988
If you're going to do that, you might as well activate your JR pass at the airport. This will allow you to use it for the N'EX from the airport to Tokyo Station, as well as reserve the Shinkansen seats at the same time, and in such a manner that will connect with your arriving N'EX service.