I am flying lax-nrt SQ11 (Sept, 2007). I actually need to get to kix, but wasn't able to get the award seat all the way through. I need to be there by the following day to board a cruise.

I guess I have 2 questions:

1) Any thoughts on flights from nrt-kix? I did some preliminary searches on the orbitz-type sites, and am not finding much. What I did find were flights leaving around 6-ish, which obviously doesn't work with an arrival time of 6-ish. I was just really surprised to not find many flights.

2) What are the nrt overnight options when you don't have much time (e.g. 6 p.m. arrival and early morning departure)? I thought I had read that some of the lounges have overnight "sleeper rooms", and some of the airports (perhaps these were Singapore) have short-term hotel rooms available in the terminals.

Thanks!!

Sheri

p.s. I had my first experience on SQ this past September (SQ11 lax-sin) in seat 1B. Even after all I had read here, and how excited I was, it exceeded my expectations!! The downside, of course, being that I am spoiled for any other flights!

Do you mean that you need to get to the cruise ship pier in Osaka?
Or do you need to get to Kansai International Airport (KIX)?

I assume you're trying to get to the cruise ship pier... Any of the following options will work.

(1) Upon arrival, take Narita Express train to Tokyo then Shinkansen train to Osaka
Stay overnight in central Osaka.
Take the subway or taxi to the cruise pier. (proabably a pier near Universal Studios)

(2) Take the Narita Express train from NRT to Tokyo.
Stay overnight near Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station.
Then take an early Shinkansen to Osaka.

(3) Stay overnight near Narita Airport (plenty of airport hotels nearby - or accommodations in nearby Narita City)
Take a flight from NRT to ITM next day.
Take a bus from ITM to Universal Studios Japan
Take a taxi from Universal Studios to the cruise ship pier.

I think Option 1 is rather heavy going if you are tired after a long flight.
I'd probably go for option 2.


You will get many more responses if you ask a moderator to move this thread to the Japan forum.

Yes, I need to get to Osaka. I had heard about the train option, but am trying to avoid having to drag my suitcase all over, since I am packing for 3 weeks.

What's the difference between kix and itm? Which would be better/easier to fly into? How close are they to the port?

I am thinking I would rather fly. If I make a reservation from nrt to kix or itm separately from my original award reservation, will they agree to check my luggage straight through? That is, IF I flew out of nrt the same night I arrived. That obviously isn't an option if I fly out the next morning.

Thanks for being so helpful!!

I have stayed at the ANA airport hotel which is absolutely fantastic. Great rooms, great food and great gym.... It has very frequent bus service from both terminal one and terminal two...

I recently stayed in the NRT hilton. It was great and very cheap, relative to Japan.

Think of KIX as IAD and ITM as DCA.

ITM is much more convinient to the city itself, but is a domestic airport. There is significant service between HND and ITM (hourly at least). I have not had any trouble making connections at HND, even after arriving on SQ 11.

I assume your cruise ship will be at Tempozan port.

KIX to Tempozan = Bus ride (70 mins)
ITM to Tempozan = Bus ride (40 mins)

Flights from NRT to ITM all seem to be between 3.40pm and 6.00pm.
(Not ideal for you)

There are currently no flights from NRT to KIX

There are lots of flights from HND (Tokyo's domestic airport) to ITM and to KIX

If you enter Japan at NRT, you will need to take all your luggage through Japanese customs at NRT. Not possible to check it all the way thru.

If you strongly prefer to travel by plane, then I think your best plan is to take a bus from NRT to HND. Stay at the airport hotel in HND. Fly the next day to ITM or KIX. Then take a bus to Tempozan.

EDITED TO ADD:
Or - Take a bus from NRT to HND. Then a late flight to ITM or KIX. Stay at ITM or KIX. Then bus in the morning to Tempozan.

With all those buses and a plane, it's quite an effort. I don't think the train would be significantly harder.

I suggest that you ask a moderator to move this to the Tokyo Forum, where you will get advice from folks who know the area well.

Agree this doesn't seem to be the right place to get the best answers. Moving thread.


Kiwi Flyer
SQ moderator

I'd suggest you stay in Narita itself rather than in one of the airport hotels you need a shuttle to get to and from.

If you only want a room for the night and a meal in the hotel's restaurant, then the Hilton, ANA hotel, Holiday Inn etc offer good choices. Hardly any of them have much to offer in their immediate facility though. (The Holiday Inn offers excellent value for money rather than splendid facilities.)

If you want to be able to pop out in the evening and take in a little atmosphere, or wake up early and potter off towards the temple and its grounds before checking out and heading towards the airport, then Narita town is the place for you.

Trains between the airport and the town are fast and frequent (usually taking less time than a complimentary shuttle bus to those airport hotels)fare is about $2.50 each way.

I tend to stay at the Mercure on my last night in Japan (I can usually get a king bed room for 2 for 9,000yen at http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ - which is often a 50% discount off the price of booking directly with the hotel).

Comfort Inn offers extremely good value for those travelling alone (single room around 5,000yen)

Or you might like to try something more in keeping with the area:
http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/d...atsuhonten.htm
A ryokan overlooking Narita. Not sure if your arrival at 6pm will make it impossible to have dinner here, but there are lots of restaurants in the immediate vicinity.