I have an odd question...

I have a 4 hr. stopover in Narita and need to go to Tokyo to drop off a package for a friend.

I was thinking of taking the JR Narita Express train and meeting him somewhere in one of the stations and immediately going back to Narita to hop on my next flight.

My question is this - can I just pay the 3100 yen ticket, hand the package to him without going out of the station and hop right back on WITHOUT getting a "return ticket" back to NRT?

I don't mind paying the one way fare but it won't be worth it paying it twice for the package.

Analagous to taking something like the NYC subway where you can basically stay on the train all day long for 1 fare...

Probably, yes.

That's AWFULLY tight. What if the line at immigration is long? What if the line at security is long? Assuming you can hop onto a N'EX or Skyliner the minute you come out of immigration, it's a 70-90 minute ride into Tokyo. And that's a big IF. Most likely you will have to wait 10-15 minutes for the next train. On both ends.

Also, even if some miracle allows you to make the trip there and back within the time frame, your ticket on the N'EX is clearly marked Narita (Terminal 1 or Terminal 2)-->Tokyo/Shinjuku, etc, and is for a specific seat on a specific run. When the conductor checks your ticket for the return trip (and he will), you're going to have the wrong one.

If the package doesn't have to be handed over personally, I'd just take it to the Takkyuubin counter and have them ship it. (That's what I do with heavy luggage when I have a long stay in Tokyo planned.)

If your package is extremely valuable or confidential or otherwise cannot be safely entrusted to another person, I would ask my friend or a trusted intermediary to come out to Narita and pick it up.

All seats on the NEX are reserved. A conductor checks the tickets.

No, as mentioned the Narita Express and Keisei Skyliner, the two fast train options you have are all reserved seating, so you would need two tickets.

But thats beside the point, 4 hours is cutting it awfully close, ksandness is right you never know what might hold you up, Immigration and Customs can be up to one hour, then you have to get currency exchanged to purchase your ticket if not credit card/ then you have to wait for the next Narita Express or Skyliner to pull up, then it takes 1hr just to get into Tokyo, arrange to meet your friend, then wait for the next Narita Express or Skyliner to depart another 1 hr, after arrival back at Narita Airport (in terms of Terminal 1, you have to clear about three different security checks, and you have to go through exit immigration as well before making it to your gate before the door closes.

I agree with having either you ship/mail it to your friend in Tokyo, or have your friend go out to Narita Airport and pick it up from you.

Agreed. 4 hours is simply too tight for this.
By chance are you arriving next Sunday (18th)?

As others have said, four hours is too little time to get through immigration, customs, train to Tokyo, train back and back through immigration and security.

If you had more time... and you took a quick trip to Tokyo and back with express trains (i.e. Narita Express or Keisei Skyliner) you would have to buy tickets for both legs of the journey (Narita to Tokyo and Tokyo to Narita).

I suggest that you use one of the delivery services (Takuhaibin) from Narita arrivals hall - They will charge about 2000yen to deliver up to 25Kg from NRT to an address in the Tokyo area. (Less if your package is smaller). That's actually cheaper than taking the N'EX into Tokyo.

Or... If the delivery is urgent, then you should ask your friend to come to meet you at NRT during your stopover.

Thanks for your help

Yes, the 4 hour layover is very short. My trip is from NY to Hong Kong (March 8-9th) but there is a stopover in NRT. I actually wanted to stay in Tokyo for at least a day but the increase in ticket prices (about $350 difference just to stay for 1 day) didn't justify it.

I have to bring over 2 computers for my friend which are heavy and a bit costly - not good for anyone else to handle. Besides, I know no one else to help me there.

I was also thinking that if I "miss" my flight, I can go to the counter and tell them to book me on the flight the following day for no extra charge. I've done that before in Hong Kong and there was no charge to do so. I would chance it there in Narita so that I can stay long enough to go to downtown, get some good sushi and continue on my trip the next day.

If your friend is picking up computer hardware make him meet you are Narita. He can take the Keisei Limited Express or the JR Sobu Line pretty cheap. Or if your friend has a car, have him park and pick you up. The airport has conventional short term parking just like a US airport.

I'd be more concerned about getting the stink eye from the customs people. In the US at least I've seen customs shake people down bringing in non-laptops.

Thats a pretty big chance you're taking, depending on how you're ticketed and the agent you meet, you might end up paying more (reticketing fees etc etc).

From my point of view its safer and cheaper to either have your friend meet you at Narita Airport, or have it shipped via delivery service is pretty safe and I personally never had a problem with, there's also a post office in Narita Airport if you want to ship the items that way.

This could be a big problem, especially, but not only, if you check somethng through. You could have a very unpleasant and lengthy meeting with NRT security.

FWIW, my last two trips on the NEX, in December from NRT to Shinjuku and back, and last week from NRT to Shinagawa and back, sitting the the green car, nobody has checked my ticket. The conductor walked through the car a couple times, but never asked to see ticket. I thought it was odd...

The NEX conductors have a slick little PDA that they use to see what seats are reserved and which seats are not. Thus, they only approach folks that move from their assigned seat (once heading out to NRT the conductor went right up to the one seat on his map that wasn't assigned and collected the fare, then marked it as locked on his PDA).

hamburgler

Correct. The Narita Express conductor normally only checks passengers who are sitting in seats that are non-reserved. They will also ocassionally ask passengers who are standing near the restrooms for their tickets.

Even if one could evade the conductor with the OP's proposed scheme, you would still most likely encounter a problem when you try to leave the train station back at Narita. The ticket readers are electronic and I am not sure they have the "Platform ticket" exception in Narita which allows passengers to enter the platform area and then leave without boarding a train (like they do in many other stations).

I completely agree there is not enough time to take any train to Tokyo and back in the time frame the OP has mentioned. Better to ship it.

I do have another question. If the OP is ticketed to HKG, how are you planning to get 2 computers offloaded at NRT? Assuming these are not laptops since you mentioned they are heavy, I assume you will have to check them. Or are you hoping to carry these 2 computers on board with you?

I am going to carry these 2 computers on board with me. It will be a bit heavy but will fit into the carryon size.

I will have to bluff my way through customs but I have done that successfully before a couple of years ago. It's just my carryon and I do have a same day plane ticket that continues on to Hong Kong. They shouldn't ask me about it anyway.

I now may end up getting a storage locker or baggage storage and letting my friend come to the airport instead to get it.