Narita Airport. The international gateway of record for the world’s most foremost metropolis, Tokyo. The unavoidable hub delivers a bunch of transport alternatives for less than fresh passengers who want a hot shower, a comfortable bed and a good meal pronto – though perhaps not in that order.
- Tokioaurelio.asiain / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Have a bad case of jet lag, luggage galore and hold a reservation at a major hotel? Consider a Limousine Bus direct to the hotel. Express trains to Tokyo with taxi transfer do very nicely as well. Traffic can make the ride to Tokyo on a regular bus a long, difficult slog, even outside of rush hours. It all depends.
With that, and in more detail, have a look at this practical guide on how to get from Japan’s flagship international terminal, and from hotels near Narita Airport as well, to Tokyo proper.
Rail
The most rapid way to Tokyo from Narita, a 70 km trip, is via the Skyliner. The line takes approximately 40 minutes to reach Ueno station, at a cost of ¥2400. Passengers must reserve in advance.
Penny pinchers can opt for regular commuter rail. The Keisei Main Line departs Narita Airport for Ueno three times per hour, costs ¥1000 and takes 81 minutes. The Sky Access Line is the best bet after dark, costs ¥1200 and takes a mere 54 minutes (the line necessitates a transfer, and thus takes more time, by day, however). One major bonus with Sky Access: the line connects with Tokyo’s vast underground system and, as such, affords convenient access to the likes of Asakusa and Nihonbashi.
Bus
Airport Limousine shuttles serve Tokyo at large, most notably big, luxury hotels. Prices fall in line with express rail service, somewhere in the order of ¥3,000 per person. Long-haul sufferers may want to consider the service, particularly Tokyo first-timers. Limousine shuttles park at Terminal 1 North Wing, Terminal 1 South Wing and Terminal 2.
A relatively new service, the Tokyo Shuttle, runs between Narita Airport and Tokyo Station at a cost of ¥1,000. Buses depart hourly.
Taxi
The cost of a taxi from Narita to Tokyo borders on the prohibitively expensive. The ultimate price is typically in the ¥30000 range – or about the same for a small omakase menu at a three Michelin star sushi restaurant in Ginza.
Helicopter
If time is of the essence and your budget is limitless, Narita Airport has a way to whisk you to Tokyo in style – and fast. The Narita Heli Express shuttles bigwigs of all stripes to Tokyo Heliport for a tidy sum of ¥260,000. This may well approximate the cost of the flight into Narita but helicopters navigate the 70 km in 20 minutes flat. Time is money, apparently, for some.
A second helicopter company, Mori Building City Air Service, includes luxury limousine rides to hotels in Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato and Shibuya wards for one-way flights that cost upwards of ¥280,000 per person.
And there you have it, in a nutshell. Tokyo can seem like a massively complex city for greenhorns to navigate but transport to and from Narita Airport can be a snap – if you research your options well in advance to get a lay of the land.
