TOKYO AIRPORT JAPAN

TOKYO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Tokyo International Airport – Narita, the International airport, is located 66km from the centre of the city and consequently takes anything from 50 minutes to 1 ½ hours to travel to and from the airport. It is a modern and well-equipped airport with two terminals (T1 & T2) both of which have train stations connecting to the JR and Keisei lines. All signs are in English and it is cheaper to travel into town by train rather then using the bus. However, you may need to change lines which can be confusing when you’re experiencing a jetlag-induced fog, in which case the Limosine buses that take you directly to your hotel infinitely more convenient.

There is an excellent Tourist Information Centre on the first floor of T2 (telephone 0476 34 62 51) where you can pick up invaluable maps and details about the city.

Hareda Airport deals with most domestic flights and is much closer to the city. You can get to the airport directly via the Tokyo Monorail which runs from 5.15am-11.15pm, if you alight at Hamamatsu-cho on the JR Yamanote line. The trains leave every 10 minutes and take 22 minutes to get there. The journey will set you back ¥470 compared with ¥6000 if you take a taxi.

Train
There are four rail services available to the visitor including;
Keisei Line
Telephone – 3621 2242
There are two services running on the Keisei line and you will need to reserve seats, which can be done at the airport or at a travel agents. The Skyliner is fantastically comfortable trip between Narita and Ueno that takes an hour and costs ¥1920. There is also the Keisei tokkyu service which runs more frequently than the Skyliner but takes slightly longer to complete the journey – 1 hour 11 minutes – and costs ¥1000. In order to reach the Yamanote Line for access to Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and other central districts, you will need to change lines.

JR Narita Express (N’EX)
Telephone – 050 2016 1603, daily 10am-6pm.
Fast and luxurious, the N’EX service takes 55mins to reach Tokyo station and costs ¥2940 for the pleasure. Alternatively, the ride to Shinjuku takes 1 ½ hours (¥3110) or 1 ½ hours to Yokohama station and costs ¥4180. Trains leave the airport every 30 minutes from 7am-10pm.

There is also an Airport Nanke train that leaves every hour and takes 1 ½ hours to reach Tokyo station. The Keikyu rail line that runs between Narita and Hareda takes 1 ¾ hours as it trawls through several residential districts, costing ¥1560.

Limosine Bus
Rather than being a vast five-star palace you would expect with such a name, these are ordinary buses that take 1 ½ to 2 hours to reach the major hotels where you are staying in Asakusa, Ikebukuro, Akasaka, Ginza, Shiba, Shinagawa, Shinjuku or Hareda airport. Check the departure times at the airport for frequency and the journey costs ¥3000.