Arriving at Narita Airport Tokyo (成田国際空港) - Just want to get to your hotel?

Tokyo's Narita International Airport (成田国際空港) is nice, but....after a 13 hour plus flight, numerous movies, meals, cocktails, queuing in the passport line and retrieving your luggage, the first thing on almost everyones mind is certainly... how can I get to my hotel as quickly as possible to have a nice hot shower.....well there are several options available:

1. Friendly Airport Limousine Bus - this is the option that I've used numerous times and is economical and convenient, as this company offers numerous routes to get you from the airport to your hotel for a little more than 3,000JYP.

After you've cleared customs, you arrive in a large room filled with currency exchanges, cell phone rentals, luggage transport companies, car rentals and this bus company - Friendly Airport Limousine Bus (you can't miss the orange and white sign as well as this ticket counter)

To see if your hotel is on the bus route, as well as to check the time tables, visit their web site http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/. If your hotel is not on the bus route, then you can pick a major train station such as Tokyo or Shinjuku Station as an alternative to get into town and then conveniently take the subway or a taxi to your hotel.

Also bear in mind that if you are making a connection to a domestic flight out of Haneda Airport (羽田空港), you can also use the Friendly Limousine Bus to get there.

2. Narita Express (成田エクスプレス) - out of all the options available this is definitely the quickest to reach downtown Tokyo. Trains typically depart every hour from the airport costing approximately 3,310JPY and can connect you to Shinjuku, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Yokohama stations.



If you have a Japan Rail Pass, which I'll cover in a separate posting, you can start using your pass immediately starting with your Narita Express ticket.

3. Keisei Skyliner (スカイライナー) if the Narita Express or the Friendly Limousine Bus are sold out, this is certainly an economical option that you can use to reach downtown Tokyo. This option will take you from Narita International Airport to Ueno Station and typically costs 1,920JPY. Once at Ueno Station, you'll be able to easily reach your hotel either via taxi or subway.

You can also check their web site for additional details http://www.keisei.co.jp/

4. Taxi - this is not really an option you'll want to entertain, as it will probably cost you about 27,000JPY to reach the downtown area (bear in mind the airport is more than 40 miles outside of downtown Tokyo).

I am sure we can all think of a lot more creative ways to spend nearly 300US$ while in Japan - i.e. enjoying a nice meal, going on a tour, souvenir shopping, etc. - consider this option only as a last resort.

So tag you're it....pick an option and see who can get to the hotel first...last one there pays for the first round - ha ha.

All the best.....Mark