Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
44
Saving on Airport Transportation
If you're going to be traveling around Tokyo by public transportation (and who
doesn't?), you can save money by purchasing a N'EX and Suica card for ¥3,500,
which includes the Narita Express into Tokyo plus ¥2,000 worth of travel in Tokyo.
The discount ticket, available only at Narita Airport to foreign visitors, can be pur-
chased at JR East Travel Service Centers in the basement of both terminals. Like-
wise, there's an Airport Limousine & Metro Pass combination ticket that includes
one Airport Limousine trip to or from the airport plus 1 day of unlimited rides on
Metro subways (it doesn't have to be the same day of arrival) for ¥3,100. This
ticket is available at Airport Limousine counters at the airport, TCAT, Shinjuku Sta-
tion West Exit, and Tokyo Metro Pass offices around town. A round-trip from and
to the airport plus 2 days traveling on Metro subways costs ¥6,000; it's available
only at Narita Airport. Finally, there are also 1- and 2-day Metro passes available
only in the arrival lobbies of both terminals at Narita for ¥600 and ¥980, respec-
tively (these do not include transportation from the airport). For more informa-
tion on the Suica and 1-day Metro cards, see “Getting Around,” below.
your return ticket to Narita Airport here at
the airport, at major JR stations in Tokyo,
or at a travel agency or online; time your
arrival to the airport at least 2 hours before
your plane's departure.
If the N'EX is sold out, take the slower
JR Airport Liner rapid train, which will
get you to Tokyo Station in 80 minutes
and costs ¥1,280.
The privately owned
Keisei Skyliner
train departs directly from both Narita
Airport Station (Terminal 1) and Airport
Terminal 2 and travels to Ueno Station in
Tokyo in about an hour, with a stop at
Nippori Station on the way. (See above;
the latest Skyliner will put the Narita
Express to shame at 36 minutes, though
these hour-long trains will still be available
at these lesser fares.) You'll find Keisei
Skyliner counters in the arrival lobbies of
both terminals. Trains depart Narita
approximately every 40 minutes between
7:52am and 10pm. The fare from Narita
Airport to Ueno Station in Tokyo is
¥1,920 one-way. Travelers on a budget can
take one of Keisei's slower limited express
trains to Ueno Station; fares start at
¥1,000 for the 71-minute trip.
BY TAXI
Obviously, jumping into a taxi
is the easiest way to get to Tokyo, but it's
also prohibitively expensive—and may not
even be the quickest method during rush
hours. Fares are fixed but average around
¥19,000 to ¥21,000 for a 1
1
⁄
2
- to 2-hour
taxi ride from Narita to central Tokyo.
BY AIRPORT BUS
The most popular
and stress-free way to get from Narita to
Tokyo is via the
Airport Limousine Bus
(
&
03/3665-7220;
www.limousinebus.
co.jp), which picks up passengers and lug-
gage from just outside the arrival lobbies
of terminals 1 and 2 and delivers them to
downtown hotels. This is the best mode of
transportation if you have heavy baggage
or are staying at one of the 40 or so major
hotels served by the bus. Buses depart for
the various hotels generally once an hour,
and it can take almost 2 hours to reach a
hotel in Shinjuku. Buses also travel to
both Tokyo and Shinjuku Station and the
Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT) in
downtown Tokyo, with more frequent
departures (up to four times an hour).
If your hotel is not served by Airport
Limousine Bus, take it to the hotel or sta-
tion nearest your destination. TCAT,
3
