Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Inside Japan
UK
T
0117 314 4620,
W
insidejapantours.com.
Great range of well-designed small-group, self-guided and fully tailored
trips, ranging from Tokyo stopovers to climbing Mount Fuji.
Into Japan
UK
T
01865 841 443,
W
intojapan.co.uk. Upmarket
tailor-made and special-interest tours. Options at the time of writing
included fifteen-day Luxury Japan tours.
Japan Journeys
UK
T
020 7766 5267,
W
japanjourneys.co.uk.
Tokyo options include an anime and manga-themed tour.
Japan Package Tours
Australia
T
03 9909 7212,
W
japanpackage
tours.com.au. Fully escorted and self-guided tours, tailor-made itineraries,
accommodation packages and rail passes.
Japan Travel Bureau (JTB)
US
T
1 877 798 9808,
W
www
.jtbusa.com; Canada
T
416 367 5824,
W
jtb.ca; Australia
T
1300 739 330,
W
japantravel.com.au. As well as the usual
options, they handle Sunrise Tours (see p.24) taking in the capital and
surrounding region.
Japan Travel Centre
UK
T
020 7611 0150,
W
japantravel
.co.uk. Offers flights, accommodation packages, Japan Rail Passes
and guided tours.
Magical Japan
UK
T
0161 440 7332,
W
magicaljapan.co.uk. Their
guided tours all offer at least three days in and around Tokyo; customized
packages possible.
Mitsui Travel
Australia
T
02 9262 2720,
W
mitsuitravel.com.au.
Options include a two-day onsen stay in Tokyo and Hakone.
Oka Tours Japan
T
0422 266644,
W
okatours.com. Cycling tours,
both moderate and challenging in terms of terrain covered, on Sado
Island, Niigata and the Izu peninsula.
Travel Japan by H.I.S.
Australia
T
02 9267 0333, New Zealand
T
09 336 1336;
W
traveljapan.com.au. Provides everything from
flights to Tokyo to packages and customized itineraries.
Wright Way Travel
US
T
708 848 1976,
W
wrightwaytravel.org.
An annual tour to Japan focused around the work and legacy of architect
Frank Lloyd Wright.
Local low-cost airlines have ballooned of late,
providing much-needed competition to the rail;
these include
Skymark
W
skymark.co.jp), with
cut-price routes between various major airports;
Solaseed Air
(
W
skynetasia.co.jp), which has routes
to and from their hubs of Haneda and Naha
(Okinawa);
Peach
(
W
flypeach.com) reach Tokyo and
other destinations from their Ōsaka hub; and
Jetstar
(
W
jetstar.com) have services from Tokyo and Ōsaka.
Narita
Narita International Airport (
ాࠃࡍۭߓ
;
T
0476
34 8000,
W
www.narita-airport.jp) is some 66km
east of the city centre. There are two terminals; at
both you find
tourist information and accommo-
dation-booking booths
. If you have a Japan Rail
Pass (see p.22) exchange order, you can arrange to
use your pass either immediately or at a later date
at the JR travel agencies (not the ticket o
ces) in
the basement.
Haneda
Jutting into Tokyo Bay, 20km south of the Imperial
Palace, Haneda Airport (
Ӌాۭߓ
; flight information
T
03 5757 8111,
W
tokyo-airport-bldg.co.jp) is where
most domestic flights and a few international
services (Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing)
touch down.
Transport between the airports and Tokyo
The fastest way into Tokyo
from Narita
is on
the
New Skyliner
(36-44min; ¥2400) express train
operated by Keisei (
W
keisei.co.jp), who also offer
the cheapest connection into town in the form
of the
tokkyū
(limited express) service, which costs
¥1000 to Ueno (every 30min; 1hr 11min). Both
services stop at Nippori where it's easy to transfer
to the Yamanote or the Keihin Tōhoku lines.
JR's
Narita Express
(
N'EX
;
W
jreast.co.jp/e/nex)
runs to several city stations. The cheapest fare is
¥2940 to Tokyo Station (every 30min; 1hr), and
there are frequent direct N'EX services to Shinjuku
(hourly; 1hr 20min) for ¥3110. N'EX services to
Ikebukuro (¥3110) and Yokohama (¥4180) via
Shinagawa are much less frequent.
For those with a non-Japanese passport, JR offers
a great
discount package
: for ¥3500 you can get
a ticket on the N'EX to any Tokyo stations it serves,
or Yokohama, plus a Suica card (see box, p.22) to
the value of ¥2000 (comprising a ¥500 deposit plus
¥1500 of train and subway travel). This makes travel-
ling on the N'EX a way better deal than the slower
JR
kaisoku
(rapid) trains, which head to Tokyo
station (hourly; 1hr 20min) for ¥1280.
Arrival
Most likely you'll touch down at Narita
International Airport, although the more
central Haneda Airport is now boasting
an ever greater range of international
connections. Other access points to the
city include a slew of train stations and
long-distance bus terminals.
By plane
The big two domestic airlines are All Nippon
Airways (ANA;
W
ana.co.jp) and Japan Airlines (JAL;
W
jal.co.jp). Both carriers offer substantial discounts
for advance bookings with an extra discount if
the booking is made entirely online. There's little to
choose between the two as far as prices and quality
of service are concerned.
