In recent years Tokyo’s Narita Airport has been overshadowed by rival Haneda Airport which is closer to town. However Narita is a very good airport in its own right, as it’s run with all the characteristic Japanese efficiency you’d expect. It’s clean and staff are courteous. If you’re connecting via Narita the transfer process is reasonably simple, and if you’re headed to/from Tokyo itself there are a number of efficient trains you can take – so the distance from the city isn’t a big issue. Here’s everything you need to know.
What to expect from Narita Airport?
Getting to and from Narita
Rail options
The classic way to get into Tokyo is on the Narita Express which runs to Tokyo Station as well as other hubs like Shinjuku and points further west of town and even down to Yokohama in the south. It usually takes a little under an hour.
For a faster run in, consider the Keisei Skyliner train, which runs to Ueno, just to the north of Tokyo Station, in about 40 minutes. It’s faster but if you’re not headed to the north side of Tokyo the difference in journey time is probably a wash.
Bus options
Keep an eye out for the orange-coloured Airport Limousine Buses which will take you to a range of destinations around Tokyo including right up to the front door of many major hotels. This can be really convenient even if it takes somewhat longer than the train, especially if you have luggage to deal with. The full list of hotels served is available on their website.
Layout of the airport
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 each exist as their own little islands and if you’re connecting at Narita odds are you’ll only experience one of them. That’s mainly because the major alliances are neatly consolidated, each with their own turf across Terminals 1 and 2. Terminal 3 is exclusively for low-cost airlines.
As far as the alliance divisions go: Terminal 1 houses Star Alliance (in the South Wing) and Skyteam (in the North Wing), while Terminal 2 houses oneworld flights. Terminal 1 is further subdivided into five different satellites, but not to worry, it’s all pretty straightforward and signage is very clear as to how to reach your gate once you’re through security and immigration. Terminal 2 has a more straightforward layout with one main building and just one additional satellite building reached by a quick train ride past security.
Transferring between terminals
Although many connecting passengers will not need to transfer terminals, there are various convenient ways to do so while remaining airside in the secure area. Narita offers shuttle buses between all the terminals, and it’s also possible to walk via an ‘access corridor’ between Terminals 2 and 3. As with most things Narita, the shuttle buses run regularly and they’re well-signposted.
Tip: when connecting at Narita you will be required to clear security regardless of where you’ve come from, so be prepared for that. Nevertheless, security is well-organised and efficient at Narita so it shouldn’t add much extra time or stress to the process.
Connecting from international to domestic
If you’re arriving from abroad and connecting to a domestic flight in Japan, you will be required to clear immigration and exit the secure area, meaning the process is a little more involved as you’ll have to do the whole departure process again. But as with every other process at Narita, it’s straightforward.
Destinations to/from Narita
Narita receives long-haul flights from all over Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia. That also means that for connections between, for example, the UK and Australia, or North America and Southeast Asia, Narita can be quite a good and logical transit point. I’ve taken flights between the US and points further afield in Asia several times via Narita, and I’ve never regretted it.
On the domestic side Narita has flights to over a dozen places around Japan – though with notably fewer frequencies than Haneda which sees the majority of Tokyo’s domestic air service. However Narita’s domestic runs are generally timed to link up with major international arrivals so they can be a convenient option if your destination in Japan is further afield than Tokyo.
Tip: tickets ending up in secondary Japanese cities can be quite a bit more expensive than tickets ending up in Tokyo. Keep in mind that Japan has excellent and comprehensive high-speed rail service so it’s worth checking if it might not be cheaper (and maybe even have a similar total travel time) to finish your flying at Narita and continue by train. This is what I usually do.
Where can you conveniently reach from Narita?
Tokyo itself is reasonably convenient from Narita thanks to good and frequent train service – they just take a little longer than from Haneda which is much closer to the centre of the city. If you’re headed anywhere east of Tokyo or in Chiba prefecture itself, it is of course very convenient, and there are local trains for reaching the eastern sprawl of Tokyo easily without having to go to Tokyo Station in the centre first.
Alternatives to Narita
What do to during a layover
Unless you have more than about 6 hours to kill I would not recommend trying to get into central Tokyo – it’s just a lot of travel and Tokyo is a bustling and overwhelming city for someone who’s just come in off a long-haul flight.
Instead, consider dropping by the nearby town of Narita, the airport’s namesake. There’s enough here to get a proper taste of Japan during your connection, without a lot of the stress of navigating to, from and within Tokyo. Don’t miss the Naritasan Temple especially, a Buddhist temple that’s probably Narita’s highlight. There’s also the National Museum of Japanese History, if you’re so inclined. As with most of Japan, just about anything you’ll find to eat is going to be of good quality, so just wandering around with that in mind is a good idea too.
Tip: alternatively, head over to the nearby Sora no Yu hot spring hotel and soak in a Japanese style hot spring for a few hours. You can also stay overnight here if you want to!
Lounges
Narita Airport's two primary terminals (1 and 2) offer the usual assortment of airline and contract lounges that you would expect. The best lounges are those of the home carriers JAL and ANA, and many of their airline partners will use those lounges for their customers as well. Though there are some other airline lounges available too including a United Club, a Cathay Pacific lounge and more. There are also some contract lounges that can be accessed via memberships like Priority Pass.
It’s worth knowing that Terminal 3, the low-cost airline terminal, currently has no lounges available.
Tip: ANA also has an arrivals lounge which can be a fantastic pit-stop for a shower and a bite to eat after getting off a long-haul, especially if you’re connecting to domestic. Access is open for business & first class passengers as well as Star Alliance Gold elite members.
Airport hotels
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
