Journal
Getting from Narita to Tokyo: which train to take
Narita is sixty kilometres from the city, and the four ways in land you in completely different parts of it. Choosing by where you are sleeping saves an hour with a suitcase.
Photo: Pixabay
Four ways in
Narita is about sixty kilometres from central Tokyo, which is further than most people expect. Nothing here is difficult, but the four options land you in completely different parts of the city, and picking the wrong one costs you an hour with a suitcase.
| Route | Time | Fare | Arrives at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keisei Skyliner | From 36 min | About ¥2,580 | Nippori and Keisei-Ueno |
| Narita Express (N'EX) | About 60 min | About ¥3,500 | Tokyo, then Shinjuku, Shibuya, Yokohama |
| Keisei Access Express | About 80 min | About ¥1,300 | Asakusa, Nihonbashi, Shinagawa |
| Airport bus | 80 to 120 min | About ¥1,300 | Tokyo Station, Ginza area hotels |
The Skyliner and the N'EX are fully reserved, which matters with luggage. The Access Express has no reservation and no surcharge: it is an ordinary commuter train that happens to run to the airport, so at rush hour you may stand.
Pick by where you are sleeping
- Ueno, Asakusa, Nippori → Skyliner. Fastest, and you are already there.
- Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ikebukuro → N'EX. It runs through without a change, which is worth the extra fare with cases.
- Tokyo Station, Ginza, Nihonbashi → N'EX for speed, Access Express for half the price.
- Shinagawa, or straight on to Kyoto → Access Express to Shinagawa, then the shinkansen from the same station.
- Counting every yen → Access Express or the bus.
Buy an IC card (Suica or Pasmo, or the versions in your phone) before you leave the airport. Almost every train, bus, locker and convenience store in Japan takes it, and you will stop thinking about fares entirely.
Late arrivals
Trains from Narita stop running around 23:00. If your flight lands late, the airport's own overnight bus services continue past midnight for roughly ¥3,000, and that is a far better plan than a taxi, which can run to five figures.
This is also a reason to book your first night in Tokyo rather than heading straight to a ryokan. Inns serve dinner at a fixed hour and lock their doors early; arriving at a mountain inn at midnight is not a thing you can do.
Send your suitcase ahead
Every Narita terminal has luggage forwarding counters. For roughly the price of a taxi ride you can send a large case to your hotel, or from your Tokyo hotel to your next one, and travel with a day bag.
If a ryokan is anywhere in your itinerary, do this. Country inns are reached by mountain railways, steep lanes and stairs, and a 25-kilo case is genuinely miserable on all three. Next-day delivery is the norm, so send it the day before you need it.
Questions people actually ask
- Is the Japan Rail Pass worth activating at Narita?
- It covers the N'EX, so if your pass is already active, take it. Activating a pass purely for the airport run is poor value; see our shinkansen piece for the arithmetic.
- Which terminal am I in?
- Terminals 1 and 2 have their own station below the building. Terminal 3, used by low-cost carriers, has no station: walk or shuttle to Terminal 2 and allow fifteen minutes.
- Can I buy Skyliner tickets in advance?
- Yes, online or at the counter in the arrivals hall. In practice the counters move quickly and departures are frequent, so it is rarely necessary.
- Taxi from Narita?
- Expensive enough that it is only worth it very late at night, with several people, or with a lot of luggage.
Where are you going after Tokyo?
Most ryokan trips pair the city with one night somewhere quieter.