Edit 2 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
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| The front entrance of Narita Airport's Terminal 1. By Terence Ong [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons |
Times and prices are calculated between Narita Airport Terminal 1 Station and Tokyo Station, unless otherwise specified. Subtract a couple minutes if leaving from / stopping at the Terminal 2 & 3 Station.
Limited Express Trains
In Japan, "limited express" (特急) is a special class of trains which runs faster and makes fewer stops between major destinations. The trade-off is that fares for these services are more expensive, consisting of a limited express fee on top of the regular fare. Both JR East and Keisei Electric Railway serve Narita Airport, and have competing limited express services. Seat reservations are required for limited express trains, and will be made for you when you buy your tickets.
Narita Express
The Narita Express, or N’EX for short, is run by JR East. It runs on the JR Narita ⬛ and Sobu (JO) lines, and continues from Tokyo Station to various points along the Yamanote loop line (JY), splitting off at certain points to reach destinations further afield. The N’EX makes no regular stops between Narita Airport and Tokyo Station, except during some rush-hour commuter periods. The N’EX is more expensive than the Keisei Skyliner (below), unless you get a discounted round-trip ticket only available for foreign visitors. Furthermore, since it is run by JR, the N’EX is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass. If you have a pass active during your day of arrival or departure, the N’EX is the ideal balance of speed, comfort, and value.
Narita Express
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| An E259-series "Narita Express" train. By 名無し野電車区 (Nanashinodenshaku) [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons |
Time: 60 minutes
Frequency: 2 per hour
Price: ¥3,070 for a one-way, ordinary-class ticket to/from Tokyo Station, or ¥4,640 for a first-class Green Car seat.
Discounts: Foreign visitors can get a round-trip ticket for ¥4,070, which is good for 14 days and includes a transfer to and from the N’EX within the Tokyo area. More information: (English)
Seat pitch: 40 in. / 102 cm (Ordinary), 45 in. / 116 cm (Green) [1]
Websites: (English), (Japanese)
Skyliner
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| A Keisei AE-series "Skyliner" train at Ueno Station. Taken on Saturday, 12 November 2016. |
Time: 45 minutes to Ueno Station
Frequency: 1-3 per hour
Price: ¥2,520 for a one-way ticket to/from Ueno Station.
Discounts: Foreign visitors can get a one-way ticket for ¥2,250, or a round-trip ticket for ¥4,380. This offer can also be bundled with a 24, 48, or 72-hour Tokyo Subway pass. More information (English)
Seat pitch: 41 in. / 105 cm [2]
Websites: (English) (Japanese)
Local Trains
If you must balk at the relative cost of limited express lines, regular commuter trains are another option. Unlike express trains, they make more stops, there are no reserved seats or luggage storage compartments, and since they are also used by local commuters, they may be more crowded.
JR lines
JR’s local and rapid trains run on the Sobu Line, the same line as the N’EX. To/from Tokyo Station, these trains take 90 minutes, which is considerably slower than some other options. But, like the N’EX, they are fully covered by the JR Pass. Green Car seats are also available.
Time: 90 minutes
Frequency: 1-2 per hour
Price: ¥1,340
Seat pitch: 38 in. / 97 cm [3]
Keisei lines
Keisei also runs regular commuter trains to the airport along their network. The route is not as direct as the Skyliner, and so takes 80 minutes to/from the terminus at Ueno Station. In addition, some of Keisei’s trains, branded as SkyAccess or Access Express, branch off and go through the Toei Asakusa (A) subway line and Keikyu Main Line to Haneda Airport. This allows direct connections to/from many more stations, including Asakusa (60 min, ¥1,310), Shinagawa (80 min, ¥1,550), and Haneda Airport (95 min, ¥1,850). If you need to get from one airport to the other, this is the option for you.
Time: 75 minutes to Ueno Station
Frequency: 1-3 per hour
Price: ¥1,050
Buses
If trains aren’t your style, there are a number of bus services available for getting you into Tokyo. The most prolific out of all of them has to be the Airport Limousine Bus. Whilst not as luxurious as the name might suggest, they offer many routes that stop directly at select hotels in Tokyo. Their most frequent services run to the Tokyo City Air Terminal, a bus depot two stations away from Tokyo/Otemachi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon (H) subway line. Apart from Limousine Bus, other low-cost services include the Tokyo Shuttle, by Keisei, and the Access Narita, by BE Transse Group. Please be aware that buses may be subject to traffic delays.
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| "Airport Limousine" buses all have some kind of orange livery. By Comyu [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons |
Time: 70-90 minutes to Tokyo City Air Terminal (English)
Frequency: 4 times per hour
Price: From ¥2,800
Discounts: Foreign visitors can get the “Welcome to Tokyo Airport Limousine Bus Return Voucher”, which covers a round-trip between Narita Airport and central Tokyo within 14 days, for ¥4,500. More information: (English) They also offer bundles with Tokyo Subway passes.
Website: (English)
Keisei Tokyo Shuttle
Time: 80 minutes to Tokyo Station, Yaesu North exit
Frequency: 3 times per hour
Price: ¥1,000 (w/o reservation), ¥900 (w/ reservation)
Website: (English)
Access Narita
Time: 80 minutes to Tokyo Station, Yaesu South exit
Frequency: 2-4 times per hour
Price: ¥1,000
Website: (English)
Taxis
Taxis are NOT recommended for travel to and from Narita Airport. As the drive between the airport and Tokyo Station clocks in at 60 to 90 minutes, taxi fare will run you as much as ¥20,000 (US$200)!
So now you’ve decided your mode of transportation for leaving Narita Airport. The question now is, how do you actually get to that mode of transportation? That depends on which of the airport's three terminals your flight docks at. As a rule, airlines in the Star Alliance (United, ANA, etc.) and SkyTeam (Delta, etc.) use Terminal 1, airlines in Oneworld (American, JAL, etc.) use Terminal 2, and low-cost carriers (Jetstar Japan, Peach, etc.) use Terminal 3. In my opinion, this setup makes transferring between flights easier, because as long as you're using the same or partner airlines, you will not need to transfer between terminals.
In both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, after going through passport control, baggage pickup, and customs, you will wind up on the 1st-floor arrival lobby. If you are departing by bus, the bus stops are right outside at street level. The train platforms, on the other hand, lie on the basement floor, so find a set of stairs or escalators and go downwards. On floor B1, you will find the JR and Keisei Skyliner ticket windows, and the JR East Travel Center. Use the Travel Center if you need to exchange a voucher for a pre-ordered pass, such as the Japan Rail Pass; otherwise, the ticket windows will suffice. Terminal 3 does not have its own train station, but is connected with Terminal 2 by a walkway. This walkway runs between the 2nd-floor departure lobby of Terminal 3 (head upstairs from the arrival lobby) and the 1st-floor arrival lobby of Terminal 2; allow yourself at least 15 minutes to cross it. Free shuttle buses are also available to take you between each of the terminals.
Of course, at the end of your ride, you’ll need to know how to navigate your destination station. Tokyo Station, served by the JR services, is quite massive, and I admit I got lost upon first alighting from the Narita Express one time. So here’s how to avoid that same mistake. Both the N’EX and regular services stop on the Sobu line platform, which is on the 5th basement floor. Keep going up the stairs/escalators until you reach the first floor; there are stairs and escalators on both sides of the ticket gates. If you are transferring to another line, stay behind the gates and go directly to your desired platform. Otherwise, go to your desired exit. The Yaesu North/Central/South exits are on the east side of the station, the Marunouchi North/Central/South exits are on the west side, and the Nihombashi exit is to the north.
As for Keisei services, they primarily end at their station in Ueno. However, this station is separate from JR and Tokyo Metro’s Ueno stations. Upon exiting the ticket gates at Keisei-Ueno, turn left in the lobby, go up the stairs, turn left along the street, and you will reach the JR Ueno station in a couple of minutes. To get to the Tokyo Metro subway platforms, enter the underground passage to the right of the street-level stairs, and turn left.
One last thing: you can also pick up your JR Pass at JR's Tokyo and Ueno stations, among others, so if you don’t want to wait at the airport for longer, you can do so afterwards. A full list of exchange locations is available here: (English)
More information on Narita International Airport: (English), (Japanese)
[1] http://sonicrailgarden.sakura.ne.jp/seat_e259.html
[2] http://sonicrailgarden.sakura.ne.jp/seat_ae.html
[3] http://sonicrailgarden.sakura.ne.jp/seat_metropolitan-green.html
