Tokyo Narita International Airport : All you need to know !

Tokyo to the world

For many travelers arriving in or departing from Japan, a stopover at this international airport is a must! Narita is Tokyo's second-largest airport, after Haneda, and Japan's second-largest. Built to cope with the excessive influx to Haneda at the time, it opened in 1978. In 2024, it is ranked as the 5ᵉ the best airport in the world according to the World Airport Award. In 2018, over 33 million passengers passed through this airport.

It mainly serves international destinations (although you'll find flights to Japan's major cities) and is the main hub for Japan's major airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). Narita airport is around 70 km from central Tokyo and comprises 3 terminals:

• Terminal 1: home to two of the major airline alliances ⇾ Star Alliance (Air Canada, United Airlines, Lufthansa...) in the south wing and Skyteam (Air France, Korean Air, China Airlines...) in the north wing.

• Terminal 2: home to the Oneworld alliance (Finnair, Japan Airlines, British Airways...).

• Terminal 3: This is the terminal for all Narita airport's low-cost flights.

But also numerous international airlines (excluding Asia):

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Terminal 1) direct flights to Amsterdam
   
• Iberia Airlines (Terminal 2), direct flights to Madrid
   
• Finnair (Terminal 2) direct flights to Helsinki 
   
• Swiss International Air Lines (Terminal 1), direct flights to Zurich
   
• United Airlines (Terminal 1), direct flights to Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco
• Air Canada (Terminal 1), direct flights to Montreal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver

How to travel between Narita airport and Tokyo

There are several ways to get to Narita airport from Tokyo and vice versa, as it is very well served. You can choose to travel by train, bus, or car:

By train

JR lines: (available with JR Pass)

• Narita Express (JR)

Also known as N'EX, the Narita Express is a JR train that takes 53 minutes to reach Tokyo Station from Terminal 1. It's the fastest way to get to the international airport, and serves several of the city's major stations, including Shinjuku and Shibuya. Unlike the Shinkansen, the Narita Express has no baggage restrictions and does not require you to reserve a baggage space. What's more, for passengers holding a Japan Rail Pass (national or regional), this trip is free ! If the JR Pass is not included during your trip, you can order your N'EX tickets in advance here, so you can leave with greater peace of mind. As with the Shinkansen, there are ordinary cars as well as Green cars (first class).

• 🚅 Main stations served: Tokyo Station, Shinjuku Station, Shibuya Station, Tokyo Narita Airport Station
• ⏱️ Travel time: 53 minutes to Tokyo Station
• 🎫 Free with JR Pass
• 🧳 No luggage limit

• JR Sobu Line

Not the fastest route, but the cheapest (1,300 yen). This train takes 90 minutes to Narita airport. With around 1 train per hour, the Sobu Line, which starts at Tokyo Station and converts to the Narita Line at Sakura. If your train terminates at Narita airport, you won't have to change trains! So be sure to check the destination of the train you're boarding.

• 🚅 Main stations served: Keisei-Ueno station, Nippori station, Tokyo Narita airport station
• ⏱️ Travel time: 40 minutes to Ueno
• 🎫 Reservation required
• 🧳 2 pieces of luggage per person

• Keisei Line

Keisei Main Line trains stop at more stations than the SkyLiner, take longer (approx. 1 hr. 30 min.), but cost less. It starts at Keisei Ueno Station and ends at Narita airport. There are several faster and slower services on the line, ranging from 57 minutes (Keisei Main Line ACCESS Limited Express - which goes as far as Haneda -) to 1 h 33 for the longest.
 

By bus

• Airport Limousine Bus 
   

To move between terminals, there are free shuttle buses provided by the airport.

By car

If you have a car with you on your trip to Japan, you can get to or from the airport in around 1 h to 1 h 20 from central Tokyo (Tokyo Station). Don't forget that if you want to drive a car, you'll need to have your driver's license translate if it was issued in one of the following countries: France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan. Outside these countries, you'll need an International Driving Permit.

In addition, several car rental services are available at Narita airport (including Toyota, Nissan, and Nippon). So you can drop off or pick up your rental car directly before or after your flight.

What to do at Narita airport?

With a surface area of over 400,000 square meters, Narita International Airport has plenty to do!

Onsen Sora no Yu: just a 15-minute bus ride from Terminal 2, this onsen offers indoor and outdoor baths at various temperatures, as well as saunas, including a "Herb Sauna". You'll also find everything you need to dry your hair and get ready when you leave the baths. You can store your luggage in a special room, where it can be securely hung. The onsen's opening hours are quite extensive, as the baths are open from 10 a.m. to 11.45 p.m. It's the ideal place to relax before catching your flight!

Shopping

As in most international airports, you'll find stalls selling major international luxury brands (Prada, Guerlain, Dior...) before and after security checks, and often tax-free. For your final shopping for your trip to Japan, there are several Uniqlo boutiques (before security), a Pokemon Store (Terminal 1 before security) and 7-Eleven before and after security. Last but not least, Narita airport is a shopping mecca where you'll find the most famous Omiyage from many regions of Japan (ANA Festa, Chiba Trade Center, Fa-So-La, HOKKAIDO SHOKUHIN KAN...).

Restaurants and cafés

Whether before or after passing through airport security, you'll find a huge choice of restaurants and cafés in every terminal. Most of them serve Japanese food (udon, gyoza, ramen...) or Western food, with well-known Japanese chains (freshness burger, matsuya, yoshinoya...) and international chains (subway, Macdonald's etc.). This is your chance to eat your favorite Japanese specialties one last time.

On-site services

Here are the different services you'll find in each terminal:

• Currency exchange counters
• Post offices: The post office is convenient for returning or picking up your Pocket Wifi! With Japan Experience, you can pick yours up at the post office on the 4ᵉ floor of terminal 1. In each terminal, you'll find mailboxes.
• Airline lounges: In terminals 1 and 2, you'll find private lounges from several major airlines, including a number of ANA lounges.

⭕ Airport Pick-up: Be aware that Japan Experience offers to pick up all your ordered physical products (Pocket Wifi, SIM Card, driver's license translation, Japan Rail Pass voucher) directly at the airport ! Take advantage of this by checking the airport delivery option. And when you book a tour, you'll always be greeted by our team as soon as you arrive at the airport!

• Hotels: You'll find a wide choice of hotels to spend the night in, if your flight arrives late or leaves early from Japan. There's also a capsule hotel (Nine Hours Narita Airport) within the airport, where you can rent a capsule for an hour, or just enjoy a shower. These hotels are connected to the airport by free shuttle buses, which run at least once an hour.
• Information center: There are traveler information centers all over the airport, so if you have any questions or are looking for something, you can speak to someone there.

Special places around the airport

The Naritasan Shinshoji Temple : If you have a little time before your flight, we strongly advise you to visit this temple, located 35 minutes from the airport by train and 15 minutes by car. In addition to its splendid buildings with typical Buddhist architecture, the temple is surrounded by a large, peaceful park, including a garden of plum trees that blossom magnificently in spring. Inside the temple, the statue of Fudo Myoo impresses and surprises with its bright, shimmering colors.

Sawara-Katori: just an hour from the airport, discover the historic town of Sawara! The “Little Edo” is a charming town, consisting of a small promenade beside a river, surrounded by numerous buildings with traditional Japanese architecture. To get there from the airport, take the Narita line with the Rapid Zushi to Narita and then the Narita line with the Local Choshi to Sawara station.