Narita International Airport near Tokio

Narita International Airport is located in Narita, Chiba, Japan, in the eastern portion of the Greater Tokyo Area, 60 kilometers from the downtown Tokyo core.

 

Narita handles the majority of international passenger traffic to and from Japan, and is also a major connecting point for air traffic between Asia and the Americas. It is the second-busiest passenger airport in Japan, busiest air freight hub in Japan, and fifth-busiest air freight hub in the world. It serves as the main international hub of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Under Japanese law, it is classified as a first class airport.

 

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), located in ta, (16 km from Tokyo), is the busiest airport in Japan and the fourth-busiest in the world, even though it handles very little international traffic.

 

Narita Airport has two separate terminals with separate underground train stations. Connection between the terminals is by shuttle bus (buses are available both inside and outside the security area, travel time 10 minutes, interval from 7 to 20 minutes) and trains; there is no pedestrian connection.

 

At Narita Airport you can receive the full range of services including travel support, baggage storage and delivery, currency exchange, mobile phone rental, car rental, hotel reservation, internet facilities, personal services (clinics, dentist, barber shops, beauty salons, dry cleaning, laundry, repair service, nursery, children’s playrooms, pet hotels), showers, oxygen bar, etc.

 

The airport offers convenient and delightful shopping and dining with a wide variety of restaurants and cafes offering everything from light meals to full Japanese, Western and Chinese cuisines, and shops with an extensive product range from travel goods to souvenirs to take abroad.

 

Narita 5th Avenue - a dazzling array of the world’s leading fashion boutiques, duty-free stores and other shops are available in the central section of the Main Building of the Terminal 2 on the 3rd floor. The brand boutiques include BURBERRY, BVLGARI, Cartier, CELINE, COACH, Dunhill, ETRO, Gucci, HERMES, MONTBLANC, RALPH LAUREN, TIFFANY.

 

Terminal 1 uses a satellite terminal design. The landside of the terminal is divided into a North Wing (kita-uingu), Central Building (ch-biru), and South Wing (minami-uingu). Two circular satellites, Satellites 1 (gates 11-18) and 2 (gates 21-24), are connected to the North Wing, Satellite 3 (gates 26-38) is a linear concourse connected to the Central Building, and Satellite 4 (gates 41-47) is located at the far end of Satellite 3.

 

Check-in is processed on the fourth floor, and departures and immigration control are on the third floor. Arriving passengers clear immigration on the second floor, then claim their baggage and clear customs on the first floor.

 

Most shops and restaurants are located on the fourth floor of the Central Building. The South Wing includes a duty free mall called "Narita Nakamise", the largest airport duty-free brand boutique mall in Japan: new, improved shopping experience on the 3rd floor of the South Wing after outbound passport control with a rich variety of shops including authentic boutiques from famous fashion houses.

 

The North Wing is dominated by SkyTeam carriers (with the exception of British Airways): Aeromexico, Aircalin, Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, Northwest Airlines, etc.

 

The South Wing and Satellite 5 opened in June 2006 as a terminal for Star Alliance carriers (except for Air China and Air New Zealand, which currently uses Terminal 2). The South Wing has seven stories, and the first floor contains facilities for domestic flights by ANA. It is the first airport terminal in Japan to offer curbside check-in service and baggage reconnecting facilities for passengers connecting from international to domestic flights.

 

It is also one of the first airport terminals to have unified check-in desks for an airline alliance, separated by class of service rather than by carrier. Among the featured companies are: Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Air Central, Air Japan, Ibex Airlines, Asian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, EVA Air, Lufthansa, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines Uzbekistan Airways, Vladivostok Air.

 

Terminal 2 is divided into a main building (honkan) and satellite, both of which are designed around linear concourses. The two are connected by the Terminal 2 Shuttle System, which was designed by Japan Otis Elevator and was the first cable-driven people mover in Japan.

 

Check-in and departures and Immigration control for arriving passengers is on the second floor, and baggage claim and customs are on the first floor.

 

For domestic flights, three gates (65, 66, and 67) in the main building are connected to both the main departures concourse and to a separate domestic check-in facility. Passengers connecting between domestic and international flights must exit the gate area, walk to the other check-in area, and then check in for their connecting flight.

 

Japan Airlines is currently the main operator in T2; several Oneworld carriers which used to be in T1 (except British Airways) moved their operations to T2 in early 2007 so as to ease connections to and from flights operated by Oneworld's partner Japan Airlines. Aeroflot, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, Air Niugini, Air Pacific, Air Tahiti Nui, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, EgyptAir, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Iberia Airlines, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, J-Air, JAL Express, JALways, etc.

Cargo airlines include Aeroflot Cargo, Air Hong Kong, ANA & JP Express, FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, Singapore Airlines Cargo, United Parcel Service.

 

Narita Heli Express operates charter flights between Narita, Tokyo Heliport, Saitama-Kawajima Heliport and Gunma Heliport from a dedicated helipad with connecting shuttle service to the two terminals. It costs around 105,000 yen to charter a helicopter for six people.

 

One of the most constant criticisms of the airport has been its distance from central Tokyo-an hour by the fastest train, and often longer by road due to traffic jams.

 

Direct train service to the terminal started in 1990, twelve years after the airport opened. At present, Narita Airport has two rail connections, operated by Keisei Electric Railway and JR East. A third line, the Narita Rapid Railway, is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in 2010. Trains to and from Narita stop at Narita Airport Station (Narita-kk-eki) in Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 2 Station (Kk-daini-biru-eki) in Terminal 2.

 

The most expensive train (and one of the fastest) to the airport is the Narita Express. Journey times between the airport and Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo vary from 53 minutes to 70 minutes depending on the time of departure. The price from the airport to Tokyo station is 3,140 yen in ordinary class.

 

All Narita Express trains serve Narita Airport Terminal 1, Narita Airport Terminal 2 and Tokyo Station. Some trains also make additional stops between the airport and Tokyo - at Narita or at Chiba Station.

 

After Tokyo Station (when coming from Narita), some trains split into two. One part continues on the Yokosuka Line to Kanagawa Prefecture, stopping at Yokohama Station in Yokohama (90 minutes), Totsuka Station (also in Yokohama, 105 minutes), and funa Station in Kamakura (110 minutes). One part takes the Yamanote Line to Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku and Shibuya (80 minutes). The other part then either takes the Ch Main Line, continuing in Tokyo and serving Tachikawa Station in Tachikawa (105 minutes), Hachioji Station in Hachioji (115 minutes) and Takao Station in Hachioji (2 hours), or takes the Saikyo Line to miya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture (2 hours and 15 minutes).

 

All seating on the Narita Express trains is reserved. The assigned seat number and car number are indicated on the tickets. Tickets can be purchased from agents in the arrivals hall of each terminal and from automatic ticket vending machines.

 

JR also offers rapid service Kaisoku Airport Narita trains to Tokyo Station, which take 90 minutes but cost less than the Narita Express. These trains stop at several stations on the Narita Line and Sobu Line en route to Tokyo. Most continue on to stops on the Yokosuka Line, going as far as Kurihama Station in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture.

 

Keisei's Skyliner limited express travels to Nippori Station in 51 minutes - and Keisei Ueno Station in 56 minutes. The journey between Narita Airport and Nippori has the shortest time of any transportation link between the airport and central Tokyo.

 

However, for travelers whose final destination is in the South of Tokyo or near Tokyo station, it can be quicker to take the Narita Express than to take the Skyliner and then make a connection at Nippori or Ueno. The price of the Skyliner from Narita Airport to Keisei Ueno Station is 1,920 yen.

 

As with the Narita Express, all seating on Skyliner trains is reserved. Seat allocations are indicated on the tickets, which can be purchased from agents in the airport terminal.

 

Regular Keisei trains cost about half as much as the Skyliner and are the cheapest rail connection to the airport, although they make many stops, are slow and are often crowded.

 

Keisei also offers connecting and through service from Narita Airport to Haneda Airport, a cooperative service with the Toei Asakusa Line and Keihin Kyuko Railway. There are between six and eight daily direct trains from Haneda to Narita, taking about two hours, with one daily direct service from Narita to Haneda (rather leaving Narita at either 6:07 or 7:30 in the morning). In other cases, a transfer of trains must take place at a station along the Keisei line. Trains running through to the Asakusa Line make stops at several subway stations in central Tokyo, including Asakusa, Nihombashi and Shinagawa, making them convenient for some travelers.

 

Airport Rapid Limited trains, which make limited stops on the Asakusa and Keikyu lines, are denoted on signboards by an aircraft icon.

 

Keisei and Shibayama Railway trains also serve Higashi-Narita Station, located between the two terminals, but this station is currently only useful to travellers moving between the airport and neighborhoods convenient to Shibayama Chiyoda Station immediately east of the airport.

 

There are regular bus services to regional transport hubs, although these are often slower than the trains because of traffic jams. Many bus companies operate to and from the airport, charging fares from 3,000 yen for central Tokyo to 4,000 yen for outer suburbs.

 

Operators include: Airport Limousine to center-city stations including Yokohama City Air Terminal, Tokyo City Air Terminal, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) and major hotels, Keisei Bus to suburban transport hubs Chiba Kotsu to Saitama, Yamanashi and Fukushima.

 

There is also overnight bus service to Kyoto and Osaka (operated by Chiba Kotsu), which takes about 12 hours and costs 9,000 to 10,000 yen.

 

Taxi service is available, although it is usually prohibitively expensive for single travelers because of the great distance from the airport to the city. Fares are based on a zone system; trips to central Tokyo range from 14,000 to 20,000 yen (plus around 1,450 yen for expressway tolls, also late night/early morning surcharges). Shared ride services no longer operate from Narita.

 

The main road link to Narita Airport is the Higashi-Kanto Expressway, which connects to the Shuto Expressway network at Funabashi, Chiba.

 

For more details please call +81 (0)476 322 802 or visit http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html (English version)