What To Do When You First Land - Japan Edition (Narita)
What to do when you first land in Japan?
You’ve finally made it to Narita airport and you’re extremely tired from the long plane ride but your excited as hell. Now, you’re in for a brand new experience. There may be a few things you’d want to do or should do before you leave the airport and I’m here to let you know. I will be talking about 2 major things in this post: picking up your WiFi egg/SIM card and your JR pass (also your options of how to leave Narita station to get to central Tokyo).
Image from spotjapan.ph
First things first, of course go grab your suitcase, you can’t forget that.. but once you reach the arrival lobby… I would connect to the airports free WiFi real quick to check the temperature. You may have been wearing some nice comfortable sweats on the plane because it was cold but if it’s 25C outside, it’s best to change in the airport washrooms because those can be easily found - once you’re out in the streets, they might not be that easy. You will want to be traveling as comfortable as possible because it still may be a 1-2h trip to your accommodation. Also, while you’re in the bathroom, why not give your face a quick wash and put some moisturizer on (PLEASE put some cream on, don’t let your face dry up and flake).
I am really hoping that you exchanged for the Japanese Yen back in your home country because exchange rates are not really good anywhere else… but if you didn’t get the chance or it totally skipped your mind, there will be counters at the airport available for you to do so.
Of course, if you have trouble navigating the airport, people at the service counters are usually knowledgeable in English. Please remember that not everyone at the airport (and just in Japan in general) will know English - please don’t assume that and please don’t get angry at anyone for not understanding English, you are in their country - however, do your best using simple English or hand gestures and they will try their best to help you.
WiFi Egg & SIM Card
More often than not (however this is not always the case) the floor you arrive on is the floor where you will be picking up your WiFi egg or SIM card. If you’ve ordered these prior to arriving, they should have sent you an email indicating which side their pick up is. Head towards that area and keep a look out for the companies logo. A lot of times, multiple companies will be set-up in the same area. Picking this up should be a quick 10 minute process. Let them know your name, order number and you will need to provide your passport.
Image from NinjaWiFi - I personally used Ninja WiFi (not sponsored)
This is just an example of an image that the provider usually provides you based on which airport and terminal you land it - indicating where you can find them. Note: you’re pick up and drop off is usually not at the same place, so remember to check.
Now that you have your WiFi or SIM card, power it up/put it into your phone and keep connected to that internet! Google Maps will be your bestest friend in Japan - I’m literally not kidding.
JR Pass
You will typically find the JR office downstairs (sometimes a couple of floors) near where the trains will be. Their office will be quite easy to find - their signage is brightly lit and there is usually a long lineup.
Image from the JR Australian website
If you ordered a JR pass, you’ll want to pick it up here. If there is a long line, the staff will pass you some documents you will need to fill out to make the process a little faster; name, address, passport #, etc. It’s a really easy process, you should have no trouble here. If you already know which day you will be traveling outside of Tokyo and will be requiring a shinkansen ticket, you can reserve a seat now. Reserving early will allow you to get the best seat available (hint: sit on the right side if you are going to Osaka from Tokyo and you can see Mt.Fuji on a nice day) or if you're in a big group, you can all sit near each other. Get that out of the way and you won’t need to do it later - one less thing to worry about (just don’t lose them).
Another thing you’ll want to do, depending on how you’ll be getting to central Tokyo… you can reserve your seat for the Narita Express (NEX) which is run by the JR company. They will give you times for the next trains. If you are unfamiliar with the station, give yourself a good enough time window to find the platform of your train.
How to get to Central Tokyo
Ok Thomas, I’ve grabbed all I need to at the airport. Now… how do I get out of here?!
Taxi - The first option that pretty much common in any country is to take the taxi. I will warn you, Taxi’s are pretty expensive in Japan… a trip from the airport to Tokyo can cost you a couple hundred dollars. Yes you heard me right - it’ll probably be $250 CAD. So unless your rich and bougie, you might not want to spend that amount of money. Though this option would be the only one to take you directly to your accomodation.
NEX - The Narita Express is what I often take to get to Tokyo Station. As I mentioned above, you can get the ticket at the JR office. This is a decently priced option, costing about $50 CAD, if you don’t have the JR pass. There are only a few stops, so you can get to Tokyo station in about 30-40 minutes.
Keisei Line - This would be a pocket friendly option. I haven’t personally used this method but in doing some research (I found this information on tokyocheapo.com - they have amazing guides on Japan, so check them out) there are 3 options for the Keisei line (you can book in advance for a deal):
Keisei skyliner: the fastest (~50 minutes to Tokyo station) and has reserved seats, costing about $30 CAD
Keisei access express: about ~70 minutes to Tokyo station, no reserved seats, cheaper (costing about $20 CAD)
Keisei mainline: just the regular train, taking the longest ~90 minutes to Tokyo Station, cheapest option (just under $20 CAD)
You will need to buy tickets prior to entering the platform, so look for the Skyliner & Keisei counter (if you check my JR counter image above you’ll see what the sign should look like)
This image is also from tokyocheapo.com
The signs for train platforms are usually well indicated. Just keep a sharp eye and continue following those signs.
Limousine Bus/Coach Bus - This is probably your cheapest option. I’ve only used this option once to travel to the airport never from but I assume it’ll be similar. You will need to purchase a ticket online (which costs about $12 CAD) and pick a time slot. Just keep note of the pick up location and the drop off locations. The bus has particular drop off locations, so you may still need to go back to ride the train after getting off the bus. The bus I rode limited luggage to 2 per person to be stored underneath, so keep that in mind.
I wouldn’t recommend this option if this is your first time in Japan because if you really do need to reenter the train system to get to your destination, you’ll need to find a place to purchase a train pass and the station staff members may have limited English ability - just comparing to main/biggest station that is Tokyo station. Yes, you can buy single use tickets but you need to know which station you start from, which station you’ll get off and how much it costs to get there in order to buy the ticket from the machine. If you’re in for a challenge, you are more than welcome!
Hoping you’ve made it safe and sound to your accommodation - if it’s still early rest up a bit and then go enjoy and explore your area. If it’s night time, why not head to the nearest convenient store (like a 7-11, Lawson or Family Mart) and pick up some quick dinner for the night - there are tons of pretty good options. Also, hopefully you’ve found this post useful and clear enough to get out of Narita airport (lol). If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments! Have fun in Japan~
-Thomas