Some people find themselves on a short Narita Airport Layover, having a few hours before their next flight.
Here are some tips on how to spend your time at Narita Airport in Japan.
4 Hours Layover In Tokyo Airport
If your Narita Airport Layover is 4 Hours or less you don’t have enough time to go out of the airport grounds.
What can you do?
Many of the airline lounges have shower rooms, but if you’re not entitled to a lounge you can still freshen up before your next flight.
The terminal has Shower rooms for rent, small but perfectly clean. They do not provide any toiletries so bring your own.
Narita Airport also has ‘day rooms’ intended for those on a Narita Airport Layover. The rooms include a bed and a shower. This will allow you to take a nap for a few hours without paying for a whole day at one of the Narita Airport hotels.
Another great option is a room in one of the excellent Narita Airport Hotels.
If you need a night’s rest before your next flight, the hotels near Narita airport can be a good place to sleep between flights. All Narita hotels include a Complimentary Shuttle Bus from Narita Airport.
See More: Narita Airport Hotels
5 Hours Or More In The Airport In Tokyo
Some sightseeing can make these tedious hours of Narita Airport Layover enjoyable.
Narita city is a small town one train stop away from Narita Airport, where you can see Authentic daily life in Japanese culture.
Things To Do in Narita City
Here are some ideas on what to do in Narita city – Exploring Narita city is an opportunity to discover Japanese culture off the beaten track. The city also has a beautiful temple definitely worth visiting. The temple grounds have a gorgeous park with ponds, waterfalls, and magnificent plum and Japanese cherry blossom trees which are great during the spring Cherry Blossom Festival.
The maple trees in the park are magnificent during Autumn as they change their colors, and the ducks in the pond complete the romantic atmosphere.
Narita City operates a special tour bus with Narita Airport Layover in mind. The tour starts at the JR Narita station. It’s a Retro bus painted red and green. The bus goes through Omotesando Street which is the main street of the town, Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, and AEON Mall Narita. The information during the tour is given in Japanese, English, and 2 kinds of Chinese and it appears on Monitor screens.
More info at the Narita City Tourist Information booth which is located in the JR (Japan Rail) train station.
The streets surrounding the station are lined with traditional Japanese shops. You’ll see local Housewives do their shopping for traditional Japanese foods in the open-air market. The market also has some Japanese Ceramic shops, basket-shops, and sushi restaurants. Don’t skip the 100 YEN Store in Omotesando Street (the main street) where you can buy chopsticks, rice bowls, and other Japanese souvenirs.
There are a few excellent Japanese bakeries selling Japanese desserts and cakes.
How To Get To Narita City From The Airport
You’ll need a minimum of four hours to get off your arriving flight, go through immigration and customs, change money and store luggage, travel into town, and get back on time for your departing flight.
Before leaving the airport do change money.
It will be easier and faster than changing money at a bank in town. Both Narita airport terminals have international ATMs on the arrival floor. Some ATMs have a minimum of 10,000 Yen while others allow a minimum of 5,000. Most ATMs outside Narita Airport do not accept foreign cards.
There are also several banks operating currency exchange booths in the arrivals area.
You can store your luggage at the Terminal. This is done by companies operating counters at the lobby.
The easiest way to get from Narita airport to Narita city is by train. The Keisei line has frequent trains from the basement of both terminals into Narita city. You can buy your ticket from the ticket booth or from the ticket machines. Coming back, make sure you get a train from Narita town to the airport terminals. Some trains from Narita go only to ‘Higashi Narita’ (East Narita), an airport stop for airport employees, not travelers. There is also a bus service between Narita and the airport, although I can’t recommend it. Buses can be very confusing for first-timers.
See More: Narita Airport Transportation
When arriving at Narita city your first stop should be the Information Kiosk which is located in the JR (Japan Rail) train station.
The Narita city information booth provides maps and directions to specific places.
