We have a 12 hour layover in Japan coming home from Thailand. We have never been to Japan and thought it would be cool if we could take a train into Tokyo to walk around and have some lunch and then train back to Narita. We land in Narita at 6:00 am. Is this worth it or is it even possible?

Thanks!

when are you landing? soon? if so, you can go to ueno park and enjoy the cherry blossoms in bloom. its very doable with a 12 hr. layover. it is worth it.

A trip into Tokyo is not cheap, but it's definitely much better than sitting in the airport for 12 hours! The only alternative is to get a hotel room.

You can get a Keisei Limited Express train from Narita airport to Keisei Ueno station for 1000 yen and 73 minutes. You'll have 5 or 6 hours or more to actually spend in Tokyo. I would add 73 minutes to that time because I would enjoy the trip into Tokyo from Narita.

Thank you all,

We will be coming through on the 27th of May. So I think we will miss the cherry blossoms, but we are really into Japanese gardens. So you can take a train right to Ueno park?

Thanks again

From a prior post by mrwunrfl, I checked out Mike Newman's Narita layover web page a few months ago. www.mgnewman.com
It is more for people who are going to stay at Narita airport for while or try to get out to see Narita w/their time, but it does have soem info on getting in and out of Narita and some links to the available options for trains to Tokyo (Uneo is mentioned in particular, taking the Keisei Skyliner). Clcik on "go to the menu", then "how do i get around". then the link to Ken Heard's info and diff. options to get into and out of Tokyo.

thanks emd,

I will check the web site out.

jonesy, i am truly glad that you can read my convoluted tpying.

the tourist office at narita has a booklet offering a number of things which can be done around narita....it is worth getting a copy....it might even be on line under the airport website...

twice we have had about a 7 hour lay over....both times we went out into narita town....you take the train...the biggest deal is that you have to go through immigration which requires a special pass from your airline....as i remember you do not pay a departure fee if you are there less than X # of hours....you will have to research that....

we had lunch both times...we visited the department store, walked the very interesting main street and visited a fabulous temple....it was fun...

another time we took an hotel van to the hotel and had a nice lunch and then back to the airport....

with your time you could go into the town for a lovely 1/2 day....i would not go to tokyo...

remember a 12 hour layover is really more like a 9 hour layover....transit, check-in etc...

There are a couple of trains you could take. hyperdia.com says taht the Keisei Narita Airport station is a 6 min walk from the airport and that Keisei Ueno station is an 8 minute walk from Ueno. I don't know the distance to Ueno Park. You might look on the web (say, www.jnto.go.jp) for Shinjuku Gyoen. It is a big park that I think has famous gardens. There also is a garden on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. I think the garden is open to the public (the Palace is not) and I assume that the garden would be first rate.

My estimate of 5-6 hours in Tokyo was based on the following math:

1.5 hrs arriving Narita and finding train
2.5 hrs Narita- Ueno- Narita train time
2.0 hrs from Narita station to dep. gate

That's 6 of your 12 hours. Toss another hour in there, just in case, maybe an extra half hour finding the train at NRT and an extra half hour checking in. That's 7 hours, leaving you 5.

I would call the airline to find out if you can have your bags checked through to your flight departing Japan. Hopefully, you would have get your boarding passes for that flight at the same time you get your boarding passes for the flight to Japan. In that case you could walk from the train station right to passport control. IF you had to pay the departure tax I think it is about US $20. Maybe you can avoid it like rhkkmk did. Or maybe it is already paid for in your ticket.

You're right, you'd be about 6 weeks too late for cherry blossoms. Also you would be 5 days too late for the grand sumo tournament.

Bonjour Jonesy,

In case you decide to go to Tokyo, I suggest you take the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori (1 station before Ueno) and visit the very interesting Ya-Ne-sen (Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi) area, starting with the Yanaka cemetery (beautiful park in itself, not gloomy or spooky at all). You can then go on foot to Ueno park and rejoin Keisei station (maybe enjoy some shopping in Ameya-Yokocho along the tracks under JR-Ueno station or visit the small but fascinating Shitamachi museum along the Shinobazu pond), from where you can board a Skyliner back to the airport. Keisei Ueno station is exactly under the park.

http://www.digi-promotion.com/tokyo-...rhoods/yanaka/

http://www.tcvb.or.jp/en/infomation/...03ueno_in.html

When you leave the A/p during a layover is that still called a Shore Pass? I remember buying a box of fruit for a student in Beijing during the winter of '80. It caused a commotion at the Language Institute and our minders. Fruit was a rarity and I brought a variety not available there.
First time I ever saw a multistory grocery store.

luangwablonde - One simply goes through immigration/customs and enter Japan. US citizens do not need a visa to visit Japan. No "pass" is issued/necessary.