Help with transportation from Narita
 

Our flight in April arrives at Narita airport at 4:40 PM after a 12 hour flight from Chicago. We are staying at the Intercontinental Grand in Yokohama. What is the best way to get there? Is it better to take the Narita Express train to Yokahama and a taxi from the station in Yokohama or to take the Airport Limousine bus? I think the Airport Limousine Bus stops stops at our hotel. We will have two 26 in suitcases and I am concerned about the logistics either way. Does anyone know how long the bus ride would be at that hour? Is there a place to put large suitcases on the train?Thank you for your help!!

If the Airport Limousine Bus stops at your hotel, better take that rather than lugging your luggages at the train stations. My husband and I experienced riding the Airport limousine bus, we found it to be very convenient. The bus was very clean too, the driver very polite (as almost all Japanese are. just not very fluent with English) and it was on time (again, as with almost everything in Japan). We arrived at night though, so there's no heavy traffic. But from the looks of it, the airport road doesn't get much heavy traffic.

If you decide to take the train, trains in Japan are very spacious and there is certainly a place for your suitcase. During rush hour, however, (as your arrival time) the trains are very packed and it may be difficult to have large luggages with you.

http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/pla...hes/index/2/26
Personally I find the buses easier. Your baggage gets put under the bus then taken by hotel bell staff rather than you lugging it through stations. The ride is relaxing.

The train has space for bags and is also very comfortable. I'm just lazy about luggage handling so prefer bus to train to/from airports.

Jumping in with my own question, hope you don't mind Diane--would the train ride from the airport to our hotel (Sheraton Miyako) be covered by the JR pass? Thanks!

I didn't find the IC Yokohama in the list of hotels served by the main Airport Limo Co (http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/bus...s/narita/index ). Maybe there's another limo that goes to the IC, I dunno.

The airport limo buses I've seen only go to the Yokohama YCAT which is adjacent to the JR Yokohama station east end. They don't go to any Yoko hotels I know of except if your counting the Sheraton Yoko which is across the street.
Their is a separate luggage area on the NEx trains at the end of each car. We took the NEx to Yokohama with pictures and trip report on thread link below. The NEx pictures including the one of the luggage area on the train are at the beginning of the pics.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...-fall-2011.cfm

The train ride takes 89 minutes precisely from NRT terminal 2 till JR Yokohama. The limo bus would take you 1 hour and 50 minutes.....more if you hit traffic. We usually take the limo buses to our hotels as KJ says they handle your luggage for you so the next time you touch them is in your hotel room. We had 4 pieces plus hand carries with us and just used the free luggage carts from the international baggage claim area and you can wheel them all the way till the track entrance which is a few feet from the actual train. You can read the story and see pictures on the thread I left above. Your situation in Yokohama is one of the only times I would recommend taking the NEx train over the limo bus. DT would have another opinion for you of course ;)

Aloha!

I posted the limo bus schedule for IC Grand above.

I didn't see that nor when I searched this morning.....must have been too early,lol Thanks Kim!!!

I didn't find it, either, ht. Thanks, KimJapan for pointing it out: I'd guess that a great many others would not know that you'd have to select "Minatomirai" from the list of destinations (and not either of the ones with "Yokohama" in the name) to find the IC Yokohama.

Given that, I'd probably take the limo bus unless I was just a few minutes too late for one of the on-the-hour departures. (For example, if I cleared the customs hall at 5:05, I'd take the NEx at 5:19 rather than waiting for the 6:00 bus. But if I cleared at 5:30, I'd go for the convenience of the 6:00 bus and not the 5:47 train.)

Also searching for the hotel name under "I" did not get a hit either when I searched. It is listed under Y for Yokohama Intercontinental......jeeesh

I should have known it was in Minato Mirai as we have been to the Landmark Tower there several times now.

Aloha!

Thank you for all your help. Unless we just miss the limo bus I think we will use it over the train.Being taken directly to our hotel is very appealing.