Leaving tomorrow, but questioning Narita to hotel method
 

Leaving tomorrow morning!! (can't believe it's finally here!)

But now I'm second-guessing myself about our method to get from Narita to the Park Hyatt.

Was planning on using NEX from Narita (stopping for a NEX/Suica card first) then heading to Shinjuku, exiting at the Southern Terrace and grabbing a cab to the hotel.

But reading some posts (damn, why do I do this the night before I leave?!) and seeing that a lot of peeps say that with baggage (we'll have 2 big suitcases and a duffel) it's just so much easier to take the Limo Bus.

I really abhor the idea of buses in general and would be in constant motion, but if it really will be a royal PITA to get our luggage on and off the train and in and out of the station, maybe it's not a terrible idea.

The whole genesis of the train idea is that we arrive at 3:30ish and I figure once we exit we'll be at prime rush hour on a weekday.

Thoughts?

It has been a few years but the last time we flew to Tokyo and used the train with luggage it was not a pleasant experience! Go with the bus (might be a long ride) or taxi (expensive). We stayed in the PH 10 years ago and enjoyed the hotel very much. Hope you will like it too!

Bon Voyage Billy!

We did this a few weeks ago - it wouldn't have been bad, except we had to change trains in Tokyo station. If you take the train from Narita, I would confirm that it is direct to Shinjuku, with no changes! It was easy to get the luggage on and off the train - the storage for luggage is right by the door.

My DH loathes buses as well!

I will qualify this by saying we only had 2 small suitcases and one larger one, not a huge amount. If I had more than that, I would do the bus, I think.

Interesting. Looking at the JR site, it appears that the trains direct to Shinjuku leave every 30 minutes, but I cannot find an actual schedule to confirm that against.

Thanks for advice, Pook. I really do hate buses more than life itself (cramped seats, that ever-present smell of bathroom, etc.) And I see us stuck on that thing for 3 hours and that's what I'm most turned off by. I don't want to have my intro to Tokyo be a traffic jam in a mobile toilet. :)

Bus over train for me. It gets you right to the hotel. All you have to do is get your luggage out the door at the airport then the bus staff handles it then the PH gets it versus dragging it through the maze of Shinjuku Station. The buses are not at all bad. Or splurge and get a car service for 15 x the cost of the bus!

Advantage of the bus is door-to-door service and ease of handling bags. Disadvantage is traffic, seat space, and dealing with the motion of the bus. I thought the bus ride to Yokohama at night, in traffic, after a long flight was not pleasant.

Advantage of N'Ex is you can exchange for your JR Pass at the airport station. No cost if JR Pass activated that day. Traveling motion is easier, reliable schedule. Disadvantage is handling the luggage, dealing with Shinjuku station, and the taxi ride.

Here is the timetable, NRT to Shinjuku:
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/inter...chday=20131113

With a lot of luggage, I would take the bus. A lot of luggage, to me, would be more than one roll-aboard and one backpack per person. I would take N'Ex if I wanted to activate the JR Pass on arrival in Japan. You could ship some luggage from the airport to your hotel.

Have a wonderful trip!

If the bus goes directly to your hotel, take the bus. Otherwise, the train is easy, even with a lot of luggage. We almost certainly would have taken the bus, if it had not just taken us to the train station.

mrwunrfl, do you have the link for Terminal 1 departures? I looked on Hyperdia but I can't figure out how you got to that page from the homepage...

We took the bus - 90 minutes - right to our hotel. With our luggage that seemed like the easiest way to do it. It was easy. While I don't love buses, this one was ok.

We haven't yet ridden the Narita Express, but found that luggage storage on the trains was less convenient than we had anticipated.

It's cold here in Kyoto - be prepared!

Bus for sure... Sales desk right opposite exit from customs.. Bus stop just outside... They handle everything... Wear a hoodie and no one will see that film will takes buses..

Thanks, Kathie. I figured it'd be cold. We have layers (tshirts, sweaters and a light winter jacket.) I worry that we're not completely prepared, but I rest in the comfort that we're in Japan: I'm sure if we're missing anything it's not too far away!

Hope you are having a ball! Admittedly, I'm still in shock that we're actually leaving tomorrow. Just seems so surreal!

This is better:
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/inter...chday=20131114

Just do a search for any time during the day (I just did 8:33 PM) then scroll down and select "Interval timetable" for the train you want.

Here is the original search. See the train you want (the N'Ex NRT T1-Shinjuku) is Route4 in the result.

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/searc...d&sum_target=7


Click on "Interval timetable" under "LTD. EXP NARITA EXPRESS 52" to get day's timetable shown in the first link above.

The luggage storage on the Narita Express is better than other trains.

"rest in the comfort that we're in Japan"

That's right.

We travel reasonably light - one roller suitcase each and one hand luggage bag each, those are usually camera rucksacks. We found the Narita Express just so easy from the airport. Last time we had to pick up our JR Pass, this time we went to same office to buy our SUICA + NEX tickets, then short walk and escalator down to the train platform and only a short wait for the train.

We don't find it difficult changing trains because the vast majority have escalators up / down to / from the platforms, many also have lifts, though you may need to walk along the platform to reach them. With small rolling cases, this isn't difficult. We only rarely had to lift cases up and down stairs.

The biggest issue at Shinjuku is finding the right exit, one that will make it easy for you to find a taxi.

Shichi-go-san is a coming of age (ages 7-5-3) celebration/ tradition at Shinto shrines where the girls (and some moms) are dressed in beautiful kimono and boys in haori/hakama. The day is Nov 15 but will also be celebrated this weekend.
http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/she...b/shichigosan/

Saturday, November 16, this year is a taian day, the most auspicious day for a wedding. Pretty much a guarantee of seeing a Shinto wedding procession as well as 7-5-3 celebrants at a shrine on that day.

Friday is an unlucky day for a wedding (but discounts may be available for the non-superstitious). Sunday is unlucky in the morning but lucky in the afternoon.
http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/rokuyo.html

I posted to the wrong thread! Meant for MinnBeef on the Exodus thread.

Have taken all three - limo bus, train and taxi (all with just carry-on - roller and backpack). The limo bus wins, easy/convenient, gives you a good orientation to the city AND you get to see all the other hotels. Ours was not like a regular bus, more like a super shuttle van in LA.

Take the limobus.

Have a great trip!!!!

Aloha!