Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Narita Lay over

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I will have a 12 hour layover at Narita in March and I would like to take advantage of this time and see a bit of Toyko. I have read over Mike's Narita page and although It looks straight forward I am not sure as a female traveling alone in a strange country with a language barrier that I am comfortable journeying out on my own. Does anyone know of a tour guide / company that I could hire for the day that meet me at the airport and take me for the day. I would prefer one person as opposed to a bus/group tour. many thanks, Lora

Japan is a very safe country - I really would not recommend a tour. It will cost a fortune and you will have a much better time by yourself.

Yes, it is safe, you really don't need to worry. Easy for me to say, being a big guy, but I had similar concerns myself. Tokyo metro area has about 20 million people. So there are probably 1 million women roaming about solo at any given time. Probably a couple thousand of them being Canadians. You wouldn't be a curiosity in Tokyo (maybe you would be in the countryside, but as a respected visitor, not as a potential victim). The signs are also in English, so you can get around on your own. You're problem is one of time. Getting to/from Tokyo and getting around by subway would take some time. A guide would definitely expedite things. There are student guides available in various Japanese cities, and I think you can find one in Chiba/Narita. You might start looking here www.jnto.go.jp/eng and calling them (JNTO=Japan National Tourist Organization). There is an office in Toronto: (416) 366-7140 There was another post with suggestions for someone who had a 4 hour layover.

Bonjour Lora, As a single smallish female who has mostly travelled alone for the last 20 years, I have yet to feel any real danger in Japan, outside of for my finances ;-) Anyway, there are volunteer guides in Tokyo and arranging something with JNTO must be possible, as Bill suggested.

Thank you John, Bill and Florence. I will contact the JNTO in Toronto next week, great tip and I didn't know about them. I am just a little nervous about getting lost and missing my flight back. I will be there on the 3rd of March, I will post after that and let you know how it went. ciao.

You have little to worry about. If you want, you can just visit the local Narita City, and stay at one of the many excellent hotels in the area around the airport. One of the famous 7 shrines in Japan is in Narita. However, you can go to the basement of the Narita Airport, and get on the train [to Narita City too] and go all the way into Tokyo. It is easy, and takes a little over one hour. Then you could walk around one or two areas of Tokyo before heading back to the airport.

I happened to be looking at a Tokyo brochure and saw info about a festival on March 3! I got the brochure in Nov. 2001, but it states the date and not the year, so maybe it is every March 3. Here is what it says: "Hina-Matsuri: Mar. 3 is the day for young girls to celebrate being girls with their families. The traditional Imperial Court in doll form is arranged on scarlet-covered tiers, where the young enjoy light refreshments. The dolls are usually of superb workmanship." I don't know what that means, either, since it was obviously written by a Japanese. It is talking about a little-girl festival, and the Japanese adore their children, so it must be a big deal.