process for arriving in Narita airport
 

Dear all,
I know this is very basic but I am arriving in Narita with my daughter and grand-daughter on 1st November after a long flight and want to be clear what I am doing.
Please be patient with me - I am starting to get very confused.

We are scheduled to arrive at 6.00pm. I assume we arrive in terminal 2 - we're on Qantas and can't get very clear info.

When we arrive we go through immigration, pick up baggage and clear customs?
Then we have to get some Yen - are ATM's easy to find?

We'd like to buy a couple of 15 day data sim cards - what is the best way to do this? Just get one from the vending machine?

We then need to change our JR Rail pass vouchers for the JR passes (but not activate them because we won't use them straight away). Where do we do that? I'd rather get it out of the way now.

Then I think it's best for us to get the Keisei Skyliner to Ueno and get a taxi from there to our apartment in Asakusa. Where do I get Skyliner tickets?

When we get to Keisei Ueno is there a specific exit to take to get to the taxis (it will be about 8.00pm or later by this time)?

I really hope someone can help with these details. It's one thing to arrive somewhere alone but with my daughter and little grand-daughter I really want to have things clear.

You will find many answers at the official site of Narita's airport:
https://www.narita-airport.jp/en

If you look at that site, you will see information about what airlines go to what terminals (it seems that you are correct about terminal 2, but please check for yourselves!), that there are several ATMs in the airport (you will even find a map on which they are marked :-) ), where to get SIM cards, and answers to most of your other questions.

And if in doubt, a search of japan-guide.com should yield additional information -- go to japan-guide.com and type your topic in the search box at the upper right.

I direct you to these resources rather than answering directly because I don't want to mischaracterize anything -- I believe you will be better off with the actual source material.

Hope that helps!

THanks kja I spent most of yesterday trawling through these very sites and ended up tired and confused (possibly exacerbated by the fact that we have only just arrived back from Spain and I am certainly a little jetlagged). Today it is becoming a little clearer. Partly I am looking for reassurance.

Also I am going first with my daughter and grand-daughter and then my husband is coming to join us on his own a week later and I am trying to write out clear instructions for him too.

FWIW, I found Narita exceptionally easy to navigate.

You will find out soon how super organized Japan is...at the same time it will be hard to find someone who speaks english properly. So, info point are usually very helpful and they are more than happy to direct you or organize things for you.

sim cards are a little issue.
I realise that my daughter is ok with 15 day sim card so the ones at the airport are fine for her - but I will be there for 26 days so I'd prefer a 30 day one... can I get one of these at the airport? U-mobile site says they have one but most of the page is in Japanese and I can't see how I can get one at the airport.

My experience was not like that of bussa -- I encountered many helpful English-speaking people, particularly among the younger generations. YMMV. That said, the recommendation to stop at the information desk is a very good one, as you will undoubtedly be able to get helpful information there.

Your description of entering Japan is correct. Be sure to state that you are a tourist so that you get the 90-day Temporary Visitor stamp that you will need to show when you get your JR Passes.

You could do the JR Pass exchange at the JR Ticket Office or JR Travel Service Center at Narita Airport. I would not do this unless I was to use it that night or early next morning.

When you do the exchange you need to specify a start date for the first day you want it to be valid. That could be in the future.

You can take a Keisei Exp or Ltd Exp train to Aoto or Takasago and then transfer to a Keisei local that goes to Asakusa(Tobu/Subway). Those transfer times are as short as 1 minute, so it may be just a matter of crossing the platform to board. That local train is frequent, so if you miss one just take the next one in a couple of minutes.

That Keisei local becomes a subway train at Oshiage. There is no change of trains at Oshiage.

Then it would just be a matter of getting from Asakusa subway station to your lodging.

As far as ATMs go, be aware that not all ATMs in Japan accept foreign cards. Finding one at the airport should be easy enough for you to find. Follow the signs.

The link below is the timetable for the Keisei trains that you could use. I did the search for 15 minutes earlier than what I was looking at a moment ago (which was 7PM). Route2 on this search shows that the same train departing at 18:56 goes from the airport all the way through to Asakusa.

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

Oops, sorry, that was the 7PM search. Here are the search results given a desired 6:45PM departure time on Nov 1:

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

If you take a taxi from Ueno then it would be a good idea to print the phone number and the name & address of your Asakusa lodging in Japanese and English to show the driver.

Like mrwunrfl said, some ATMs in Japan don't take foreign cards. If you get an error or invalid message, move on to another machine! 7-11s and similar convenience stores tend to have "good " ATMs.

Narita Airport is pretty easy. Use the first ATMs you see. They are the same as the ones outside.

Look for the booths with the (i) on them. There are several inside the airport (and in train stations too) and these info booths can give you all the info you'll need; they have train schedules, maps, tourist info, and will direct you to the train ticket offices in the airport (they're in the basement).

I don't think you want the Keisei Skyliner to get to Asakusa. You want the Keisei Access. Asakusa is in the middle of Narita and Hanaeda airports.

Here's that map:
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud...php#narita1_ae

BTW, you don't have T-mobile cell phones, do you? If so you won't need SIM cards.

<< Asakusa is in the middle of Narita and Hanaeda airports. >>

Uh, that should probably say BETWEEN Narita and Haneda. It's a region of Tokyo, it's certainly not in the middle of either airport.

There are ATMs once you go into the entry hall past customs.

Thank you sooo much for all these efforts. I probably should have been more clear about where we are staying - it is in Asakusa but not near the main Asakusa station - it is rather far away on the other side of Senso-ji near the Asakusa View Hotel ie near the Asakusa Tsukuba station.

This is more difficult to get to and with a tired grand-daughter after a long flight (and luggage), I want to make life as easy as possible - thus the idea getting train with no changes and a taxi from Ueno.

And no, we are from Australia and will definitely need sim cards unless I use a Virgin roaming data pack - AUD$60 for 2 gigs for a month.

Post office ATMs also accept most cards.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2208.html

Ok, that plan will work, Keisei Skyliner to Keisei Ueno station and then a taxi. If you miss the train at 18:52 then taking the one at 19:31 would be as efficient as going taking a earlier train to Asakusa.

From the station map:
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud...n_map/ueno.php
it looks like there are two entrances. You want the main entrance where I am pretty sure you will see a taxi stand. Follow the crowd. I'd take the elevator up.

When the taxi driver sees you he will use a control to open the door for you. Same when you leave, you just get out and he will close the door. No tip.

<u>Definitely</u> take the phone number(s) and the address of the apartment to show the driver. I would also get a map and a photo of the place.

Oh good idea - I was just going to take the address (no phone number) but a map and a photo is a great idea. THanks

DO take the phone number! Even if you don't have a working phone, your driver probably will.