Questions regarding airports in Japan
 

I need to make a decision regarding our flights very soon.. Kyoto is our last stop on this trip.

One of my choices leaves leaves ITM at 8:20am and connects at Narita. . If we go for the 8:20 am flight out of ITM, should we spend our last night in Osaka, or should we take the airport bus from Kyoto station to ITM which is supposed to arrive at the airport at 7am.(It leaves Kyoto at 5:50am). Would this give us enough time to check in for our flight?

Alternatively, we could take the train from Kyoto to Tokyo the day before our flight home, and leave from Haneda at 6:50 am, Are there hotels near Haneda so that we could get to the airport by 5am ?

I know neither scenerio is ideal, but which one is better logisitically.

I am going to be taking the 6:50 am AA flight to JFK....I am planning to stay either in Shinagawa or Hamamatsucho - I will be in Tokyo for 4 nights on my way home - I plan to take either a train or a monorail depending on where I stay - they arrive at HND International Terminal between 5:15 and 5:30 - I would think that is plenty of time to check in....

There are hotels near Haneda as well as a capsule-like hotel in Haneda Domestic Terminal...
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2430.html
Hotels toward bottom of above linked page.

why are you all taking these really early flights??

stay at an airport hotel at NRT the night before..

rhkkmk - I always fly AA and unfortunately they have changed their schedule - from JFK they now only fly to HND - that's what I assume OP is considering as well....they arrive from JFK at 10:15 PM and leave at 6:50 AM....beggars can't be choosers as they say.... ;-)

In my case I will stay at the capsule-like hotel in HND as I am flying out early the next am to Shikoku....don't tell ht...

Unless you're using FF award tickets, I'm not sure why you need to decide "soon." Especially if you're still flying from Boston -- I'd wait until the Dreamliner situation is resolved one way or the other.

That said, if you have an 8.20 flight from ITM, you are 100% safe arriving there at 7:15. And the 5.50am bus will arrive on time.

I doubt that I'd ever stay at a Narita airport hotel. It's just as easy to stay in a Tokyo hotel near Nippori (36 mins to NRT) or Ueno (41 mins), which is just about the amount of time you'd have to allow for a hotel shuttle.

A stab into my heart by Mara? ;)

In answer to the OP's question I would stay in Kyoto and take the 5:50 am bus or better yet contact MK Taxi shuttle for a ride to ITM.

http://www.mktaxi-japan.com/

Aloha!

Thanks Mara, Don and HT for your replies, all of which were very helpful in trying to sort things out for a first trip. Don, I do want to use miles for the ticket, and although my dates are very flexible, I see some dates being sold out as I periodically check for availability. I know I probably should not wait too much longer to make a decision.