Our family of 4 will be arriving at Narita at 4:00pm on a weekday (with 4 suitcases). I am looking for the cheapest, fast and easy way to get to our Tokyo hotel, which is near the Tamachi/Mita station. It looks like taking the Skyliner would get us to Nippori, but I would be so grateful if someone would to help me figure out if we can easily change over to a train to take us straight to Tamachi/Mita. Or if you recommend a different mode of transportation from Narita? Unfortunately we will be somewhat brain dead (having been awake for the past 25 hours) and we’re arriving in Tokyo right at the beginning of rush hour.

Those are two stations. Tamachi station is on the JR Yamanote Line. Mita is a subway station. They are adjacent to each other but to get from Narita Airport you would make one change of trains (Nippori) to get to Tamachi vs two changes to get to Mita.

If you want the cheapest fare, then take the Keisei Main Line Ltd. Exp.train (¥1,230) and not the Skyliner (¥2,670).

I have not been on the Keisei trains, but the hyperdia search results (see below) lead me to believe the Skyliner is an all-reserved seat train maybe with luggage storage space, while the main line train is all unreserved (meaning you might not get a seat) and probably no accomodation for luggage.

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

Maybe another Fodorite can describe the differences between the two Keisei train types or you can probably find a description at japan-guide.com

Either way, from Nippori you take the JR Yamanote Line to Tamachi station.

Here is a japan-guide link with descriptions of your options:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html

That confirms my assumption about seating on the Keisei trains but doesn't mention anything about luggage stowage on the Skyliner.

I';ve taken both types. The skyline is all reserved and there are overhead racks and cubbies at the end of each car for luggage. The Limited express is more like a New York subway car. Sit where you can, and keep your bags in front or beside you. It takes longer, too. You will most likely get a seat, since you're at the beginning of the line, but don't be slow getting on!

http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Tokyo-Narita/Mita-Station to compare

That map is interesting. It shows Mita station to be north and a bit east of Tamachi station and across the river. Mita station has a green fan-shaped icon labeled Mita. That is the Mita station on the Mita Line

Just north and a bit west of Tamachi station is that same green icon with a Mita label - in the river. That is the Mita stop on the Asakusa Line.

So I think that going to "Tamachi/Mita" on the subway means taking the Asakusa Line and you exit there to be in Tamachi. Otherwise, you take the Mita Line and get off at Mita station north of the river, then have to walk underground to where the Asakusa Line is at and exit to Tamachi.

So you want to be sure that your lodging is near the "Mita on the Asakusa Line". If that is true then just take the Yamanote Line to Takamachi.

If it is near "Mita on the Mita Line" then you don't want to go to Takamachi. You would go to Mita on either the Mita or Asakusa Lines. I doubt that is the case.

What is the name of the hotel?

If you have 4 suitcases and are weary after some long plane rides, you really don't want to be dealing with the Yamanote Line at 5: or 6: pm. Seriously, you do not.

The Tamaichi station is close to Shinagawa. Take the Narita Express to Shinagawa and take a taxi. There's plenty of space for your luggage on the NEx, and it's very easy to get a taxi at Shinagawa.

And I'll echo the request for which hotel -- if the hotel is served by the limobus, that might be another good choice.

Yes, the limo bus is nice. Roll your bags to the front door of Narita and buy a ticket. Get onto bus (they'll load your bags into the luggage hold) and sleep till you get to your destination about an hour+ later. Get out of the bus, have the bus guys load your bags into one of the cabs waiting around, and head off to your hotel. You might have to take 2 cabs if your bags are huge. If they're all moderate size and one can fit on a lap, you should all fit.

Your original post reminds me of the saying used when shopping for transportation or for having a home built:

"There's cheap, best or fast. Best you can hope for is two out of the three".

We are staying at the Celestine Hotel at 3-23-1 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo. 105-0014. Thank you for this information - it is extremely helpful! Our 4 suitcases will all be carry-on sized. I still don't quite understand this-does the Skyliner share the same station as the JR? So when we get off of the Skyliner, it’s an easy switch of platforms to jump onto the JR Yamanote?

From your feedback, it looks like these are our options.

OPTION 1: Skyliner to Nippori (41 minutes), transfer to JR Yamanote Line to Tamachi (21 minutes).
Cost: 10,680 yen
Time: 62 minutes plus train transfer time
Disadvantage: Yamanote will be a nightmare during rush hour for 4 people with 4 suitcases

OPTION 2: Limobus
Cost: 12,400 yen
Time: 140 minutes and we have to wait until 17:20 to catch it from Narita
Advantage: Easy, drops off at the hotel door
Disadvantage: Time, plane lands at 16:10 and we wouldn’t get to the hotel until 19:40

OPTION 3: Narita Express to Shinagawa and taxi to Celestine Hotel
Cost: 12,760 NEx + ?2,000 taxi? = 14,760 yen
Time: 90 minutes = 70 minutes to Shinagawa + ?20 minute? taxi ride

Option 1 is the cheapest and fastest, but DonTopaz's comments about Yamanote gives a sense of foreboding...

I stayed at the Celestine in 2003. On my arrival at NRT, the next limmo bus going directly there was at 18:50 but there was one going to the Tokyo Prince in Shiba at 18:20 so I took that, planning to take a taxi at the end. The bus got stuck in traffic and took hours and hours and hours. And hours. I finally got to my room at 21:30. I vowed never to take the limmo bus again. And I never have.

These days, I arrive at NRT and check in to an airport hotel (I favor the Hilton as it is cheap and treats me very well--I'm a Hilton Diamond), then go to my actual destination at leisure the following day.

I fly on American, whose business class is utterly wretched. If you use a decent airline you might arrive in better shape and be able to handle the rigors of onward travel better than me.

The Celestine is a notch up from a business hotel but nothing special and it is quite a way from the trains and subway, and the local area is sterile. If you are determined to stay there, take the N'Ex to Shinagawa (there's always some sort of deal for foreigners on the N'Ex) and then a taxi.

The Skyliner or regular Keisei trains are fine if you are staying around Nippori or Ueno (not a bad choice) but not otherwise.

Another disadvantage of your option 1 is that it will be easy for you to get lost when navigating from Tamachi station to your hotel.

If your flight is scheduled to arrive at 4:00, you might exit customs anywhere from 3:50 to 5:30. My suggestion would be to take the NEx unless the wait for the luminous is <20 minutes. Also, I believe there's a deal for foreigners for a RT NEx fare of 4000Y.

For that hotel, I would like to add one more option: one transfer at "Keisei Takasago". One ticket is enough to "Mita", which costs as low as 1190 JPY. This option just utilizes one of the most familiar Narita-Haneda connecting route.

The journey would be like:
Narita Airport:1706 - 1806:Keisei Takasago:1808 - 1840:Mita
Two Keisei trains share the same platform. Thus, even the two-minute transfer should not be a problem.

At Mita subway station, there are elevators to the ground. Google map says 550 m to the hotel.

> This option just utilizes one of the most familiar Narita-Haneda connecting route.
After writing the above, I looked into the followings:
http://www.haneda-airport.jp/inter/e...s/traffic.html
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud...jp/nrt_access/

And then, I have found some direct lines for Mita (on Apr 15):
NRT 1524 - 1642 Mita (1380 JPY)
NRT 1604 - 1721 Mita (1380 JPY)
After the 1604 line, at least one transfer would be needed to reach Mita, as I have stated in the previous post.

Note the same platform issue is valid for Sakura, Keisei Takasago and Aoto stations.

This English site would be more useful with the calculator by your own.
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud.../us/index.html

Again, I am very grateful for all of your help! After reading someotherguy's reply, I considered dropping the Celestine and finding a hotel closer to Ueno, but after 1 hour of hotel searching, I've decided to stick with the Celestine. I think we're going to take the Narita Express to Shinagawa and then grab a taxi from Shinagawa to the hotel. It's not the easiest, cheapest, or fastest, but seems like the best compromise. Would you agree that a taxi from Shinagawa will cost around 2,000 yen?

I wrote this before seeing LuisJp's info about the Keisei transfers. That's another good option, definitely cheaper but I'm a little afraid of the transfer(s).

If you're looking for a decent hotel in Ueno, try the Mitsui Garden (Ueno) hotel. I stayed there 2 years ago after it had recently opened, and it's a perfectly acceptable business-type hotel, comparable to a Holiday Inn-type city hotel. Be sure to spend the small extra amount for a superior room to get a slightly larger room if you stay there. The Mitsui Garden is across the street from the JR Ueno station, and just slightly farther from the Keisei Ueno station (where the Skyliner arrives). Escalators are readily available at the Ueno stations (as they also would be at Shinagawa station).

I'm unfamiliar with Mita station. However, it seems to me that you're asking for aggravation if you're thinking of using the subway or local trains around 5 or 6 pm. The way that the trains are typically packed, it's challenging for a newcomer to maneuver close enough to the doors to get off at the right stop. A newcomer with a suitcase in those conditions is probably going wish that he'd chosen a different tactic.