Hi all,
How far is Kawagoe from Tokyo? Can I take the subway from Narita Airport to Kawagoe or I would need to take a train or even a bullet train.

Thanks

Typing "Kawagoe" into Google will produce this link and others that answer your question: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6505.html

hi pedalerpaddler-san

you can go kawagoe with this way

from airport to nippori station by sky liner 56min. 2stops 1000yen=10usd

nippori to ikebukuro by yamanote line 12min. 5stops 160yen=1.60usd

ikebukuro to kawagoe by tobu-tojo-line express 5stops 30min. 450yen=4.50usd

takds about 2hours with waiting time

have a nice trip!

soredewa

The trains noriB suggested are all "above ground" trains and no shinkansen (bullet train). There is no subway in Narita area incl.airport.

Coming from airport with big luggage, persoanlly I wouldn't take Yamanote and Tobu commuter trains, often heavily crowded. The following is more expensive but involves no change of trains/bus.

The following Japanese site says there is a direct bus line from NRT to Kawagoe Nishi (West) Station. But there seems to be only 4 departures, all in the afternoon, 15.00, 16.30, 18.00 and 20.25 and it takes a little more than 2 hours. A ticket cost Yen3200 and the line is operated jointly by Chiba-Kotsu/Kawagoe-Kanko. You can get info/buy ticket at the counter right after custom exit.

http://www.chiba-bus.jp/kawagoe.html
This doesn't have English page.

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/bus/
This is an English page of NRT airport site and mentions above bus service although there is no other detail unlike above Japanese page.

When you arrive at the Kawagoe train station go to the tourist information counter for free brochure and map in English.

Thereafter get a day ticket for the shuttle bus. It goes around and stops at all the places of interest. The drivers have a running commentary in Japanese but do run a tape in English when approaching any place of interest. I've experienced an occasion or two when the driver turned off the English commentary cos he thought all the passengers were Japanese. Actually they were except for me!

It's a nice place to spend a couple of hours but would prefer go to to Nikko and Kamakura first as IMHO they have more to offer.

This reminds me of an incident. I was onboard the bus which was pretty packed. I had a back pack which wasn't completely zipped up. The lady standing next to me must have been bugged by it and zipped it for me! She then said something in Japanese to me and was giggling away after that. Wished I knew some Japanese then.

> It's a nice place to spend a couple of hours but ...

KMLoke, that's rigth, Kawagoe is not known as a tourist oriented city. I assume OP has a particular reason to go there (e.g.vising friends?). I'm surprised it has a "shuttle" bus with touristic commentary in English. Maybe that's partly because of growing foreign population there (I hear lots of foreigners live in certain areas surrounding Tokyo, Arabs, South Americans, mostly as workers with lower wages. There even are a couple of muslim temples.)