So, you’re a badass because you’ve partied in Manhattan, San Francisco and may have even been to London.  Whoopty Doo.  What are you going to do when you get to Tokyo on a layover and realize that the airport is actually in Narita?  Curl up in the corner and cry about how you can’t read Japanese?  Get yourself together!

Does this sound familiar?:  ”We’ve got a limited amount of time (or layover) in Tokyo and we’re super excited.  But, we have no idea what to do or how to plan.”  That phrase is so common, that I decided to devote an entire article to it.  But, let’s get something straight from jump street.  You’ll be starting from Narita, not Tokyo.

The airport is in the Narita rice paddies; a city over 100 km from Tokyo. This means that if you take a cab from Narita to Tokyo you are either so flush with cash that you don’t care about spending $300 USD on a one-way cab ride or you’re dumber than most of the characters on MTV’s The Real World.  Don’t ever take a cab from the airport to Tokyo. Actually, you’ll not want to take a cab to Narita City either. Jump on the train.

You have 3 solid train options if you are skipping Narita and heading to Tokyo.

1. Narita Express: high-class looking red & white train with tinted windows on the right side of the platform. Expensive, but extremely fast.  Good to get these tickets before you go, but don’t stress if you don’t.
2. JR Keikyu: Silver and blue train in middle platform. This one is MUCH cheaper than Narita Express and still quite fast.  You can purchase a JR Rail Pass in advance if you want.  BUT, go here for JR Rail Pass to determine if it’s actually a good deal or not.
3. Keisei Skyliner: Is an express line that goes the same direction, but it’s a secondary private train line that doesn’t always take you where you want to go. Also, the JR Rail Pass doesn’t work on this.

TIP: Use the restroom at Narita Airport before you depart for Tokyo, since the restrooms at other train stations are quite sour smelling (but they are NOT dangerous).

The trains and ticket machines are located on the bottom floor of the airport.  You’ll see plenty of signs in English directing you to them after you get your bags. Don’t forget to look for the “English” button on the ticket machines.  It’s important to note that if you are opting for the Keisei or Narita Express lines listed above, you’ll need to purchase a ticket at the counter on the right side of the entrance to the escalator that goes down to the platform.  For those of you going to Narita City because you don’t have enough time to get to Tokyo and back in time for you flight departure, use the green JR ticket machine and choose “Narita”.

Cultural note: When on the trains, take off your backpack and place it between your legs (when standing or sitting).  The trains get quite crowded in Japan.

NARITA CITY

The best thing to do if you’ve got 4 or more hours of layover is to get the keikyu train from Narita Airport.  One the coolest things to experience when visiting Tokyo is sitting right there in Narita City.  Lucky you!  The Narita-san Temple Complex is a beautiful and massive temple complex flush with zen gardens, tea ceremony gazebos, calligraphy museum, huge temples, chanting monks, tree-lined walking trails and if you’re lucky…goats.

When you exit the train at Narita Station after departing from the airport, you’ll walk upstairs and walk through the ticket turn-style. Once through, take the exit on the right. Now you’ll be facing the big area where the buses and cabs wait for fares.   Don’t get a taxi, unless you have a bad leg or something.  This is where you can put your bag in a locker if you don’t want to lug it around with you.  If you need a locker, you’ll see them on the left once you’ve walked outside.  Don’t be that jackass that goes to the convenient store next door to ask them to give you change.  Buy something, and they’ll give you some coins.

After you’ve dropped your bag in a locker.  Walk 100 meters to the street light signal and turn left.  This is when you’ll want to soak up the cultural stuff.  You’ll be walking past all sorts of unique shops, restaurants, etc. If you want to grab a pint of beer or a cocktail, you’ll pass a British style pub a few hundred meters down on the right side called The Barge Inn.

To get to the Narita-san Temple Complex, keep walking down the road.  You’ll notice that the road will begin to descend.  Go down the hill and you’ll begin to see the huge complex on the left. You’ll enter through the rough stone gates at the bottom of the decline.  Give yourself at least 1-2 hours to walk around the temple complex once you enter.  Have your camera ready!  You are going to get so many amazing photos that you’ll want to go pro.

Keep in mind that the video above only shows about 20% of the entire temple complex.  The video above is just the tip of the iceberg, people.  Trust me!  Once you’ve finished taking your 1000 photos and begin going back to the station the same way you came, don’t forget to purchase a train ticket again.

You fall into 1 of those 5 categories.  Don’t lie to yourself.  You’ll hate yourself for it.  If you are planning on traveling back and forth to small towns across bigger cities to get to other cities over the span of a week or more, then the JR Rail Pass might be worth it.  But if you are going to Tokyo, then the JR Rail Pass is a waste of money.

The best way to travel around Tokyo is via subway and the above ground Yamanote Line (this is covered by the JR Pass).  Subways are NOT covered by the JR Rail Pass.  The cost to ride the Yamanote Line around Tokyo would never be justified by the cost of a JR Rail Pass.  Having said that, you may consider purchasing a pass if you are staying with friends that live 1 hour train ride outside of the city and you want to take an express train or a super express train numerous times to Tokyo.  Going back and forth from outlying areas into the city center can start to add up.

On another note, if you plan on making a short trip down to Kyoto and then return back to Tokyo, the JR Pass will be worth it for sure.  Just keep in mind that you can’t use the JR Rail Pass for the super express bullet train called the Nozomi.  But you can use the pass for the other bullet trains.

Overall, there are few instances when the JR Rail Pass make sense for the normal traveler.  Here are a few that were put together by my good pals at TTA, Inc.  (I’ve actually never met them, but I’m sure they love to party.)