Getting to Tokyo

It takes a little over 10 hours flying time to Tokyo from SFO. It’s a bit shorter on the way back from Tokyo, something like 9 hours. The girls do all right on the plane. We try to keep them occupied but we, perhaps I should say my husband, try our best to get our girls to sleep on the plane. It makes a difference.

Once you land at Narita International Airport, you have two practical ways to get to Tokyo. (I don’t consider a $200+ cab ride a practical option.) You can take the Narita Express to some of the more popular and central stations (Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo…). Upside of taking the train, you know exactly how long it will take you; no need to worry about traffic delays. The train leaves from below the airport terminal. You might think it is convenient but it isn’t convenient enough for our family with two young children in tow. First you have to make your way down to the train level with all your luggage and kids. Then once you arrive at your station in Tokyo, you have to find your way to your hotel. That requires that you navigate a busy crowded train station with your luggage and kids and make your way outside to find a cab. Your kids are jet lagged and so are you…this is not the way to go.

Our favorite is the Airport Limousine Bus. Once you leave baggage claim you will see the bright orange and white counters for the Limousine Bus. Choose the route with your hotel on it and wait for the bus right outside the doors. There are men who will help you with your luggage too…you don’t get that with the Narita Express. The Limousine stops at nearly all the major hotels in Tokyo. If your hotel is not on the route, pick the closest one. It is much easier to catch a cab from a hotel than from a train station. Of course the Limousine Bus will have to deal with Tokyo traffic so it may take longer than the train. But depending on where you go, the door-to-door time may be equivalent. On our last trip we took the 5:20pm Bus to Roppongi area and arrived at the ANA Intercontinental at 6:40pm. From the hotel, we took a 5 min cab ride to where we were staying. Total travel time of 1hr 30min. The Narita Express takes about 55min to central Tokyo. Consider the time it will take you to navigate the station, find a cab and get to your hotel and you are looking at about the same amount of travel time but an increased amount of frustration. Take the Airport Limousine Bus…(June 2007, 2009)