TOKYO ASAKUSA GUIDE

Are you a Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) holder? Since it is only 1,030yen to get to Keisei Ueno station, it is not wise to exchange your voucher to actual JR Pass at Narita Airport. If you intend to pass through Tokyo without staying in downtown, and continue train-riding to another cities, say Nagano, Nikko, Takayama, Kyoto and more, then of course, please go ahead and activate the JR Pass at Narita Airport JR station (both terminal 1 station and terminal 2-3 station) which has the exchange office. Sometimes, you may find long queue with more than 1 hour waiting line (no kidding) in which case, it is wise to pay the 1,030yen on not JR but Keisei railway line to downtown Tokyo. On your landing day or later days, you may be able to exchange/activate the pass easier at major JR downtown stations like Tokyo, Ueno, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Shinagawa and more. Please be noticed that each station has different opening hour for their counter. This page has the available office and its service hours.

Do you need to sleep several hours at the airport? Regardless how many hours you need, we always recommend a capsule hotel called Nine Hours, which is similar to First Class of international flight (judging by how much space it has!).

Narita Airport (New Tokyo International Airport, www.narita-airport.jp ) is about 75km train ride from downtown Tokyo. It is located in eastern part of Tokyo (geographically, not in Tokyo but in Chiba, another state or prefecture), perhaps this page would explain without words at single glance. Precisely, it is 69.3km from Keisei Ueno Station on Keisei Railway Line, or 79.2km from JR Tokyo station on JR East Railway Line. Each lines have two stations, one for Terminal 1 (end of the lines, real terminal of the lines), and the other for Terminal 2&3 (next stop from the end of the lines, not the real terminal stations so you may not get your seat if you don't have reserved one before boarding). Terminal 3 is "short" walking distance from Terminal 2&3 station. Most of the LCC companies are at Terminal 3. Regardless you arrived at either terminal, 1 or 2 or 3, once you cleared the customs and immigration area with best smile (and finger prints!), you are entering officially into Japan (^_^) Welcome and Yokoso.

Many people take Airport Limousine Bus for getting into city center of Tokyo. Although, less expensive, easier and faster (especially for Asakusa and Ueno) is Keisei Railway Line . Some other may be interested in riding on JR East Railway Line . A certain percentage is well-off enough to get cab/taxi with spending around US$250 - US$300 including toll fee. If you were planning ahead to be picked up, we highly recommend that you'd contact with Tokyo City Tour (Japan Dream Tours) which would cost actually less than cab/taxi, and very convenient if you had heavy luggage. Ready to roll your baggage by yourself? Highway buses are departing from the same leveled floor of custom and immigration, so just walk out of another exit door to inhale true Japan Air (outside of terminal building), and you shall find buses line up there.

They are for destinations of T-CAT (Tokyo City Air Terminal), Tokyo station, Nihonbashi, Ikebukuro, Mejiro, Kudan, Korakuen, Hibiya, Akasaka (not Asakusa by highway bus), Shibuya, Takeshiba and Rinkai Fukutoshin, Minami Osawa, Keio Tama Center, Seiseki Sakuragaoka, Tachikawa, Y-CAT (Yokohama City Air Terminal), Shin-Yokohama, Fujimino, Niiza, Shiki, Asakadai, Tokyo Disney Resort Hotels, Haneda Airport, Shinjuku, Kinshicho, Toyocho, Shinkiba, Ginza, Shiodome, Roppongi, Shiba, Ebisu, Shinagawa, Kichijoji, Chofu, Hachioji, Minatomirai, Shin-Koshigaya, Soka, Yashio, Fukaya, Kagohara, Kumagaya, Shinrin Koen, Shin-Urayasu, Chigasaki, Tsujido, Fujisawa, Totsuka, Nakayama, Hashimoto, Sagami-Ono, Machida, Honatsugi, Shin-Yurigaoka, Tama-Plaza, Chiba, Kimitsu, Kisarazu, Matsudo, Kashiwa, Omiya, Sakado, Kawagoe, Oizumi-Gakuen, Wako, Tokorozawa, Hitachi, Utsunomiya, Tsuchiura, Tsukuba Center, Takasaki, Maebashi, Shizuoka, Kofu, Isawa, Katsunuma, Ota, Oizumi, Tatebayashi, Kiryu, Ashikaga, Fukushima, Koriyama, Odawara, Numazu, Gotenba and more!

Cheapest way to get into downtown Tokyo? Keisei railway line is the route with only 1,030yen one way. Better and full explanation can be referred at this page, but here's brief information as well. KEISEI railway company has three types of trains from Narita Airport to city center ....... Skyliner is the fastest and most comfortable with two seaters (2-aisle-2) reclined at 2,470 yen one way (via Access Line) ....... Access Express is communal type of seat, long bench style seat, cost 1,280yen one way ....... Limited Express (via Main Line) is also communal type of seat, long bench style seat, cost 1,030yen one way (the cheapest). Skyliner stops at Nippori, then terminate at Keisei Ueno Station, at both of which stations, you may transfer to JR trains. Access Express and Limited Express goes also to Keisei Ueno station, but some hours have trains bound for Asakusa, Shinagawa and Haneda Airport (via Toei Asakusa Line and Keikyu Line) direct.

Best deal in terms of discount are you looking for? Options are.......N'EX Tokyo Round Trip Tickdet and Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket and JR TOKYO Wide Pass. If your initial destination (first night) is in Ueno/Asakusa area, Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket is always highly recommended. There are six options.......one way + 24-hour or 48-hour or 72-hour, round-trip + 24-hour or 48-hour or 72-hour.......tickets are valid for 6 months from date of purchase......but if you were planning to fly back home from another airport (HND, NGO, KIX) or ferry to South Korea and China, One way plus the Tokyo Subway Ticket shall do. N'EX Tokyo Direct Ticket is NOT recommended for Ueno/Asakusa area, but for other area yes highly recommended, say, Tokyo central station, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro shall do. For those who would like to receive few yen discount each time you ride, both ic cards, Suica and PASMO are useful. Technically they are the same, just name difference because different company named different name. For your downtown travel routing, Tokyo Metro Transfer Planner is very useful.

New bus service, nick-named as LCC Bus, is yes cheap, nice and "kool" via Tokyo Shuttle operated by Keisei Bus. It is only 900yen (800yen is pre-reserved price). Again, It is not so recommended if your destination is Asakusa or Ueno, since there is much easier way (and as cheap as 1,030yen) as mentioned above. The Access Narita and Willer Express are the rival companies.