Airport Limo (bus) hauls both people and their luggage from Airport to major Tokyo hotels. Comfortable. Tickets at Arrival Lobby.
Airport Shuttle (bus) nonstop bus service links Narita Airport with leading hotels in Tokyo. Tickets at Arrival Lobby.
JR Trains have express access to Tokyo from Narita Airport. The train is the Narita Express and it takes approx. 55 minutes for the journey. Cost: Yen 3,000. Train has plenty of room for bags. Located lower level from Arrival Lobby.
Keisei Trains offer express service (Skyliner Train) from Airport Station (Terminal 1 & 2) to Tokyo (Ueno Station or Nippori Station). Reserved seats, room for bags, no smoking option. Cost approx Yen 2,000 (see below for details on Skyliner)
Skyliner: Good option in terms of price/speed/convenience to subway at other end of journey. Time from Airport Station Terminal (1 or 2) to Ueno Station 57 minutes. Time from Airport Terminal to Nippori Station 52 minutes
Price: Airport - Ueno Station Yen 1,740 Adult, Yen 870 Child
Tickets for the Skyliner can be bought from a ticket booth in the arrival lobby (clearly marked "Skyliner") or from the automated ticket machine next to the booth. Return tickets can be bought at Ueno Station or Nippori Station. All tickets may be purchased up to one month in advance. Seats are generally readily available upon arrival at Narita, at most one will have to wait 30-60 minutes in case the first trains are sold out. All seats are reserved and no smoking cars are available. Plenty room for bags. From Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 one rides the escalator down (from arrival lobby) one floor to the train station. The train runs every 30-40 minutes daily. Trains operate from Narita Airport Station (Terminal 1 & 2) to Tokyo (Ueno or Nippori) starting at 6:03 in the morning and the last train leaves Narita Airport for Tokyo at 22:00.
Note: the ticket one gets is written in Japanese and it may not be quickly apparent for some which symbols/numbers designate the assigned train car, row and seat. To enter the train platform area, one passes the ticket through an automated ticket wicket (much like a subway fare card or automated plane boarding pass machine). The nubers of the cars are paited on the platform floor, near the tracks. Stops are announced in English and Japanese via text/scrolling sign board in each car.
J Sachs: JSACHS@worldbank.org