Narita, Haneda, and Kansai Airport Arrival Guide

Narita has three terminals connected by a free shuttle bus (10–15 minutes between them), with Terminal 3 handling low-cost carriers and noticeably more basic facilities than 1 and 2. Into the city, the Narita Express (N'EX) runs direct to Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Tokyo Station in 60–90 minutes for roughly ¥3,140–3,330; the Keisei Skyliner is the fastest option at 36–41 minutes to the Ueno/Nippori area for about ¥2,580; the Keisei Limited Express is the budget, no-transfer choice at 70–80 minutes for around ¥1,030. A limousine bus (90–120 minutes, ¥1,000–3,100) drops you at your hotel directly, and a taxi runs ¥17,000–22,000 — worth splitting among a group rather than taking solo.

Haneda sits much closer to central Tokyo than Narita. The Keikyu Line reaches Shinagawa in 11–14 minutes for about ¥327, with many trains continuing onto the Toei Asakusa Line without a transfer. The Tokyo Monorail reaches Hamamatsucho in 13–20 minutes for around ¥519 and is covered by the Japan Rail Pass. A limousine bus takes 45–60 minutes for ¥1,000–1,400 with direct hotel drop-off, and a taxi runs ¥7,600–9,000 or more depending on time of day. Either airport, expect one train transfer if your hotel is around Shinjuku or Shibuya.

The JR Haruka Express reaches Osaka Station in about 45 minutes or Kyoto in about 75, for a discounted foreign-visitor fare of roughly ¥1,800 (it doesn't stop at Namba, and it's fully covered by the JR Pass). The Nankai Rapi:t limited express reaches Namba in 34 minutes for ¥1,520–1,670 and is the better pick for the Dotonbori/Shinsaibashi area. The plain Nankai Airport Express skips the reserved-seat surcharge, takes 45–50 minutes to Namba for about ¥970, and accepts ICOCA or Suica directly. A limousine bus to Osaka Station takes about an hour for ¥1,300–1,800, and a taxi into central Osaka runs ¥15,000–20,000.

Registering on Visit Japan Web before you fly routes you through the faster joint immigration-and-customs kiosks at all three airports — see our visa and entry guide for how to set it up. Skip it and you'll fill out paper landing and customs forms on the plane or at the airport instead, which works fine but takes longer at busy arrival times.