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Backpacker’s Guide to Narita Airport

Chris Gen - travel tips from Japan Travel TV

You can save around 1500 yen when you purchase the JR’s Narita Express & a Suica card combo if your purchase it at the airport. It’s a special deal only for those who can present a foreign passport at the time of purchase.

Watch this video for details on where and how you can get it:

It’s a great deal and is highly recommended. Just keep in mind you might be getting off the train at one of the busiest stations in the world.

—
Contributor Bio – I was born and raised in Tokyo. I have spent over 15 years in Japan. Schooled in NYC. Used to be a dual citizen, US and Canada. My Grandpa’s military and he married a Japanese women. Today I hold only the Canadian passport. I have three YouTube channels where I post videos frequently.

http://www.youtube.com/user/StreetEnglishTV

http://www.youtube.com/user/TokyoStreetTV

http://www.youtube.com/user/JapanTravelTV

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31 comments - What do you think? Posted by TokyoStreetTV - November 7, 2009 at 11:46 am

Categories: Foreigners in Japan, General Japan Tags: bus, japan travel tv, narita airport, pasmo, suica, trains

yoga boy

Sorry but I cannot stand this guy, very painful to watch. What’s with the exaggerated hand gesturing…ugh.

http://www.binary-apotheosis.com/blogs/index.php Rob A

Perhaps he understands that everyone visiting Japan doesn’t speak English as their first language, and wants to make it very obvious what he’s saying to them? This isn’t “An English-Speaking Backpacker’s Guide to Narita”…

k

Yea I got that vibe too, he must have been and English teacher before. He speaks slowly and using hand gestures so that people who aren’t native speakers of English can understand him. I’m also guessing he’s Canadian “eh”. With that being said, if he wants to target a primarily native speaking audience, he really has to speed up his speech, and maybe throw in a couple jokes.

As for the video, I really don’t like getting those cards, I end up losing them.

Roppongi Health

I always go with Keisei and thats 1000 yen something. You can save 2500 yen from that price as well.

The Overthinker

Yeah, the Keisei normal express is only about 20 mins more than the Skyliner, and just over 1,000 yen. You can save about a thousand yen more by using the Keisei and then getting tickets as you need them. However to Yokohama it is probably a good deal.

Who produces these videos? They look a bit slick for an amateur doing it in his spare time. Is it a Yokoso Japan thing?

butakun

Perhaps it’s funded by Yokoso Japan campaign. The logo shows up right at the end of this video.
http://www.zdwonline.de Haf

My thoughts exactly, one can save even more by taking the Keisei line.
I myself never took the shuttle bus and never took the Narita Express so far.
Well, the bus always seemed like a bad idea since I never needed to go to any of the bigger hotels.

Well, for people who want a relaxed start in Japan, the Narita Express might indeed be the better option, at least if they don’t have to worry so much about their money so much.

FarmboyinJapan

I’ve got an even better tip.

I don’t know if things have changed now that they use the new cars, but on the Narita Express line, if you don’t take a seat, and stand in the area between cars the entire way…you don’t have to pay anything to use the Narita Express.

I have been to Narita three time in the past year, and every time I stand next to the door and look out the window…and I am yet to be asked to show my ticket.

Ken Aston

Good idea, does that work on the plane, too?
helical

So you went through the effort to post a comment admitting to the crime of fare evasion.
Good job.

The Overthinker

Not sure if this is fare evasion as such – JR guards should ask you for your ticket even if you aren’t in your seat. Not sure why not here.

helical

I’m pretty sure it is … it seems to fall under 無賃乗車 (fare evasion) of the 不正乗車 (illegal boarding) category. It’s essentially boarding a transportation service with the full intent of evading purchasing tickets, and a quick google search places it under fraud as categories of crimes go in Japanese law.

To me, this seems to be in the same vein, albeit a milder version, of the thinking behind the Yamanote Halloween train, where visitors try to take unfair advantage of public services which normally operate based on the honesty system.
The Overthinker

Yeah, I can’t see it being legit either, but then why doesn’t the guard ask him for tickets? I know the one time I got on (mistakenly) an express with normal tickets and was just standing in the door I was asked to show mine. And told to get off at the next stop when I couldn’t produce the right one (luckily the next stop was my stop). The whole thing about the expresses is that they aren’t really the honesty system, as the guard checks.
helical

Well, a semi-honesty system then.
Because being on the train means you’re supposed to have the appropriate ticket regardless of whether it happens to be checked or not.

It seems like nowadays, at least for trains that have reserved seats, the train guard checking express tickets roughly compares the actual seats filled with what seats have been purchased using a hand-held device. If there are any discrepancies, he/she knows to pay attention.

Other questions are answered here, but basically the train guard may forgo checking everyone and work on mainly the expensive seats if it’s too crowded.
http://questionbox.jp.msn.com/qa4614252.html

Depending on the station, it may be checked before boarding or after disembarking from the train. Also, whether to wake a sleeping passenger is a judgment call by the individual doing the job, and so on. These may be the reasons why standing and avoiding eye contact worked in the case of FarmboyinJapan.

Still, I know I sound anal about this, but even if it’s not legally equivalent, thinking it’s okay to not pay for services as long as one isn’t caught is basically like condoning shoplifting or dine and dash …
The Overthinker

From that link: 駅によっては降車ホームを閉鎖して降車時に点検する場合があります。
Wow. Never seen that. But then I always get reserved seats in the busy periods. Nor do I sleep in trains. After every stop the conductor comes along and checks the unchecked tickets. I have been checked in the deck parts as well. Maybe the NEX is a bit lax as they figure any gaijin on it (a) is probably a tourist who doesn’t speaka da lingo, and (b) most tourists are good boys and girls who buy the right tickets – or have a JR pass, come to think of it….

A bit off topic, but what I don’t get is why there is a separate express ticket anyway. Why can’t the express ticket be combined with the normal ticket? All it has to say is Valid Tokyo – Inakamura via Tokyu Inaka-go or something like that….

Roppongi Health

I guess that’s during times of bubble economy.

Ken Aston

Why would you pronounce Suica like Su-ka instead Su-i-ka?

The Overthinker

Because despite 15 years in Japan you don’t actually speak it that well? Just a guess….
butakun

To my Japanese ears his saying Suica sounds just fine. Perhaps you are stressing the “i” too much?
Weirdo

I agree with butakun, he’s saying suica fine.
Ken Aston

This is definitely a strange way to pronounce it at 2:22 and 2:26 for example.

http://www.binary-apotheosis.com/blogs/index.php Rob A

Wow, that is massively helpful. I wonder if you can do that every time you go to Japan…

Instead of criticizing his pronunciation, maybe thank him for the tip?

Ken Aston

Yes, it’s a helpful advice. But if you make a 5 min video of it you are asking people to leave their comments on it.

The Overthinker

It’s also info that is easily found on JR East’s English website.

Godzilla

I would recommend taking the Bus from the Narita Airport goin to Tokyo.

It’s a little over an hour from the Narita Airport to Tokyo, and in my experience, it’s so cool to see everything from the bus ride, than see nothing underground (JR Line).

You will be spending a lot of time in the JR line in your stay in Tokyo, so might as well take that 1 hr Bus ride to enjoy the views, the scenery, and the beauty of Japan outside of Tokyo.

http://billowykimono.blogspot.com/ Senor Science

I second taking the bus!

Not only do they drop you right in front of a lot of major hotels, but they handle the luggage for you.
http://billowykimono.blogspot.com/ Senor Science

I second taking the bus!

Not only do they drop you in front of a lot of major hotels, but they handle all of your luggage for you.
The Overthinker

Don’t know about JR, but the Keisei line runs overground. Good view all the way save for the last little bit. And no limousine buses stop in the Minami-Senju sthitamchi hotels I stay at in Tokyo….

David

The bus also has a special offer. Buy the bus ticket and one day metro pass for about the same as the bus ticket only.

Niels

I usually take Keisei in to Tokyo, except for the last 2 times when people I was traveling with (11 others) needed to get Suica cards anyway and this was a good option and this past August when I was taking 29 people along.

We had to get from Narita to Haneda and taking the bus saved us a lot of hastle. We didn’t need to change trains twice and it was less then 1 hour instead of about 2 and it was about the same rate (reserving a private limousine bus) as taking them all on the Skyliner and switching trains to Haneda.

It also helped me hold together quite some people going to Japan for the first time in their life.
Peter Sutcliffe

The bus is much more comfortable than the train,aswell.

Backpacker’s Guide to Narita Airport

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