Transportation · Tokyo
Tokyo Airport Transfers: Getting from the Airport to the City
How to get from Tokyo's airports into the city: train, taxi flat fares, transfers and typical costs, plus arrival and entry notes.
Updated 2026-07-01
Getting from the airport into Tokyo
Tokyo has two airports and they are not interchangeable. Narita is 60 km east of the city and needs a 45–90 minute rail journey; Haneda sits on the bay just 15 km south and is 25–40 minutes from most central districts. If you have a choice of flights, Haneda is worth paying a modest premium for, particularly on late arrivals.
Haneda (HND) — About 15 km south of central Tokyo
Three terminals, with the international terminal directly connected to both the Keikyu line and the Tokyo Monorail. Immigration is generally faster than at Narita, and some services run through the night.
Keikyu line
15 minutes to Shinagawa, 30 to Shinjuku with one change. ¥300–500. Best for most arrivals — cheap, fast and frequent.
Tokyo Monorail
15 minutes to Hamamatsucho, then Yamanote. About ¥500. Best for anyone staying on the eastern side of the loop.
Airport limousine bus
35–60 minutes depending on traffic. ¥1,000–1,300. Best for heavy luggage and direct drops at major hotels.
Taxi
30–50 minutes. ¥7,000–10,000 plus expressway tolls. Best for late arrivals after trains stop, or groups of three or four.
Narita (NRT) — About 60 km east of central Tokyo
Three terminals in Chiba prefecture. Terminal 3 is the low-cost terminal and requires a 15-minute walk or shuttle to the rail station, which catches people out on tight connections.
Keisei Skyliner
41 minutes to Ueno, 36 to Nippori. About ¥2,600. Best for anyone staying in Ueno, Asakusa or the north-east.
Narita Express (N'EX)
55 minutes to Tokyo Station, 80 to Shinjuku. About ¥3,000–3,300; discounted round-trip tickets for foreign passports. Best for direct runs to Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Yokohama.
Keisei Access Express
60–75 minutes to central Tokyo. Around ¥1,300. Best for budget travelers who do not mind a slower ride.
Airport limousine bus
90–120 minutes. ¥3,200 or so. Best for hotel-door service with luggage.
Taxi
70–120 minutes. ¥20,000–25,000. Best for rarely worth it except for late-night group arrivals.
Which option should you choose?
Buy an IC card — Suica or Pasmo, or the digital version on your phone — before your first train. It works on every line, both airports' rail links, buses and convenience stores, and removes any need to work out fares. If you land at Narita after 22:00, check the last Skyliner and N'EX departures before booking; they stop well before midnight and the taxi alternative runs above ¥20,000. A rental car is genuinely unnecessary in Tokyo: parking is scarce and expensive, expressway tolls add up, and the rail network reaches everywhere you want to go.
Arriving by train
Shinkansen bullet trains from Tokyo Station reach Kyoto in ~2h15 and Osaka in ~2h30.
Entry and arrival formalities
Visit Japan Web (online arrival form) speeds immigration and customs.
Japan grants visa-free short stays to many nationalities (typically up to 90 days). Others require a short-stay visa via an embassy or consulate.
Tokyo FAQs
How do I get from Narita to Tokyo?
The Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno in 41 minutes for about ¥2,600, and the Narita Express runs to Tokyo, Shibuya and Shinjuku in 55–80 minutes for around ¥3,000. Buses cost less but take 90–120 minutes.
Is Haneda better than Narita?
For most visitors yes. Haneda is 15 km from the centre with 15–30 minute train links, versus 60 km and 45–90 minutes from Narita, which usually saves an hour in each direction.
Is a taxi from Narita to Tokyo worth it?
Almost never. Expect ¥20,000–25,000 and 70–120 minutes, against ¥2,600 and 41 minutes on the Skyliner. Only late-night arrivals after the trains stop justify it.
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