Flights
Is your passport valid and ready to go?
Our personal recommendation is to fly
Delta into Haneda.
If flying from Detroit DTW, Delta offers
non-stop flights to Tokyo.
We have never had any issues with our luggage.
We have had friends have issues with
Air Canada misplacing luggage in the past.
Something to take note of if you have not
flown internationally before:
If choosing a multi-stop path, make sure your transfer has more than an hour if it is
a 'point-of-entry' stop.
(Ex. Tokyo > Seattle > Detroit)
You will need to go through customs when you enter Seattle, so make sure you have enough time to go through
U.S. customs before catching your transfer flight.
Ask us how we know.. lol.
Haneda has much easier and cheaper access to Tokyo.
We recommend taking a
taxi to and from the airport
just for the least amount of most stress, especially if you're new to Japan trains. Plus the drive into the city from the highway is breathtaking.
It costs around $57
through Uber from
Haneda to Shinjuku,
taking about 30-45 minutes.
They also offer an affordable limousine bus that goes straight to Shinjuku Station as well.
The train takes about 40 minutes and $5 but a major pain
with any luggage larger than a carry-on bag.
Narita is quite far, but doable; however, the cost savings on the flight may not outweigh the hassle of travel.
You need to take a JR line to another station, where you need to go through a large line to access a kiosk
to buy a 'Skyliner' ticket.
You will need to allot at least
an extra hour to wait in ticket lines and for train transfers outside of the estimated
time given on maps.
It takes about
2 hours or more in total
just to get to and
from the airport.
A taxi from Shinjuku to Narita costs about $200
and up to 2 hours.
Haneda or Narita
To Train or Taxi?
Trains are a very cheap and viable option, but the extra cost to take a taxi to and from Haneda is extremely worth it in our opinion. Narita requires the use of the train ($18 each way per person)
Trying to lug around all of your luggage at the train station can be quite cumbersome and slow,
especially while exhausted from a 13+ hour flight.
Trust us, elevators are few and far between in the train stations.
Alexis had a miserable experience with them for
many months following her ACL injury.