Tokyo Narita Airport

I have lived in Japan for almost three years now going in and out of Japan on a regular basis for holiday. In the past if you had a re-entry permit you could line up with the Japanese people at the immigration counter. That system was very good. However they changed the system recently. On my last trip from Vietnam there was 7 lines for Japanese 4 for tourists and 1 for immigrants (re-entry permit holders). As I was not aware of the new system my first reaction was to queue with the Japanese people but big mistake... I was sent to this huge line that was for the immigrants only. I have always loved Japan and unlike many foreigners I have never had any problems in Japan. But after queuing for a good hour and seeing that the only remaining line was ours I felt quite insulted. It was clear that Japanese were to be first second tourist and finally immigrants. A few people shouted while they were queuing as the situation was outrageous. All the counters were empty but they refused to let us go to the empty counters. Unfortunately for those who got angry they got told off like a ten-year old would be if he had been up to some very bad mischief. After 1h30 minutes we finally got through feeling angry rejected and misunderstood.

I have been in and out of Narita countless times and it is one of my favorite airports. The staff are mostly efficient and polite plus the food is great. Terminal 1 is new and has some up to date facilities. However immigration lines are a bit slow and airport security randomly pull people over to ask them about them "security questions.' These new additions are not welcome especially since risks of terrorism to Japan is very low.

I have been using Narita Airport frequently for my visit to Japan and transit to America. The airport is highly functional. Like many big international airports it takes quite a long walk from the arrival gate to the immigration check point. Despite the fact that new immigration procedures ( fingerprinting & photographing ) were implemented in November last year it does not slow down the arrival process. The airport staff are polite. Water bottles are allowed in after at the security check point if they are tested negative ( a special testing device at the security check point to test the content of the water). There are good selections of Japanese and Western restaurants in the departure hall. Transportation to Tokyo is either by a highly efficient train system Narita Express Skyliner or the Airport Limousine Buses direct to the hotels. An excellent airport at par with the best in world.

Pleasant functional airport with friendly staff and since it was late at night when we were there it's also very quiet. Would want to transit here again.

I arrived from Paris at 6:30pm on a weekday and Terminal 1 was deserted. Immigration was quick. Waited 30 minutes for my bag to come through and then had it searched. The customs officer was only doing his job but he made a bit of a mess while looking through my bag and then just sent me on my way. The staff at the Keisei rail counter were very friendly and helped me plan my journey into Tokyo. On the way back I arrived at 7pm on a Thursday evening at Terminal 1 for my flight to Paris. The train station is in the basement and you must pass a security check before proceeding to the check in hall. Don't know about other reviewers but I was very impressed by how attentive the Japanese are to security. Went up to the north wing check in hall and had a bit of difficulty locating the Air France check in area. When I found it I had to pass through another security check before going up to the counter. The girl at the Air France desk was extremely friendly and very polite. Before going through security I did a bit of shopping in the mall located on the 5th floor. Decent selection of shops and there was a rooftop terrace with views of the active runway. Personally I really enjoyed it and its worth a visit if you have some time to kill. At security your purchases are thoroughly searched by courteous staff. After that I wandered around the departure area for an hour. It seems that they concentrate late departing flights in one pier of the terminal the other end seemed to be deserted and rather dark. I was amazed at how they managed to board a full 777-300 beginning just 30 minutes before departure but then I was in Japan (") The gate staff were all very friendly and put me in a good mood for the 13.5 hour flight. Overall Narita is very Japanese i.e its very big efficient and polite. The architecture is a bit out of date but it all works very well so who can complain about that? Yes its far away from Tokyo but world class transport will bring you there and back quickly for a reasonable price. Overall Tokyo Narita does its job very well.

I used NRT twice during last two weeks flying in and out of terminal 1 but had also been to to terminal 2. Very efficient immigration very quick baggage service very helpful security staff. The airport doesnt look overcrowded I would even say the opposite: it's very calm and tranquil place. Very unusual for the airport of such a scale and passenger volume. Railway station is underground and easy to reach. Some security procedures may seem strange. For example arriving to the airport by bus or taxi you're stopped by the road police at the check point before the airport and asked for documents so don't put it to baggage which is not with you in the cabin of the bus. Otherwise you're asked to find you bag in the hold and present your passport which is actually checked not very thoroughly (mine was taken and looked at upside down). Some minuses of this airport: after 9pm nothing works there. No food outlets no cafes no bars are open. Buildings become deserted and even information desks are empty. However special telephones for information service are available and calls are responded. Terminal 1 layout is very confusing and not clearly mapped and signposted. I've spent good 20 minutes trying to find post office. Toilets landside were not clean and even more I noticed some insects there. Very unpleasant and strange for this airport. Airside food and duty free facilities are limited I found a single coffee outlet open and noon after security. It was overcrowded. All in all a good airport. Functional and comfortable. Very japanese. Not as bright and superb building like Hong Kong not a great shopping like LHR but it works fine.

Tokyo NRT is now on my hub list as a very useful functional and pleasant airport to use when travelling to and from Australia to many world centres. Passport control is very efficient and even friendly. Baggage collection has always been remarkably quick. Staff at check-in efficient and very courteous. Airport hotels seem to try hard coping with the high volume of passengers transiting and staying at Narita although it may be that a more up-market hotel needs to be built for Narita Airport if it is to compete with the likes of HKG ICN and BKK. Narita City is worth a visit.

Terminal 1 has been refurbished and is efficient and comfortable. On arrival from the U.S. we were able to get through passport control baggage claim and customs and then pick up train passes for the trip into Tokyo all within less than an hour. The Narita Express train into the city is about an hour to Tokyo Station or about an hour and 20 minutes in Shinjuku. This airport is an excellent hub for any travel to Asia; transfers are fast and there are plenty of shops and restaurants.

Been flying in and out of Tokyo NRT for many years now and I still think it is a superb airport. It may not be as new or flashy as HKG or ICN but updates and refurbishment have kept it looking fresh. Check in often busy but well organised and the airport staff friendly and helpful. Clearing security is always a pleasure at Narita - efficient and professional staff (unlike London Heathrow - where you are treated as a potential terrorist). Good choice of shops and cafes/restaurants which are good value. It may be well out of Tokyo but there is a choice of trains or buses for downtown TYO and both are of course fantastically efficient! Put simply - Narita is a pleasure to use.

The only bad thing about Narita is that we seemed to walk forever to get from our arriving aircraft to customs. It seemed to go on for about 20-30 minutes just in walking. Otherwise the airport was clean and efficient maybe a bit sterile? On departing Tokyo everything went very well from the ticketing agent to the currency conversion to the security.