Tokyo Narita Airport

Narita Airport deserves the same 5-star rating as other great airports like SIN, HKG, ICN, HND, and just recently NGO, but gets unfairly criticized because of its distant location from the heart of Tokyo. The airport itself is excellent - three modern, clean terminals with effortless connection between, clear signage, showers, efficient immigration and customs. Good train and bus links to town, incredible variety of shopping options and staffed by friendly, knowledgeable people. What more can one ask from an airport? How about the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences located near the end of a runway, where you can see planes take off and land, as well as spend hours inside and see 20 aircraft outside.

Arriving from Kuala Lumpur for a stopover heading to Seattle. On arrival we had to take the bus, it was a 5 minute ride to the airport. Once in the terminal the line for the security check for the international connection area took 1 hour. Only two lines were used at that time. Slow slow service.

✅ Verified Review | Honestly a bit of a let down, I was expecting a lot more from Narita! While they have most of the regular stuff in place, I thought the shopping options at the airport were quite disappointing. Most of the items I had specifically chosen to fly out of Narita for were unavailable. That being said, it's likely it was more of an issue in my specific circumstance, I doubt anyone on a general trip would have any problems here.

Security rescreening at Tokyo Narita was painfully slow, disorganized, and improperly signed. Rescreening ate my entire layover. I'm still not sure that I will make my connecting flight as sold by ANA. Because of this, I can say little else about the airport. Didn't even get a chance to use the restrooms.

Good verity of shops in Tokyo Narita check-in areas, but wish there was more after security. If you are wishing to eat, do it before security there is a sushi go round in Terminal 2 which I would suggest. The airport is very clean, and the layout isn't confusing. Switching terminals is very easy, and staff speak exceptional English. The domestic gates don't have much past security in Terminal 2, only 1 shop, which is understandable because there isn't a lot of domestic traffic. If you are plenty early walk upstairs and eat in the International check-in area before security area. Great overall experience, and definitely the best airport that I have visited.

Tokyo Narita Terminal 3 still has a number of teething problems that need addressing. The shuttle buses between Terminals 2 and 3 get overcrowded and they are slow. The walking option is a hike (600m) and unpleasant in hot or wintry weather. But walking is quicker than the bus. There is only one 'kombeni' (convenience store) and it's on the wrong side of security. So options for purchasing drinks and foods to consume on the flight or while waiting are unsatisfactory. This something that passengers of budget airlines absolutely need as food options on board can be limited. The seating looks good but the sofas do not provide good back support.

Tokyo Narita is a very busy airport, however, I really like it. You can get very good Japanese food for a price cheaper than you would in the US, and there is no tipping in Japan. Even though Japan is a cash based society, most of the stores and restaurants at this airport accept credit cards, including US credit cards. One somewhat annoying thing is that you still have to resubmit to a security check when connecting flights, even if you never leave the secure area. The wait times for this security check have a great variance. For example, if you arrive at the same time as many other B747's, you can expect a very long wait. However, there are also times when there is a very minimal wait.

I'm on one of the first flights out of the airport at 9.30am but the airport doesn't seem to be ready for passengers. At 6.30am, check-in counters were not open and only 1 opens 15 minutes later, manned by a trainee who takes 10 minutes to process each passenger. What takes the cake though, is that customs and immigration only open at 7.30am. In all my travels, I've never had to wait for customs and immigration to open. Narita Airport should not ask passengers to arrive 3 hours before their flights if they are not ready to serve passengers.

Narita airport is one of the airports that I travel to and from frequently. Using the trains makes accessing Narita very fast and easy for departure flights. Once arriving, you should check in advance for which section your airline is located in for checking baggage since the signage is not all that great or easy to read when the a station is crowded and busy. Once you have reached the ticket gate level the fun begins with searching for which aisle your airline is located on. For this recent trip, I was on Singapore Airlines which was located in aisle I down at the far end. Make sure to ignore the signs hanging from the ceilings labeled "Economy" or "Business" since they only apply to ANA in the event they are using all of the aisles. Important note about Singapore Airlines checking counter, it does not open until 3 hours prior to your scheduled flight and since they have only a handful of flights, don't expect anyone there until around 3 to 3.30pm. Security can be relatively easy if other passengers ahead of you are being attentive, smart and considerate of other passengers. Next is immigration and if you have any tax free purchases, make sure to stop at the counter to the left that faces the immigration gates to report your purchases. Once you are done with immigration, it is simply a matter of heading towards your gate. Overall Narita International is a nice airport compared to some I have been to (such as LAX). Now if some of the directional signage was improved and less confusing (such as locating lounges).

Flew SQ on SIN-NRT return and enjoyed the experience. Flight arrived and exited the aircraft 20 minutes early at gate 45 of Terminal 1's South Wing. The layout of this airport is a little strange, with most passengers at the end of a very long pier. Arriving passengers first need to take the escalators up to the 4th level to begin a long walk to the baggage hall, although there are travelators available. Then you go down 2 levels to Immigration followed by another descent to the Baggage Hall and Customs on the 1st level. The only upside was that there was not a single person waiting in line, meaning that I was into Tokyo in less than 15 minutes from the gate. Got my Keisei train ticket from the counter directly opposite the exit from Customs and was able to stock up on drinks and snacks for the 40 minute train ride from a Lawsons convenience store at regular prices. The 7Eleven ATM's were in between the north and south wings, so a little out of the way from the closest train station entrance to Customs. Returned by N'EX train from Yokohama that took about 90 minutes. Checked in prior to arrival online and used a mobile boarding pass on my phone which Immigration and security accepted without question. Was at my gate in a quicker time than arrival. While food and goods were tax free on the airside, the paid showers were not for some curious reason. Vending machines in the airport were priced the same as outside. Power sockets set into large tables needed adaptors to the Japanese sockets.