It's probably my 2nd time flying out of Narita Airport in Japan. It's not surprising given that I had lived in Osaka pre-pandemic, and moved to Tokyo during the COVID times. Kansai Airport is the airport in Osaka and that's where I usually fly before and, it's easy going there from Osaka station. So now, that I am living in Tokyo, I just know how to get to Narita Airport by shuttle bus. Taking the train, I have no idea. A friend who keeps coming back to Tokyo for vacation recommended NEX to me. So hmm, why not?
Photo by Ving N on Unsplash
Actually, I was so tempted to take the bus because it's cheaper than taking the train, and it's not an ordinary train - it's the Narita Express. The bus is only 1,300 yen (around 9.6 USD) while Narita Express is 3,250 yen (around 24.2 USD) for a cheaper seat. I'm not rich, and if you check my wallet, I only have a few bills left til the next payday. 😅
Few days left til my flight and I was still confused about what to take. Should I go for the long and cheaper route or the comfortable and expensive one?
The deciding factor was actually the rules of each transport. The bus leaves from Tokyo station, and it's fine because I can take the subway directly to go there but what's not fine is I have to carry 2 suitcases, 1 backpack and, 1 sling bag. I know, you probably think I'm leaving Japan for good but no, it's just a vacation. 😄 And so, I read the rules of the bus and it says only 1 luggage per customer. My boyfriend could have taken the bus to the airport with me but nope, he has work in the afternoon and he'll get lost going back to the city. 😂
NEX trains run every 30 minutes. I booked my train leaving at 10:08 AM the day before my departure from the machines outside the JR station. There's an English translation which I haven't used but my friend said the booking was smooth. The machines usually have fewer people lining up compared to the booth where you talk to the staff and buy the ticket from there.
Alright, fast forward to Sunday - here I am, in the Narita Express going to Narita Airport, NEX is what it's called. There are 2 types of seats, the green car seats, and the normal ones. The green car seats are not colored green if you're curious. I think they're leather-type and have a wider seat than the normal ones. The legroom is big for both so there's no problem with that. I heard there's a small pillow attached to the seat, that acts as a headrest in the green car seats.
I took the normal seat. As I've mentioned, I don't have a lot of money. This vacation flushed my funds. 😌
My boyfriend was kind enough to tag along to the platform. He lacked sleep (and so am I) but he was so kind and sweet for bringing one of my luggage. The platform is accessible if you're inside the JR station so he was able to send me off. insert teary eyed wittyzell here
I boarded the NEX train from JR Shinjuku station, and it's the best decision because after Shinjuku, the luggage compartment was almost full. The next stop from Shinjuku is Shibuya and when people got on the train, they were surprised there were few vacancies in the compartment.
You can even secure your luggage with this lock feature. So cool!
There were few people which is nice. It's not yet the peak season I guess. I'm guessing there will be more once Golden Week starts in Japan. Golden Week is a series of holidays in Japan, that starts on April 29.
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I specifically chose the last seat of this car so I don't have to be bothered by curious eyes. 😆 I paid for this comfort - which isn't bad at all! Traveling should be stress-free!
I'm not sure what's the view on the other side but on this side, it looks nice - you can see the tall buildings of busy Tokyo and the quiet but thriving countryside area of Chiba. I couldn't remember if we passed by a tunnel but I guess we did, only for a few seconds I think. I think both sides have great views.
After Shibuya, the NEX stops at Shinagawa station and Tokyo station. Then it's a long journey to the airport.
There are 2 stops in the airport, Narita Terminal 2&3 and, Narita Terminal 1. I was alert not to miss my stop and so should you if ever you'll take this train. It might be a hassle if you need to transfer between terminals because you got off at the wrong stop.
Narita Express is like the bullet train of Japan. It's actually a limited express train. I arrived at the stop at 11:24 AM and after exiting the train station, the airport terminal is just on my left. It's so nice that I wouldn't have to walk so far.
The ride was comfortable indeed. I just remembered a tagline that goes like this Once tasted, always wanted and that's exactly how I felt after riding this train. It's costly but for comfort, I think I would go with this ride, hopefully from now on if I have extra funds. If only I will return to Japan within 14 days, I could have availed of the round trip ticket discount which is just 4,070 yen (around 30.3 USD). That's really a lot of savings!
Hmm, should I ride it again when coming back to Japan? 🤔😉
How about you? What do you think of this train? Would you ride it too?
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
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I did that Shinjuku to Narita last month... holy crap. Shinjuku station is like seven stations connected by crazy underground/overground labyrinths through shopping malls. We had a lot of luggage (shopping!), so we scouted the route from the hotel to the platform the night before. The proper directions take forever, but we found a straightforward back entrance that saved so much time.
The train itself is excellent. We paid for the green car because I'm big. It was a bit disturbing having the staff redirecting people who'd mistaken their seats all the time. But clean and comfortable.
Shinjuku station is one complicated station. Many get lost there. 😂
But I think I would get lost in Tokyo station rather than Shinjuku. I've been to Shinjuku a few times so I know my way, but in Tokyo, there are some undergrounds that I haven't been to.
How was the green car? I wanted to try it but maybe next time~
It's really clean and comfortable! Way comfortable than the shuttle bus I used to ride to the airport.
There are some people who have unreserved seats so yeah, there's that.
The green car was comfortable with larger and better seats. If you're not nearly sumo-sized then the regular cars are probably fine because it's Japan and so things are clean, orderly and the guests well-behaved anyway. It's worth trying once to see, though I'd recommend upgrading to a Romance Car, such as on the scenic route to Hakaone, as better value for money. If you want to work with a laptop on the train, the green car is definitely nicer.
People being kicked from the green car happened the most on the Narita Express, where all the seats are reserved anyway.
Nice to know, thanks for the input! I will definitely take that to mind.
I also think the Romance Car is better. I haven't been to Hakone with it but there's also a Romance Car going to Kamakura which I've tried, not the green car though. It's definitely something nicer than the regular trains.
A romance car to Kamakura! I'll look out for that one. Our friend lives in Kamakura so we like to go visit.
Tip: If you want to take the first NEX train going to the airport, you need to find the main entrance and not the entrance from the Lumine malls since those are not open yet.
Where to find the main entrance? Just look around for it, I guess?
Tiguwang na ka, makatuod raka ana.
Ouchhhh
I just notice, the inside look so expensive haha. I mean mukhang di uso sa kanila ang dumi and kalawang ba haha. Kaamaze lang. Pero skl, di pa mandin ako nakasakah ng Tren hahahaha. Nakakalungkor talaga buhay ko no, apakaboring, lol
Always kasi pinapaalala na you need to be mindful of others and you need to bring your trash with you. Kaya ayown, sobrang linis. Di rin nahihirapan mag clean ung mga taga linis. Nice noh?
Bakit may pa self pity sa dulo? 😂
Labas ka daw kasi ng bahay, try mo mag tren sa manila 😂
Galing talaga, ganon sila ka discipline. Sarap lumipat dyan, if only ganon ka easy, hahaha.
Hahahaha, sa kabilang barangay nga'y todo ayaw, pa manila pa kaya aguyyy 😭😆
Simulan mo na kahit lumabas man lang ng bahay 😂
To be honest with you, travelling by train is actually so cool. Haha. Those pictures looks amazing. The train also looks very neat. Hehe
The first time I travel by train was in the first quarter of this year and it has been my favourite means of travelling from one state to another within my country.
It is not really safe to travel by road in Nigeria but travelling by train is the safest so far.
That's awesome! I thought there are no trains over there because in some parts of my home country there aren't. I think it's safe and less traffic too! It's also very convenient, right? When I first tried the train in Japan, I also think this would become a favorite means of transportation.
Amazing. This is really interesting because I never knew out train transportation system was functional until recently. I tried it for the first time this year and I can't stop myself from checking it out whenever I'm travelling. Haha.
You will really try to look for it once you have tried it. 😅
Worth it na din ate yung sakay. Feel ko kasi di siya kamahalan para sa mga Japanese talaga and sa mga tourists? Tapos ang galing ha, connected na ung airport terminal don sa train din ? Hassle free siya lalo na sa mga baguhan pala jan sa lugar. 😊
Yeah, it's really hassle-free. Worth it! Yeaaah, I think they made this for tourists. Actually, there's another bus that has almost the same price as this train, kinda luxurious bus that will take you to your hotel from the airport and vice versa. The hotels though are the expensive hotels 😅
Ahooy,, ang mahal naman tumira jan ate, feeling ko di ko afford kahit ung mode of transpo, ehe.. 😹😹
Hahaha! Ayown lang, mahal nga~
Worth the price for a comfort ride witty 😍 you should ride it again when you go back
So I wouldn't be hassled noh? Sige Jude, sana may pera na ako nyan. Tumaas na sana ang HIVE maawa ka hahaha
Wow its so clean and specially The luggage cabinet is well made ! I love the interior though !!
The luggage area was what I really like the most, next to the seats being so comfortable. 😊
Thank you Mebu! I will surely enjoy....working at home like today. 😶
My real vacation starts when I go to Manila and meet you guys, kaya see you soonest!! Di ka talaga sama sa tagaytay? hayyyy nakuuuuu sama na mebuuu
I cannot sa Tagaytay, I wish I could.. ☹️
Ang sayang naman~ oh wells...
Excited to meet the Ph Hiveans? Hehe ..ingat sa biyahe. Ilang months vacay mo?
3 weeks only, can't stay for a very long time. 3 weeks is already very long for me. 😅
I'm still working from home in PH though. 😶
Wooo, the train looks like a plane. Wonderful.
That was my first impression too!
I love the trains in Japan, they're so efficient. Especially the bullet train arriving at the exact time and spot ont the platform for people to get on and off
That's what I love about Japan as well. They value people's time, and treat it as money, that's why they're true to what they promised.
hehe ang nice naman may community for trains. I will share my train story naman. hehe
Yes yes, there is! Hoping to hearing your story~
Puhon :D
you're one of the reason why i love scrolling, you're living my dream life 😍, lagi ko to pinapanood lang kase i want to learn things before i go there, andddd i'm learning from you! 😊
Wow, thanks a lot for learning from me. 😃
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Normal seat pa yang lagay na yan ha. Grabe sobrang ganda ng transpo sa Japan. Train pa lang ulam na hehe. Mukang plane yung interior ng train. Sana ganyan din ang trasnpo dito.
Hahaha! Yeah, just an ordinary seat but this is a limited express train, that's why it looks comfortable. Kinda expensive too. 😄
Normal trains naman dito, di naman ganito~
Limited express trains are usually for long journeys, kaya ayown
Ah kaya pala. Sakto talaga ang gawa nila sa train na yan. Sobrang suitable para sa long travel. Ang tagal nyo naka upo kaya dapat talaga komportable para waalng sakit ng katawan. Tama lang sa price nya. Mas ok na yun kaysa mura tapos siksikan kayo.