Airport Limousine Bus and Getting Around Japan

 

The Shinkansen (or Bullet train) used between cities in Japan

The Airport Limousine Bus

Before you do book any flights, make sure you check this website: https://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/ for when the limousine buses leave the airport (both Narita and Haneda airports). To get from the airport to Tokyo, by taxi it can cost reputedly up to $300 USD. By Subway train is the cheapest way, but with suitcases, not always ideal after a long flight (there are a lot of stairs in underground stations and not always elevators!). 

In 2019 however we did travel by train with suitcases from Tokyo to Osaka and it wasn't too bad at all - so a trip from the airport should be easy. Just don't travel in peak hour.

The Airport Limousine bus was fantastic and you can catch this bus from both Narita and Haneda airports. Really easy to find at the airport and only costs 1800 Yen for an adult one way (and less for kids). For an Adult, the return ticket is cheapest.  Strangely it was  cheaper for a child ticket if you booked two single trips. If the bus doesn’t go directly to your hotel, go to the nearest hotel instead. Please note that the bus only runs limited hours - thus check the web link to the timetable before booking flights. For the Tokyo Disneyland area, the last bus from the airport is like 6 or 7pm, so you need to clear customs /baggage etc way before then. If your hotel is in central Tokyo, I think the bus has longer hours. 

Where we stayed in Tokyo

We stayed at Hotel Mystays Maihama which was a 7 minute walk away from DisneySea and a 20 minute walk from Disneyland. The hotel provided a free shuttle bus that took you to both parks and was very convenient. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk to the Ikspiari shopping mall (which is next to Disneyland). Ikspiari had lots of shops and even a supermarket where we bought breakfast items most days (including green yoghurt!). We did walk through the other Disneyland Hotels like Ambassadors, but they are all extremely expensive.

Getting around Tokyo

To get around Tokyo we just purchased a SUICA card (PASMO is the same card). You can purchase these at the Train stations - just show your passports and they will arrange the tickets for you. I only put a minimum amount on there like 1000 Yen at a time and topped up. At the end of your holiday you can return the card and get your initial deposit back as well as any unspent funds. Not all train stations give you the refund though, so you may need to look around.  

 

We learned a little Japanese before we left, and watched on Youtube on how to work the Subway ticket machines which I highly recommend. The Subway system was easy to navigate and someone somewhere will speak some English even if its the train station staff. There seems to be a button somewhere on all train ticket machines that converts Japanese to English (I think it was the top right hand side). It is amazing how much you can get by with minimal Japanese and I would not have believed it if I had not been there. I think that it helps that numbers are the same in Japan, so money and Station ID’s like U16 etc are easy to see and understand.  You can follow where you are going on a train, say U12 to U16. What is important is that you know your correct Exit out of the subway station. This can save you alot of time from getting lost. So always know the train station AND the exit!

A sample map of the Tokyo Train system. This is for a specific line to get to teamLab Borderless.

Train Journeys - use Hyperdia

For Train journeys - use www.Hyperdia.com. Not only does the website tellyou several different train routes of getting from A to B - but it also tells you how much the journey will cost and also what platforms the train will arrive and depart from (extremely useful stuff to know when you are in busy train stations with more then 20 platforms!). If you ever do get lost - always ask a Train station attendant. They know which train leaves from which platform I swear in their heads!

When should you get a Japan Rail Pass?

Get a Japan Rail (JR) pass if doing a lot of intercity travel in Japan (e.g Tokyo to Osaka and then back to Tokyo will cover the cost of the JR pass). The JR Pass can be bought as a 7, 14 and 21 day pass. If you are in doubt - you can actually use Hyperdia and add it up. You do not need a JR Pass for just local Tokyo travel. You can get a Suica or Pasmo card at any train station for local travel. The Suica and Pasmo card will work in other cities too so if you are in Osaka, you can use the cards there.

Get your local Travel agent to price match the JR Pass for what you can buy online. Ours (Flight Centre) did. You cannot get the JR Pass delivered to a Post Office box and if you want to get it couriered directly (for secure delivery) it is an extra cost.

We spent an hour exchanging our JR Pass for a JR Pass ticket at Tokyo Station on a Saturday. Save time and exchange for the JR Pass ticket at Narita airport. You don’t have to activate the ticket straight away. Just make sure you indicate the start date on the right date.

When you get the JR Pass - you don't go through the Ticket machines - you go to the Train Office station and the Station officer sights your JR ticket and lets you through.

At busier times of year - it is advisable to reserve seats on a Shinkensan train especially for trips from Osaka to Hiroshima (who wants to be standing on a train for 2.5 hours). For short hops like from Kyoto to Osaka (maximum time between stations is 30 minutes) you don't really need to book as you can always stand. 
 

For more tips on Japan:

General Travel Tips
36 Tips for Travelling in Japan

Themed Places to visit
Pokemon Cafe, Tokyo 
teamLab Borderless Digital Museum Tokyo

Disney Parks
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea 
The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall (Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant)