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Travelling from Narita Airport to Asakusa 2015/11/2 20:51
Hi there!

So I've always wanted to go to Japan, and I actually fly out Wednesday for my dream trip! We're just staying in Tokyo, and I've read online that since we're just staying in Tokyo, the best thing for us to do is get a Sucia card.

My question is, once we arrive at Narita airport (pretty late, around 9pm on Thursday evening), can we purchase and use Sucia cards from the airport to Asakusa?

Google seems to think the best course of action to getting to Asakusa is to grab the Narita Skyliner 54 to Ueno, then change at Ueno to the Ginza line towards Asakusa, and get off at Tawamarachi station and walk. Will the card work on these trains? And will we need to use our card at a ticket machine, and purchase a physical ticket with it instead of just using the pass through the gates like in main Tokyo area?

Is this correct? I read that the Skyliner is reservation based, so you need to book a ticket and a seat reservation, and if you miss that train then you need to book another ticket. So can we just buy the tickets at the station or are they needed to be booked before we arrive?
by CtrlAltDfeat  

Re: Travelling from Narita Airport to Asakusa 2015/11/3 12:22
When you come down the escalators to where the trains are, there's a JR EAST office to your right where you can buy a Suica card and load it with money, plus there's a ton of free tourist information (guides and maps). They speak excellent English and are very helpful.

To your left from the escalators, you'll see the Keisei ticket counter. You can buy your Skyliner tickets there. Visit Keisei's website before you leave for Japan, I'm pretty sure they offer a discounted round trip Skyliner ticket.

I would highly suggest using Hyperdia.com to figure out train schedules and best fares/routes while you're in Tokyo. The Suica card can be used at many shops and restaurants as well.
by TotoroFan (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Travelling from Narita Airport to Asakusa 2015/11/3 12:36
Remember that it takes a bit of time to clear customs, pick up luggage and figure out where to head. The Kesei Skyliner will allow you to get to your destination in under an hour. The last of these trains departs T1 at 10:30 pm.

If you cannot make the second-to-last Skyliner at 9:49 pm, I would suggest not taking the last Skyliner and boarding the cheaper Sky Access departing T1 at 10:34 (unless you really want to shave 20 minutes).

The Skyliner trains are reserved seating only, but you absolutely don't need to reserve beforehand. Go to the ticket counter when you're ready to leave. Don't worry, there are always seats.

'Reserved seating' on the Skyliner means you purchase a ticket for this train instead of using your IC card. For any other Keisei train to Tokyo (Sky Access), you will only need to swipe your card at the gates, no ticket machines at all

At the Keisei counter, they'll sell you a Pasmo card instead of Suica, but it is the same thing.
by Faiyez rate this post as useful

Re: Travelling from Narita Airport to Asakusa 2015/11/4 18:17
How many travellers will you be?

we arrive at Narita airport (pretty late, around 9pm on Thursday evening)

Then, JR East Travel Service Centers (in NRT Terminals 1 and 2) will get closed before you will go through immigration procedures.
Nearby JR Ticket Offices will be still open, which are indicated in a green colour on the maps in this webpage.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/e/customer_support/service_center.html

Unless you can catch the last Narita Express train (departing at 21:44 from Narita Airport Station (in Terminal 1) and at 21:46 from Airport Terminal 2 Station), I suppose you will take either a Keisei train or a bus to leave the airport.

Probably attendants in Keisei Skyliner Counters (in NRT Terminals 1 and 2) may be help you regarding travelling by Keisei lines.

Anyway, please note that you will have less connections by railroad and/or bus to areas in Tokyo later in the night.

Currently in NRT Terminal 3, there is no railroad station.
Some buses leaving NRT for Tokyo start from Terminal 3.
In a case where your arriving flight uses NRT Terminal 3 and you hope to take a train leaving the airport, you have to get first to Terminal 2.
- How to go between NRT Terminals 2 and 3:
http://www.narita-airport.jp/t3/en/access/terminal/index.html

[Route A]

to grab the Narita Skyliner 54 to Ueno, then change at Ueno to the Ginza line towards Asakusa, and get off at Tawaramachi station and walk.

Keisei Skyliner 54 is scheduled to depart soon after 21:00 (= 9 pm) from the stations in NRT Terminals 1 and 2.
Unless your plane lands much earlier, the only Keisei Skyliner trains you might catch will be Skyliner 56 and 58.
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/ae_timetable/index....

Keisei-Ueno Station of Keisei and Ueno Station of Tokyo Metro are located apart, and a first-time visitor may need 10 to 15 minutes to get from platform to platform.
The pathway between the two stations is equipped with elevators.
In a case where you hope to avoid staircases on the pathway, you may need extra time to use the elevators.

When you choose a Keisei Skyliner & Tokyo Subway Ticket package and take a Skyliner train, you will not need an IC transportation card at least until getting to Keisei-Ueno Station.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/en/ticket/value/airport_bus/index.html#anc02

[Route B]

If you become free to travel by 22:10 in NRT Terminal 3 or by 22:25 in NRT Terminal 1 or 2, you probably can take two trains, changing them via the same platform on the way, to Asakusa Station on Asakusa Line of Toei subway, then take a taxi.

{Weekdays}
Narita Airport (22:34) or Airport Terminal 2 (22:37)
-- {Keisei Narita SKY ACCESS Line; Access Express} --
(23:22) Aoto (23:25)
-- {Keisei Oshiage Line + Toei subway Asakusa Line;
Local train for Nishi-magome} --
(23:37) Asakusa.
: A one-way railroad cost per adult passenger on this route is 1290 yen (with a Keisei-Toei through paper ticket) or 1276 yen (with an IC card).

{Weekdays}
Narita Airport (22:39) or Airport Terminal 2 (22:42)
-- {Keisei Main Line (#); Commuter Express} --
(23:44) Aoto (23:56)
-- {Keisei Oshiage Line + Toei subway Asakusa Line,
Local train for Nishi-magome} --
(00:08) Asakusa.
: A one-way railroad cost per adult passenger on this route is 1100 yen (with a Keisei-Toei through paper ticket) or 1087 yen (with an IC card).
: (#) To use Keisei Main Line, you will pass through both ensconce and intermediate gates in the Keisei station in NRT.

From the platform of Asakusa Station of Toei subway, you can go up to Exit A2b, using elevators to avoid staircases.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/asakusa/yardmap/images/yardmap.gif
If your destination is within 2 kilometres by taxi from the station, a taxi fare is estimated to be around 1000 yen per car.
One taxi car in a typical size can carry up to 4 adult passengers.

[Route C]

If you become free to travel by 21:55, taking the following route may result in a good choice.

Buses are running from bus stops in NRT to a bus stop near Ginza Station of Tokyo Metro.
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/
http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/#timetable-title-2925
On this bus line, you cannot reserve a specific seat in a bus, but every boarding passenger can have a seat.
If you take the 3rd-last bus (departing at 22:05 to 22:20) or an earlier one, you highly likely can catch at Ginza Station an Asakusa-bound subway train on Ginza Line, and then you can disembark (not at Tawamarachi but) at Tawaramachi Station and walk.
: A bus on this line arrives to a bus stop located roughly above the platform for Marunouchi Line of Ginza Station, near Entrances C5 and C7.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/station/ginza/yardmap/images/yardmap.gif
: A one-way cost on this route is 1200 or 1195 yen per adult passenger, 1000 yen on the bus and 200 yen (with a paper ticket) or 195 yen (with an IC card) on the subway.

[IC transportation cards and paper tickets]

I suppose you would not have to spend time in waiting at a counter in NRT just to get issued IC transportation cards.
Even if you have no chance there, you will have a chance in Tawaramachi Station of Tokyo Metro (near your accommodation) in the following morning.

A ride on a Keisei non-liner train or a JR non-express train (from a station in NRT) does not require a surcharge in addition to a basic fare; you can take such a train just with basic-fare tickets sold at a vending machine.
If you are 2 to 4 adult travellers, at a ticket vending machine you highly likely can purchase your basic-fare tickets at once by using a number button for plural tickets, which I guess is faster than each of you gets issued an IC transportation card.

Will the card work on these trains?

No, not completely.
When a passenger takes a Keisei liner train or a JR Limited Express train, a surcharge is required in addition to a basic fare.
The systems of the Suica-PASMO network are designed to calculate and collect only basic fares.
So, to have a ride on such a train, you in principle have to pay separately for the surcharges.

In each of the two Keisei stations in NRT Terminals 1 and 2, the entrance ticket gate is common to passengers of both liner and non-liner trains.
So, logically a passenger can pass through the gate with either a basic-fare ticket or a PASMO card then try to catch a Keisei Skyliner train, in which case he/she is to be soon demanded to pay for the surcharge and purchase a certain Skyliner ticket.

The PASMO system has got designed to be consistent with the preceding Suica system.
So, IC transportation cards of these two brands can work practically the same regarding fare calculation and collection.
Using an IC transportation card on railroad does not give you a discount in particular, but it can save your time in handling cash and paper tickets.

PASMO cards for adult passengers are available at ticket vending machines installed in non-JR stations inside the Suica-PASMO network, which include the two Keisei stations in NRT Terminals 1 and 2 and many Tokyo Metro stations.
Suica cards for adult passengers are available at JR ticket vending machines with a black front board installed in major JR-East stations, which include the two in NRT Terminals 1 and 2.
https://www.jreast.co.jp/card/function/teiki/img/teiki-operation-main....

On the Suica-PASMO network, due to calculation of taxes, amount of railroad fares maybe slightly different depending on whether a passenger travels totally with an IC card or uses a paper ticket.

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: Corrections: typos 2015/11/4 18:48
A few typos are found in my previous response.

NOT: Probably attendants... may be help you....
BUT: Probably attendants... may help you....

Regarding Route C:
NOT: To use Keisei Main Line, you will pass through both ensconce and intermediate gates.
BUT: To use Keisei Main Line, you will pass through both entrance and intermediate gates.

by omotenashi rate this post as useful

Re: Travelling from Narita Airport to Asakusa 2015/11/4 20:29
Since you are only staying in Tokyo, consider this offer, it does not include JR trains, but Tokyo subway is equally convenience.

http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/value_ticket/subway...
by kms899 rate this post as useful

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