ASAKUSA Underground > Narita Airport to Asakusa
How do you go to Asakusa from the airport, by bus, taxi, or train?
When you take a taxi, it costs you a fortune and it is not necessarily the fastest. By bus, it costs around \3,000 and you never know if you can avoid the heavy traffic on Shuto(Capital) Expressway.
The cheapest and most reliable transportation from Narita to Asakusa is, of course, trains. Then, how do you go there by train?
For tourists who have gotten away with all the hustles and bustles at the passport control and the customs, this is the point where their true adventure begins. Hail to you, welcome to Tokyo labyrinth.
Unlike most major cities, Tokyo's transportation system is not controlled by one corporation but by several. Well, by many. Some of them have commercial ties and one ride can stretch over a few areas that belong to different companies without your knowing it. Consequently, your fare doubles up.
Here at Narita Airport station, you have the first question. Which do you choose Keisei line or JR line?
If you ask this question to a modern Japanese person who was born with video games, his answer could be "Consult Eki-spert." Consult an expert? No, Eki-spert. It is an Internet site, which tells you the fastest and least complicated way to travel by train. Eki is the Japanese word for station.
According to the site, the seemingly cheapest way is to take a Keisei train. Avoid a Skyliner, though. You are asked to pay the supplement. For any other Keisei train, you pay \1,060. Be careful. Asakusa station is outside Keisei lines. It is on Toei Asakusa line. It is a discount fare. If you buy two tickets separately, you pay \1,220 (\950 and \170). You should buy the ticket at the ticket counter rather than pushing a wrong button on the vending machine.
You can take any train except a Skyliner and the train takes you to Tokyo. Check the destination and make sure it is stopping at Oshiage. If not, get off at Aoto and change the trains. If its destination is Oshiage, wait for another train which goes farther. Asakusa is the second station from Oshiage. (Of course, you can change the platforms to catch an underground/subway train if you are courageous enough to do it in a country where you cannot read its language. You can arrive at Asakusa five precious minutes earlier. Carrying around your heavy luggage is thus rewarded.)
This could be the easiest way to get to Asakusa, but not the cheapest.
The truly cheapest way is to take a Keisei train and get off at Keisei-Nishifuna. Then walk to JR/Tokyo Metro Nishi-Funabashi station and take a Tokyo Metro Tozai line subway train for the direction of Tokyo (mostly for Mitaka or Nakano). Take either a rapid train or a local one, though a rapid train always overtake the local train before. (A local train is not always overtaken by a rapid.) Get off at Nihonbashi and take the Ginza line for Asakusa. You pay \780 for the Keisei line [Narita Airport to Keisei-Nishifuna] and \270 for the Tokyo Metro [Nishi-Funabashi to Nihonbashi/Tozai line and Nihonbashi to Asakusa/Ginza line]. They make \1050, which is ten yen cheaper.
"What can you buy for ten yen?" you may ask. You are right. Nothing but one minute's local call at a pay phone. However, it is not a bad idea to compare these because now you know there are a few alternative routes when you use trains in Tokyo. You can also remember the names of Nishifuna (the shortened word for Nish-Funabashi) and Tozai line, which give you some possibilities to save money.
Take Tokyo Metro if you can, especially Tozai line when you go for the direction of Chiba. The difference between JR and Tokyo Metro when you travel from Shinjuku to Nishifuna is a hefty sum of \150. It is because, while JR charges you \16.2 / km, Tokyo Metro does \10.4 / km, roughly.
[Recommended sites]
・THE JAPAN FAQ: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Complete Guide to Working, Visiting, and Living in Japan
[To the readers]
Please tell us about your best and worst experience at the passport control and the customs in Narita Airport. ASAKUSA Underground wants to share it with other readers.
In addition, if you kindly correct our English on the site, we will sincerely appreciate your effort. After all, we were not born in the country where they speak the language of Shakespeare.
Please contact us.
Narita Airport to Asakusa
How do you go to Asakusa from the airport, by bus, taxi, or train?When you take a taxi, it costs you a fortune and it is not necessarily the fastest. By bus, it costs around \3,000 and you never know if you can avoid the heavy traffic on Shuto(Capital) Expressway.
The cheapest and most reliable transportation from Narita to Asakusa is, of course, trains. Then, how do you go there by train?
For tourists who have gotten away with all the hustles and bustles at the passport control and the customs, this is the point where their true adventure begins. Hail to you, welcome to Tokyo labyrinth.
Unlike most major cities, Tokyo's transportation system is not controlled by one corporation but by several. Well, by many. Some of them have commercial ties and one ride can stretch over a few areas that belong to different companies without your knowing it. Consequently, your fare doubles up.
Here at Narita Airport station, you have the first question. Which do you choose Keisei line or JR line?
If you ask this question to a modern Japanese person who was born with video games, his answer could be "Consult Eki-spert." Consult an expert? No, Eki-spert. It is an Internet site, which tells you the fastest and least complicated way to travel by train. Eki is the Japanese word for station.
According to the site, the seemingly cheapest way is to take a Keisei train. Avoid a Skyliner, though. You are asked to pay the supplement. For any other Keisei train, you pay \1,060. Be careful. Asakusa station is outside Keisei lines. It is on Toei Asakusa line. It is a discount fare. If you buy two tickets separately, you pay \1,220 (\950 and \170). You should buy the ticket at the ticket counter rather than pushing a wrong button on the vending machine.
You can take any train except a Skyliner and the train takes you to Tokyo. Check the destination and make sure it is stopping at Oshiage. If not, get off at Aoto and change the trains. If its destination is Oshiage, wait for another train which goes farther. Asakusa is the second station from Oshiage. (Of course, you can change the platforms to catch an underground/subway train if you are courageous enough to do it in a country where you cannot read its language. You can arrive at Asakusa five precious minutes earlier. Carrying around your heavy luggage is thus rewarded.)
This could be the easiest way to get to Asakusa, but not the cheapest.
The truly cheapest way is to take a Keisei train and get off at Keisei-Nishifuna. Then walk to JR/Tokyo Metro Nishi-Funabashi station and take a Tokyo Metro Tozai line subway train for the direction of Tokyo (mostly for Mitaka or Nakano). Take either a rapid train or a local one, though a rapid train always overtake the local train before. (A local train is not always overtaken by a rapid.) Get off at Nihonbashi and take the Ginza line for Asakusa. You pay \780 for the Keisei line [Narita Airport to Keisei-Nishifuna] and \270 for the Tokyo Metro [Nishi-Funabashi to Nihonbashi/Tozai line and Nihonbashi to Asakusa/Ginza line]. They make \1050, which is ten yen cheaper.
"What can you buy for ten yen?" you may ask. You are right. Nothing but one minute's local call at a pay phone. However, it is not a bad idea to compare these because now you know there are a few alternative routes when you use trains in Tokyo. You can also remember the names of Nishifuna (the shortened word for Nish-Funabashi) and Tozai line, which give you some possibilities to save money.
Take Tokyo Metro if you can, especially Tozai line when you go for the direction of Chiba. The difference between JR and Tokyo Metro when you travel from Shinjuku to Nishifuna is a hefty sum of \150. It is because, while JR charges you \16.2 / km, Tokyo Metro does \10.4 / km, roughly.
[Recommended sites]
・THE JAPAN FAQ: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Complete Guide to Working, Visiting, and Living in Japan
[To the readers]
Please tell us about your best and worst experience at the passport control and the customs in Narita Airport. ASAKUSA Underground wants to share it with other readers.
In addition, if you kindly correct our English on the site, we will sincerely appreciate your effort. After all, we were not born in the country where they speak the language of Shakespeare.
Please contact us.