The first time we landed at Narita Airport in Tokyo, we were shocked to learn the price of a taxi to central Tokyo. This costs about 30.000 yen which is roughly 165 euros or 190 US dollars. For that amount you can eat a lot of sushi and ramen!
Luckily there’s a much cheaper and faster way to get into Central Tokyo, and that is by taking the Kesei Skyliner train to Ueno Station.
Having taveled with the Skyliner to central Tokyo multiple times ourselves, we’re sharing our step-by-step guide on how to navigate it best.
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Pro tip: get an e-sim before you arrive in Japan, so you can navigate everywhere easily from the second you land. We’ve personally used Airalo during our last Japan trip. It worked perfectly and happened to be the cheapest option to stay connected.
What is the Keisei Skyliner
The Keisei Skyliner is an airport train that runs multiple times an hour from Narita Airport to Ueno Station in Tokyo, and it does this in about 40 minutes. It runs frequently and you can transfer to the JR Yamanote line easily at either Ueno station or one station earlier at Nippori.
Good to know: the JR Yamanote line is a local train service that loops around Tokyo stopping at many major train stations, which makes it the most convenient line for visitors to connect with.
How to take the Keisei Skyliner from Narita to Tokyo.
No you know a bit about the Skyliner train let’s get into how to buy tickets and how to use them.
Exit the Arrivals Hall
After you’ve picked up your luggage and cleared arrivals you’ll likely find yourself in either arrivals hall terminal 1 or terminal 2. Luckily the instructions for how to get to train is the same for both terminals.
In the arrival hall make sure to look for an escalator going down with a sign above it that says train. Hop on the luggage-cart friendly escalator and go all the way down to lowest floor of the terminal building.
Buy a Skyliner Ticket
For buying tickets you have two options. The most straightforward one is to go to the Skyliner ticket desk or ticket machines and buy your ticket on the spot. At Narita Station a ticket costs 2580 yen per adult, and you can pay by either cash or card.
When it’s busy there can be long lines though. If you want to skip the ticket line, you can also buy tickets online in advance. They’re a little cheaper even if you buy them online and all you need to do then is exchange your voucher at special desk for a ticket to get you on the next available train.
> Get your Skyliner Tickets here <
Head to the platform
Now that you have your timed ticket, including seat reservation, it’s time to head to the trains.
Make sure to follow the orange signs that say ‘Keisei Skyliner’ or ‘Express.’ Then head to the platforms and look for the one that you have a ticket for. Staff members are always around to help if you’re unsure and we’ve found them very friendly and helpful. The platform is well-marked, and electronic boards display the train schedules in English and Japanese.
Board the Train
The Skyliner always stops in the same spot, which means you can see where the entrance of you carriage number will be. On your ticket you can find this number under ‘car’. Right next to the car number you’ll also find your seat number so upon boarding you can immediately locate your designated seat.
Onboard the Skyliner train
Upon boarding the train you’ll find a large luggage rack for your suitcase and above your seat you can place some of your smaller belongings.
The train seat itself comes with a generous amount of leg room which is a nice welcome after a flight in economy. Underneath the seat you’ll find chargers and there’s also free wifi on board. If you’re thirsty you can find a vending machine that sells drinks and if you consequently need to use the bathroom you can do that too.
Arrive at your destination
The Keisei Skyliner will stops at few stations but only two are relevant for most visitors and these are station Nippori and station Ueno.
Personally we find Nippori to be slightly more convenient as here you’re able to easily transfer onto the JR Yamanote line, which is the circle line that loops all around Tokyo connecting multiple major train stations. Just make sure you buy a separate ticket for the JR line as the validity of your train ticket ends here.
However, should you need to connect the Tokyo Metro, it’s easier to get off at Ueno station as those stations are connected through a tunnel.
Getting Around in Tokyo
Speaking of connecting to Tokyo’s local train network and metro services. In order to pay easily for those rides we recommend getting either a Suica or Pasmo card for payment. You can top up these so called IC cards with money and then use the card to pay for all your non-reserved travel all across Tokyo.
Not just that you can also use them at many other places such as convenience stores and arcades. For iPhone users it gets even better, since you can also add a digital Suica card to your wallet. This means you can top up the card directly from your phone and then use your phone to tap on and off wherever you go.
If you have a non-Japanese android it’s unfortunately not possible to have a digital Suica card so you’ll need to get the physical one. In case the regular card isn’t available, you can also buy a ‘Welcome Suica’ card at major train stations. This card is valid for 30-days and has all the same functionalities as the regular card.
Where to Stay in Tokyo
There are two hotels we stayed at in Tokyo that we would recommend if you’re visiting for the first time.
Nohga Hotel Akihabara
The first hotel we ever stayed at in Tokyo is the Nohga Hotel in Akihabara. This Japanese boutique style hotel has pretty spacious rooms for being in Tokyo and is located conveniently near Akihabara train station, which is connected to the JR Yamanote line and therefore easy to reach from the airport. For this hotel expect to pay around 25.000 yen per night, excluding breakfast.
> Check most recent prices here
If you want to have a look at the hotel check-out our full video review below:
LANDABOUT Hotel
If you’re looking for a slightly more budget friendly option we found the LANDABOUT hotel to be a good alternative option. Although the rooms are a bit smaller, they still have everything you need and the hotel offers breakfast options as well as a laundry facilities. From the roof there’s a nice view of the Tokyo Skytree and from our room we could even spot Mt. Fuji!
Just like the Nohga hotel the location is super convenient at only about a 5 minute walk from JR station Ugusuidani that connects to, yes you guessed it, the JR Yamanote line.
More Tokyo and Japan Travel
If you’re looking to travel beyond Tokyo by train, make sure to check-out our guide about getting train tickets for the Shinkansen or how to get to Mt. Fuji by train. Still finalizing your Japan itinerary? We wrote down the perfect 14 day Japan travel itinerary for first-time visitors.
Thanks so much for reading and if you want to watch our videos about Japan, be sure to check-out our Youtube Channel, where we also made a video about taking the Skyliner from Narita to Tokyo.
Laura is the co-founder of Yes and Explore and a travel professional with over 10 years of experience in the tourism industry. She loves sharing her insider knowledge and practical tips to help you make the most of every trip.
