Tokyo: Narita or Haneda Airport?

We will be flying to Tokyo to cruise on the Volendam next April. Some flights go to Narita and some to Haneda Airports. Which one is better? Closer to downtown Tokyo? Easier to navigate (we are a bit walking challenged. Thanks.:D

Not sure what your plans are? Narita is over an hour from Tokyo (fastest and cheapest way to get to Tokyo is by the Narita Express train, but you would have to carry your luggage unless you have it shipped to your hotel or the cruise terminal). Haneda is about 1/2 from Tokyo by taxi, but many of the planes from the US arrive late at night which can limit your options of getting transportation.

If you provide more information about what you intend to do, others can give better advice. For example are you arriving a couple of days early to see Tokyo or are you going directly to the cruise port terminal in Yokohama.

here is a link to some information that might help.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3208.html

Haneda is located in Tokyo, and not far from Yokohama, where your ship will dock.

Haneda was also just named the second best international airport in the world.

As was posted earlier, many international flights into and out of Haneda are late night / early morning, when transportation is limited and expensive.

In Japan, public transit is very rare between midnight and 6 am, and taxis can be quite expensive.

If you are flying during the day, there is an inexpensive monorail train that will take you and your bags into Tokyo (Hamamatsucho Station) in about 30 minutes. There is also free WIFI on the monorail.

There are also inexpensive shuttle buses that will take you quickly between Haneda and Yokohama.

Aloha all, :D

How do you get from arriving at 19:00 hrs Haneda International Terminal to a hotel in Yokohama? How long does it take to get thru immigration & customs & baggage claim?

I saw a Keihin Kyuko Bus schedule that goes to Yokohama but it stops after 20:45 hrs. That would be like 90 minutes from arrival to bus departure if the plane arrives on time (flying against the jet stream).

If I planned on catching this bus then missed the last departure, then we'd be up the creek !

Aloha, rk :D

Haneda Airport's only weakness is transport late night/early morning.

Japanese Customs/Immigration are generally very efficient and speedy.

Likewise baggage claim.

If your flight arrives on time, you can probably catch the bus you need.

But if you cannot make it;

The monorail train runs much later.

Take the Monorail to the end of the line - Hamamatsucho.

There you can easily transfer to a local train that will take you to Yokohama Station in about 30 minutes. The fare is very low, and the trains will not be very crowded at that hour.

From Yokohama Station, catch a taxi to your hotel. Quick and inexpensive.

Alternatively, a taxi from Haneda to your Yokohama Hotel might cost you around US 100 - 150.

My parents are in their 80s - they opted to fly into Narita and found a flight that got them in at about 3pm (Korean airlines from HNL).

They then took a Narita hotel shuttle and stayed overnight (dealing with the jet lag).

The next day they when they were ready they took the shuttle back to the airport and opted to make their way to Yokohama via the bus.

Likewise at the end of their cruise they took the taxi to YCAT and then the bus to Narita. Plenty to do in the airport that didn't involve them walking around a lot.

From Hanada, take the Keikyu Airport Express train headed to Shin Zushi and get off at Yokohama, then take a taxi. The train runs every 10 minutes or so until 21:39 (then a last gasp at 23:34) and takes about 30 mins. Costs 450Y. It's a commuter train. The search engine for Japanese trains is www.hyperdia.com

[i don't know why I cannot turn off the hypertext linking in the next sentence.]

From Narita, the Narita Express (N'Ex) goes straight to Yokohama. Takes a bit over an hour and the standard price is 4,000Y round trip. There are usually deals on the N'Ex. Google it and see what turns up.

Haneda Airport's only weakness is transport late night/early morning.

Japanese Customs/Immigration are generally very efficient and speedy.

Likewise baggage claim.

If your flight arrives on time, you can probably catch the bus you need.

But if you cannot make it;

The monorail train runs much later.

Take the Monorail to the end of the line - Hamamatsucho.

There you can easily transfer to a local train that will take you to Yokohama Station in about 30 minutes. The fare is very low, and the trains will not be very crowded at that hour.

From Yokohama Station, catch a taxi to your hotel. Quick and inexpensive.

Alternatively, a taxi from Haneda to your Yokohama Hotel might cost you around US 100 - 150.

Aloha BruceMuzz, :D

Thanks for your input.

I just checked FlightAware & the flights seem to be arriving about 30 min. late. That means that we have to catch the last bus at 20:45 hrs. If we miss it, we will have to catch a train or but to YCat Yokohama & taxi to hotel.

I was hoping that there would be some other way that we wouldn't have to deal with our bags.

Aloha rak, :D:D