You might’ve already known this beforehand, but Tokyo has “two” international airport. Well, technically the only airport in Tokyo Area is Haneda airport since Narita Airport is located in Chiba.
However, which one is the best one to go to?
Here in this article I will compare the two airports and discuss which one is the best for you. Let’s start!
Narita Vs. Haneda
Access-wise
As I mentioned before, Narita Airport is located outside Tokyo. While a trip from Haneda Airport to downtown Tokyo might only take 15-30 minutes, a trip from Narita Airport might take about an hour.
In this case, our winner is the Haneda Airport! It is nearer to Central Tokyo, and it guarantees easier access.
Price-wise
Naturally, since the location of Narita Airport is further away, that guarantees a higher transport fee. Visitors who come through Narita Airport could travel to Central Tokyo quite easily by taking the Keisei Skyliner or the Narita Express train, but both trains would cost you at least 2,000 yen.
On the other hand, Haneda Airport could be accessed from Tokyo Area within 15-30 minutes. Since it’s closer, it would mean that the transport fee would also be cheaper
Because of this reasons, our winner for this category is Haneda Airport!
Flight-wise
Narita Airport is bigger than the older Haneda Airport. This is because Narita Airport was built to “lessen” the number of visitors coming through Haneda, by redirecting them to Narita Airport.
Therefore, there are way more international flights available in Narita Airport. For example, United Airlines only have 1 flight per day from Haneda Airport, but they have 8 daily flights departing from Narita Airport. However, there are more domestic flights available from Haneda Airport.
For international visitors, in this category, your winner might be Narita Airport!
International Lounges and Facilities
Granted, since Narita Airport has 1) Bigger space 2) More flights than Haneda Airport, the lounges in Narita Airport has more varieties and caters more to international visitors.
Haneda Airport also offers you a variety of things to do to pass your time waiting for your flight. In fact, Haneda Airport has a planetarium cafe and “character goods” corner. They also offer you an indoor cultural experience of walking in an old town like shopping area.
But Narita Airport offers you hands-on cultural experiences such as trying on the yukata, and other traditional dances and performances that happen daily.
If you’re looking for entertainments in airports, then the winner between the two would be Narita Airport.
Here are more information about Haneda Airport access and Narita Airport access.
If you’re going to travel with a large number of people, then I suggest you to hire a minivan charter to get the easiest access to your destination. Perhaps, if you’re going to bring heavy luggage, then I would recommend you to hire a private taxi to save you from the trouble.
More tips
Look:
Navigating to and from airports could be quite difficult
Fear not!
To save for yourself from the trouble, I recommend you to hire a guide. Your guide could pick you up or take you to the airport for a fee. Moreover, you can ask them to take you sightseeing around Tokyo.
If you are thinking of hiring a guide, I suggest you get one from GoWithGuide! Not only they have excellent guides that will cater your traveling needs, but their superb customer service would also make sure that you get the best guide that fits your preferences.
In this article, I have discussed and compared between Haneda Airport and Narita Airport, which one would be best to fit your priorities. Here’s to a good trip ahead!