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Tokyo has two airports handling international flights: Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) within Tokyo itself. If you only start thinking about how to get into the city once you reach the arrivals lobby, the number of options can be bewildering. This article sets out the options whose operation can be confirmed from each operator's official information.
Narita Airport is in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, a considerable distance from central Tokyo. Haneda Airport, by contrast, is in Ota Ward, Tokyo, practically on the city's doorstep. That difference translates directly into differences in journey time and in how you choose to travel.
Haneda Airport's official site gives rough figures of about 15 minutes from the airport to Shinagawa Station and about 20 minutes to Hamamatsucho Station. At Narita you cannot move on the same scale. According to Keisei Electric Railway, the fastest Skyliner journey between Nippori and Airport Terminal 2 stations takes 36 minutes — and that is among the quickest options.
In other words, planning is easier if you think of Haneda as "get on a train and you are in the city" and Narita as "the journey into the city is a leg of the trip in its own right". All figures given here are estimates. Actual journey times vary with train type, time of day and road conditions, so please check each operator's official information before you travel.
Whichever option you use, knowing which station serves your arrival terminal will save you from getting lost.
There are three passenger terminals but only two railway stations. According to Narita Airport's official site, Terminal 1 is about a five-minute walk from Narita Airport Station, while Terminals 2 and 3 are a five- to ten-minute walk from Airport Terminal 2 Station. If you are using Terminal 3, expect a bit of a walk from the station.
Two railway lines serve Haneda Airport. The Tokyo Monorail has three stations — Haneda Airport Terminal 1, Haneda Airport Terminal 2 and Haneda Airport Terminal 3 — while the Keikyu Line has two: Haneda Airport Terminal 1·2 and Haneda Airport Terminal 3.
According to Haneda Airport's official site, at Terminals 1 and 2 the platforms for both lines are on the first basement level. At Terminal 3, the Keikyu platform for central Tokyo and Yokohama is on the second-floor arrivals level. Which airline uses which terminal varies by route and season, so the surest way to check is your boarding pass or the airline search on each airport's official site.
A JR East limited express departing from Narita Airport and Airport Terminal 2 stations. According to the route shown on Narita Airport's official site, it runs via Narita and Chiba stations into Tokyo Station, then continues towards Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama and Ofuna. Its greatest advantage is reaching Shinjuku and Shibuya without changing trains, which makes it especially easy if you have large luggage.
An all-reserved-seat Keisei service linking Narita Airport with Nippori and Keisei-Ueno stations. You need a Liner ticket in addition to your fare ticket. At Nippori you can change to the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines, making it well suited to heading for Ueno, Tokyo Station or Akihabara.
The Access Express runs on the same Narita Sky Access Line as the Skyliner but requires no limited express surcharge. Keisei advertises it as a direct link to Shinagawa, Shimbashi and Nihombashi: by running through onto the Toei Asakusa Line, it reaches these stations without a change. It is a strong option if you are staying in Ginza or Nihombashi. Trains on the Keisei Main Line run via Keisei-Narita and Keisei-Funabashi to Nippori and Keisei-Ueno. The journey is longer, but no limited express surcharge is required.
For Tokyo Station and Ginza there is "Airport Bus Tokyo-Narita", operated by JR Bus Kanto together with the BE Transse Group and the Keisei Group, advertised as taking as little as 65 minutes to Tokyo Station. The low-cost buses that used to run, such as the Tokyo Shuttle, have been merged into this service.
In addition, Airport Transport Service's limousine buses run to Tokyo City Air Terminal, towards Ikebukuro and Shinjuku, towards Yokohama and elsewhere. Buses involve almost no stairs and let you stow your luggage, but you need to allow for traffic congestion.
This line links Haneda's three terminal stations with Hamamatsucho Station, with a journey time of about 20 minutes. At Hamamatsucho you can change to the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines, which makes it convenient for Tokyo Station and Shimbashi.
This line links Haneda Airport with Shinagawa and runs through onto the Toei Asakusa Line. Keikyu gives rough journey times from Haneda of 14 minutes to Shinagawa, 28 minutes to Yokohama and 37 minutes to Asakusa (Kaminarimon). Trains running through onto the Toei Asakusa Line reach Nihombashi, Shimbashi and Asakusa without a change. The Keikyu Line is also the strongest option for Yokohama.
Limousine buses from Airport Transport Service and others run towards Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, to Tokyo City Air Terminal, to the waterfront (Odaiba) and elsewhere. Some routes stop right outside hotels, making them an easy option if you have a lot of luggage or are travelling with children.
Haneda Airport's official site covers both regular taxis and pre-booked taxis. Because Haneda is so close to the city centre, a taxi is a realistic choice for late-night or early-morning arrivals, or when several people are travelling together.
If you already know which area you are staying in and want to minimise changes, the following combinations are a good guide.
Trains do not run between the last service and the first. If you arrive late at night or early in the morning, these are your options.
At Haneda Airport, Airport Transport Service operates late-night and early-morning access buses. They link Ikebukuro Station East Exit, Higashi-Shinjuku Station and Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal (Busta Shinjuku) with Haneda's Terminals 1 to 3; departures from the airport run between midnight and the 2 a.m. hour, and early-morning services from the city arrive at Terminal 3 in the 4 a.m. hour. At Narita Airport, Airport Bus Tokyo-Narita has late-night and early-morning services.
All of these run infrequently and some require reservations. Given that your flight may be delayed, waiting in the airport until morning or staying a night at a hotel near the airport are also realistic choices. At Haneda, depending on the time, a taxi is the most reliable option.
Tokyo's trains and buses can be used with transport IC cards. The main ones are JR East's Suica and PASMO, issued by private railway, subway and bus operators. The two are interoperable, so either one lets you travel across JR lines, private railways, subways and buses.
PASMO's official site explains that a single card can be used on railway and bus routes across Japan that participate in interoperability, simply by touching it on the reader at the ticket gate or on the bus. Participating cards include Suica and PASMO, as well as Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, ICOCA and SUGOCA, among others.
However, trains that require a reserved-seat ticket, such as the Skyliner and the Narita Express, cannot be boarded using IC card credit alone. Some routes, including certain limousine buses, may also require advance booking or a dedicated ticket. IC cards for international visitors are also available; please check where they are sold and the conditions at the airport information counter or on each operator's official site.
*Information in this article is current as of August 2026. Fares, journey times, timetables and service status are subject to change. Please check each operator's official information before travelling.
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