After a long flight, you want your trip from Narita Airport to northern Tokyo to be as smooth and hassle-free as possible. Fortunately, if you plan to travel to this part of Tokyo, you have access to the Keisei Skyliner bullet train, which is a great option. Other transport options are worth considering, which are detailed in our article below.

Northern Tokyo includes the major locations of Ueno, Akihabara, and Asakusa, as well as additional locations such as the Tokyo Dome stadium district and Ikebukuro. When selecting your transportation option, there are three main factors to consider: easiest, cheapest, or fastest.

If you have just completed a long haul or red-eye flight, are travelling with young children or are arriving late at night, then the last thing you want to deal with on arrival is trying to work out the complex system, which is the Tokyo train system. We learned this lesson ourselves the hard way by getting extremely lost on our first visit!

As a result, we have since chosen to use private transfers as our preferred airport transfer option which has been so much more relaxing to get to our accommodation,

Therefore in putting together this article our aim is to help you have a brilliant first day in Tokyo by assisting you to choose the easiest and most cost effective option to get from Narita Airport to northern Tokyo.  Choose wisely – it can make a real difference to how you start your holiday in Japan!

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Tokyo Airport Transfer Article Options

We have also developed a set of articles to help you determine the best way to transfer between Narita Airport and the following major areas in Tokyo. Click on the article below to see the options that best suit your situation (note that some articles are located on Japan Travel Planning, and some articles are on Pretraveller).

• Narita Airport to Tokyo and Ginza Stations
• Narita Airport to Shinjuku, Shibuya and Shinagawa Stations
• Narita Airport to Northern Tokyo, including Ueno, Asakusa, Akihabara the Tokyo Dome and Ikebukuru
• Narita Airport to Yokohama
• Narita Airport to Haneda Airport
• Where to Stay in Tokyo With a Japan Rail Pass

Distance from Narita Airport to Ueno Station

The first misconception that most people have is that they do not understand that Narita Airport is not actually IN Tokyo!  The actual driving distance from Narita Airport to Ueno Station is 80 km / 50 mi to the east of Tokyo.  Check out the map below to see the location.

Ueno, Akhibara and Asakusa are also located on the northern side of Tokyo.

How to Get from Narita Airport to Northern Tokyo

Below, I have detailed the five options in order of easiest and most cost-effectiveness for traveling from Narita Airport to northern Tokyo and return.

1.    Narita Airport Private Transfer to Northern Tokyo

A private airport transfer is a great option for getting from Narita Airport to your accommodation in Ueno, Asakusa, and Akihabara as quickly and easily as possible. It is particularly good for larger groups and families.

My recommended option to pre-book a private airport transfer is through your preferred online travel agency.  Click here to check out availability and prices and to make your booking through either Klook, Get Your Guide, Rakuten, Viator or KKDay. Details are as follows:

• Service Area. A door to door service to the main 23 wards of Tokyo city (does not include Disneyland area), which includes both hotels and apartments – so if you have booked your accommodation through AirBnB or equivalent you be both dropped off and picked up directly from your apartment.  Easy!
• Travel Time. Since you are the only occupant of the vehicle, you will be taken directly to your door. This is the shortest travel time option and should be equivalent to either a taxi or Uber.
• Hours of Operation. This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it will accommodate late-night flight arrivals as well as early morning departures.
• Timeframe to Pre-Book. It is recommended that you book this service at least 72 hours before your pick-up time.
• Pricing for a one-way private airport transfer service is from $US 125 for up to four people. Larger groups can also be accommodated.

2.    Narita Airport Shuttle Bus to Northern Tokyo

A shared airport shuttle bus is a great, cost-effective option for traveling easily from Narita Airport to the Ueno, Asakusa, and Akihabara areas and in reverse.

My recommended option to book an airport shuttle bus is through your preferred online travel agency.  Click here to check out availability and prices and to make your booking through either Klook, Get Your Guide, Rakuten, or KKDay.  Details as follows:

• Service Area. A door to door service to the main 23 wards of Tokyo city (does not include Disneyland area), which includes both hotels and apartments – so if you have booked your accommodation through AirBnB or equivalent you will be both dropped off and/or picked up directly from your apartment!  Easy!
• Travel Time. You will travel with other passengers going to a similar area in Tokyo, so the time to your door will take longer depending on how many drop offs are before yours.
• Hours of Operation. This service also operates 24 hours per day 7 days per week so will cater well for late night flight arrivals as well as early morning departures.
• Timeframe to Pre-Book. It is recommended that you book this service at least 72 hours prior to your pick up time.
• Pricing for a one way shared airport shuttle service is from $US 40 per person.

3.    Keisei Skyliner to and from Narita Airport to Northern Tokyo

While you can catch the Narita Express to Tokyo Station and then change trains to travel to Ueno, the easier and faster option is to catch the Kensei Skyliner train directly to either Ueno or Nippori Stations.  Japan Rail Passes cannot be used for this service.

If your accommodation is further than a short walk, you will still need to complete your travel to it using another train, a taxi, and/or walking.

Our recommended option to book the Keisei Skyliner is through your preferred online travel agency – you can book either a single or return journey, and can also package a subway pass with your tickets.  Click here to check out availability and prices and to make your booking through either Klook, Get Your Guide, Rakuten, Viator or KKDay.

Details are as follows:

• Service Area. Includes a direct train trip to Ueno or Nippori Stations, and you can then change trains to access other stations.
• Travel Time. This option is approximately 41 minutes direct from Narita Airport to Ueno or Nippori Stations.  You then need to either catch another train, walk or catch a taxi to your accommodation.
• Hours of Operation. This service operates from 7.28am to the final departure from Narita at 10:30pm, and runs every 20 minutes within those times.
• Timeframe to Pre-Book. Pre-booking is not required, but the easiest option is to pre-book your ticket.
• Pricing is $US 14 per person each way.  Tickets for children aged 6 – 11 years old is $US 7.

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4.    Limousine Bus Narita to Northern Tokyo

A very affordable option to travel from Narita Airport is using the shared Limousine Bus.  This is a great, affordable option, particularly if you have booked a hotel that is a drop-off point for the service. 

If you have booked other accommodation, you will still need to make your way from the closest drop-off point to your accommodation.  Options include catching the train, walking or catching a taxi from the closest drop-off point to your accommodation.

You can book a one-way or return ticket for the Limousine Bus service direct from Narita Airport to Asakusa as the closest drop-off point to Ueno and Akihabara.

My recommended option to book the main Tokyo Limousine Bus service is through your preferred online travel agency.  Click here to check out availability and prices and to make your booking through either Klook, Rakuten or KKDay.  Details are as follows:

• Service Area. Includes drop off to hotels in the area around Asakusa.
• Travel Time. This option is quite quick to the drop off point as only destinations in a small area are designated as the drop off point, however if you need to travel further that will add to your total travel time.
• Hours of Operation. This service operates from 6.55am to the final departure from Narita at 10.50pm, and runs every 5 to 30 minutes within those times.
• Pricing is $US 20 per person each way, a flat rate to cover all drop off locations within Tokyo.

5.    Taxi or Uber from Narita NRT to Ueno, Asakusa and Akihabara

A question many people ask is whether Uber is available in Tokyo.  You will be pleased to know that you can catch either a taxi or an Uber from Narita Airport to Ueno, Asakusa and Akihabara.  For taxis you can just walk out to the taxi rank, for Uber you can book via the Uber app and be picked up directly from the airport.

Details are as follows:

• Service Area. A door to door service to anywhere you like.
• Travel Time. You are the only occupants of the vehicle, so you will be taken directly to your door – so this is the shortest travel time option.
• Hours of Operation. This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it will accommodate late-night flight arrivals and early morning departures. Note that taxis in Japan charge a surcharge of 20-30% for rides between 10pm and 5am.
• Timeframe to Pre-Book. Pre-booking not required
• Taxis come in three sizes – small for up to 4 passengers, medium for up to 5 passengers and large for up to 5 passengers. However, some medium and large taxis may still only take up to 4 passengers. Taxis are typically immaculately maintained and provide good service.
• Estimated pricing for a one way taxi fare from Narita Airport to Ueno Station is from $US 200 (no surcharge). Most taxis take credit cards.
• Uber is available only in Tokyo, Japan, but it is typically more expensive than a taxi. Your Uber options include either a Black Car, which can accommodate up to 4 passengers, or a Black Van, which can accommodate up to 6 passengers. Estimated pricing for a one-way Uber fare from Narita Airport to Ueno is from $US 190. Uber can be paid via the app, so this is a cashless transaction.

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