The Tokyo Plane Landing & Public Transportation Freakout
The thought of taking a 12 hour flight, surviving customs, and discerning which train to take once you land is daunting. My first time coming to Tokyo, I was terrified. But it doesn’t have to be. We’ll get through this together.
Pack a pen on your carry on. You’ll need to fill out two forms on the plane, which you’ll give to the customs officer after landing.
Next, where you go depends on what airport you’re flying into. Regardless, go straight to customs. Don’t use the bathroom beforehand. Don’t get food beforehand. Make a beeline to those lines as fast as you can. You don’t want to be last in line or else the wait may take a while.
Get money at an ATM. If you’re at Haneda Airport, there is a 7 Eleven on the 3rd floor when you exit customs. Withdrawing money at a 7 Eleven is your best bet for no additional fees.
Once you make it through the two stages of customs, it’s time to get wifi. If you didn’t rent a pocket wifi, you can connect to the Narita/Haneda Airport wifi. If you rented a pocket wifi through Global Advanced Communications like we suggest, here’s what you do:
Narita: Go to 4th floor at the Post Office on the way to the Airport Mall food court, across the way from MUFG Bank.
Haneda: Go to the 3rd floor (you should already be on it) at the JSA Counter.
Load Google Maps. Type Narita International Airport / Haneda International Airport into your current location, then to the station of wherever you’re going into the destination.
If you’re at Haneda, I recommend the Keikyu Line over the Monorail because it goes straight to Asakusa station. You can also use your Pasmo / Suica train card. Also, to be honest, the Monorail confuses me. It doesn’t operate like the other trains in Tokyo, and it’s good to get used to the normal train system as soon as possible.
If you’re at Narita, I recommend the Kesei Narita Skyaccess, which goes straight to Asakusa Station. You can also use your Pasmo / Suica train card.
What’s a Pasmo / Suica card, you ask? It’ll be covered next.
6. Follow the signs for whatever train line you’re taking.
7. Buy an IC train card. As you reach the public transportation area, you will see ticket machines on the walls with either pink Pasmo or green Suica IC train card logos. This means you can buy an IC card, or train card, there. Do that. Put a considerable amount of money on it. Your trip will likely be 1,000-2,000 yen. Then keep moving forward.
To my knowledge, Haneda only sells Pasmo cards.
At Narita, you can buy a Suica card if you are taking the JR trains.
Still nervous? That’s okay. Remember to focus on one thing at a time. Everyone around you wants to help you. If you ask, they will.
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Written by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications
