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NRT layover

A layover in Tokyo (NRT)

The city is 41 min–1h from Narita each way, so budget around 2 hours of travel for the round trip before immigration and security. Narita is far from central Tokyo: the Keisei Skyliner reaches Ueno and Nippori in about 41 minutes and the Narita Express Tokyo Station in just under an hour. Narita town is one stop away, so even a shorter layover can leave the airport. Be back 2 hours before an international departure.

  1. 0–4hStay airside
  2. 4–9hNarita town and Naritasan temple
  3. 9–24hUeno and Asakusa in Tokyo

Checked against sources:· How we verify

Can you leave the airport?

That depends on your passport and ticket. Check the official rules before you plan anything outside the terminal:

We link the official sources rather than summarise entry rules, because they change and differ by nationality.

How much buffer to leave at Narita

Your connection depends on the inbound flight. Over the last four weeks, 83.8% of tracked arrivals at Narita landed within 15 minutes of their usual time; about 1 in 34 was more than an hour late. On a tight connection, book the earlier inbound flight or a longer layover.

Arrivals on time (Touchdown Index)
83.8%
4,100 flights · 2.9% over an hour late
Extra time circling or sequencing
4.7 min
average, last 40 nm · 0.3% of arrivals held
Tracked flights
2,304
take-offs and landings a week, airlines we cover

From public ADS-B flight tracking (adsb.lol, CC0), 4 September 2026 to 1 October 2026. How these figures are measured.

0–4 hours

Stay airside

Under four hours, stay airside: Japanese immigration and the walk back through security take most of the time. Narita's terminals have showers, nap rooms and good Japanese food after security.

4–9 hours

Narita town and Naritasan temple

Narita town is one stop from the airport. Walk Omotesando, the old street of eel restaurants and shops, to Naritasan Shinsho-ji, a large temple complex founded in 940, about ten minutes from Keisei Narita station. The airport's Transit & Stay Program runs free guided tours in the area.

9–24 hours

Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo

Take the Skyliner to Ueno (about 41 minutes) for the park and Ameyoko market, then the subway one stop to Asakusa for Sensō-ji. Check the last Skyliner back before you go: the last trains leave Tokyo late in the evening.

Into Tokyo and back

  • Keisei SkylinerKeisei stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2·3 → Nippori and Keisei Ueno · 41–45 min
  • Narita Express (N'EX)JR stations in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2·3 → Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku · 53 min–1h 30m
  • Airport Limousine BusBus stops outside arrivals → Tokyo Station, Shinjuku, Shibuya and major hotels · 1h 10m–2h

Sources

Report a change — seen something different at the airport or on the airline's site? We re-check and log corrections publicly.