Trip Report - Narita Express & Tobu Railway

[Tony Galiani]

This may be old news to those of you who travel to Japan but I thought I would put in some comments about my travel experiences during my recent visit.

 

We arrived at Narita Airport much later than planned after mechanical problems caused missed connections and a reroute via Korea.  I was a bit nervous about finding our way to the Narita Express and getting the train to Shinjuku where we had hotel reservations.  But it turned out to be incredibly easy and set the tone for our train and metro travels in Japan.

 

We went to the station in the lower level of the airport with about 10 minutes to make the 8:44 PM Narita Express departure.  We saw two lines - one for JR passes and one for NEX tickets.  We got on the ticket line which was super efficient.  Got tickets and were on the train with time to spare!

On the ride into Tokyo, we got to experience how well thought out the transport system is.  Close to Tokyo, the driver went into emergency braking and signs at both ends of our cars flashed to alert riders (as if it wasn't already obvious).  After we sat for about 5 minutes, the train started moving again and the signs then flashed and apology and explanation for the delay (which was apparently a person on the tracks).  Fortunately, the remainder of the trip was smooth and we got to Shinjuku  close to schedule.

 

A few days later, we went to Asakusa with the plan of taking the Tobu Railway to Nikko.  At the Asakusa station, we had about 25 minutes to purchase tickets and the Nikko All Area Pass.  The ticket clerk (who spoke English) was very helpful and efficient and, since we had researched this in advance, the process of buying the tickets and passes was smooth.  Even with the clerk reviewing everything in complete detail to make sure our purchase was accurate, we were on the platform in plenty of time to catch a Revaty train to Nikko.  While I am a little lukewarm about the exterior design of these units, I understand the approach since the trains are designed to be split on the outbound journey and reconnected on the inbound journey to Tokyo.  The interior is very well designed - visually pleasing and very comfortable.

For anyone considering a trip to Nikko, the passes seem to be a good deal.  While we were there we rode the local buses, the ropeway and took the Lake Chuzenji cruise without any additional cost.  We also got discounts for our visits to the shrines and Kegon waterfall.

One drawback - if you miss your train, you lose your money - there is no consideration for delays.  So we made sure we were at the station in plenty of time for our return journey!

 

Tony