Narita and Haneda to Tokyo
1 h route4 stopsBest: Check which one you’ve got BEFORE booking the hotelUpdated July 2026
Tokyo has two international airports and the difference between them isn’t a detail: Haneda is inside the city, about 15 kilometres out, and Narita is 60, in another prefecture. From the second to the centre it’s a long hour and a ticket costing several times more.
So the advice comes before the trip: when comparing flights, look at which one you land at. A Narita flight that looks cheaper may not be once you add the transfer, especially with several people. And if you land at Narita in the small hours the problem is worse: the trains aren’t 24-hour and you can be stranded.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
Haneda: the easy one
If you land at Haneda, congratulations: you’re in the city. Two options and both good. The Tokyo Monorail runs to Hamamatsuchō in a long quarter-hour, and there you connect to the Yamanote, the loop that takes you anywhere.
And the Keikyū reaches Shinagawa, also on the Yamanote, with an advantage many people don’t use: a lot of its trains continue straight through, no change, onto the Asakusa subway line, so if your hotel is on that line you arrive at the door without getting off.
Check your hotel on the map before choosing: it’s the only thing that decides.
- 02
Narita: the Skyliner and the N’EX
From Narita there are two fast trains and they compete. Keisei’s Skyliner is the quicker and runs to Nippori and Ueno, in the city’s north-east. If your hotel is in Asakusa, Ueno or that area, it wins outright.
The Narita Express (N’EX) is JR’s and runs to Tokyo Station and on to Shibuya and Shinjuku, in the west. It’s slower but it drops you on the far side of the city with no change. The rule is the usual one: don’t choose on speed, choose on where you sleep. A train fifteen minutes faster that leaves you two changes from your hotel isn’t faster.
And if you already have a JR Pass, the N’EX is included, though the pass doesn’t pay off for a Tokyo-only trip.
- 03
The IC card: they’re on sale again
One thing needs updating here that guides keep getting wrong. In 2023 there was a global chip shortage and JR East and Pasmo suspended sales of regular Suica and Pasmo cards. For two years the only option for a tourist was the Welcome Suica. Many guides still tell it that way.
It’s no longer true: regular Suica and Pasmo went back on unrestricted sale in March 2025. Today you have four routes: the regular Suica, the physical Welcome Suica (no deposit, 28 days), the Welcome Suica on your phone (launched March 2025, valid 180 days) and the Tourist Pasmo, launched in May 2026.
If you have an iPhone, the phone one is the easiest: add it to your wallet, top it up with your card and never touch a machine. With it you pay for the subway, trains, buses, lockers and even the konbini.
- 04
The last train
The fact that ruins the most nights and that almost no guide puts in the transport section, which is where it belongs: Tokyo’s subway and trains do NOT run 24 hours. The last train goes around midnight, depending on the line, and the first around five.
And there’s no night bus network to save you. Your options if you miss it: a taxi, which in Tokyo is among the most expensive in the world and from Shibuya to the suburbs can cost a fortune, or staying awake until five, which is exactly why Tokyo has so many karaoke places, izakaya and saunas open all night. It’s an industry built on people who missed the train.
Check your line’s last train before going out at night.
Frequently asked
Narita or Haneda?
Haneda, no question: it’s about 15 km out, inside the city, reached in a long quarter-hour by monorail or Keikyū. Narita is 60 km away in another prefecture, a long hour and a ticket several times pricier. Check it when comparing flights: the cheap Narita flight may not be.
Can you buy a Suica card in 2026?
Yes. The 2023 chip shortage suspended sales of the regular ones for two years, but they returned unrestricted in March 2025 and many guides still haven’t updated. There’s also the physical Welcome Suica, the Welcome Suica on your phone (180 days) and the Tourist Pasmo, from May 2026.
Does the Tokyo subway run all night?
No: the last train runs around midnight and the first around five, and there’s no night bus network. Miss it and it’s a taxi, among the priciest in the world, or waiting until five. That’s why Tokyo has so many karaoke places and saunas open all night.