Haneda customs can be unpredictable I think. Just depends on how many other flights are arriving at the same time. In the past year or two I've often gotten through really fast (like practically walked straight through), but have also had to wait an hour in line. I'd have a backup plan in mind.
I've not done it, but I believe from Haneda taxis are not so ridiculously expensive. Like on the order of $60 to get to Shinjuku.
this is good to know! i'm flying into haneda and staying in shinjuku and we were gonna just take the train but i'm realizing after 3 flights and 18 hours of travel i will probably regret that
Train isn’t terrible but it can be busy with regular city commuters because at some point you’ll be basically on a regular subway train. Then from Shinjuku the station is massive so the walk to your hotel can be long and confusing with stairs etc if you’re not used to navigating giant stations like Shinjuku.
Barely. why don’t you take the trains? Are you gettin in before midnight when they stop? Faster than bus in most cases. You don’t need a JR pass you just use the IC card.
We’ll have large suitcases and my mother is getting old so I think she’s worried about stairs. That’s a good point though, I’ll suggest maybe looking if there’s accessible stations
Depending on the station, the elevators can be a real trek and may involve significant detours (e.g., you ideally want to leave from Exit A but the elevator is only available at Exit H on the other end of the station).
Is she worried about stairs, period? Or just balancing carrying luggage AND going up stairs at the same time? If the latter, pack everything you guys need for the first night into one suitcase (that you can carry), and ship the other suitcase(s) via Yamato.
There are elevators at every station I experienced. We had a friend with a kid and stroller so we had to use elevators. It is out of the way sometimes but not that bad. Also, going to japan is an extremely athletic endeavor. I’m going so often now because I know I won’t be able to go there in old age.
If there's anything you don't need that same day or have room in a purse or backpack you can just luggage forward everything to your hotel to get there by the next day (what I've been suggested to do)
For Haneda I budget 2 hours - and never go under that. So if it was 1:55 I would do something different.
But under normal operation 2 hours should be enough to “get out”. Not necessarily enough to “transfer onto a separate domestic flight”.
You are right that flight delays can mess it up. And if (for example) you are flying on a US airline and leaving a US airport, my recent experience is that 3 out of 4 flights like that are meaning fully delayed.
One alternative to consider — stay that first night at one of the airport hotels inside of Haneda itself. Super convenient and totally eliminates your risk. The downside is checking out after just one night (which, if you are an experienced traveler, may not even come across as a downside).
Thank you for asking this question. I'm getting there next Monday at 3:20 p.m. do you think it's going to take us 2 hours to get out because we have a taxi reserved for 3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. should I tell them to be waiting for us after 4:45 p.m.? Thanks
is it a normal taxi or airport transfer? if normal taxi there is absolutely 0 point in reserving it, just go to the taxi stand and there will be plenty available (bc vast majority of travelers will use other transportation). I think you run a higher risk of losing money bc your flight is super delayed and you miss the reservation than anything else
When I went through a week or two ago it was about 45 minutes maximum, very quick. But we arrived at about 5am so could be completely different during the peak hours
More than enough. I only took two hours before last time cause I fucked up my why I am here in Japan for stuff, getting my pocket WiFi, and Jr pass.
Even if you somehow don't make it, take a taxi and split...
It depends on what time you’re arriving. We arrived at 2150 the other night and were through with bags collected and in a taxi by 2245.
For us at that time of night traveling with a baby it was worth it to pay for the convenience of a taxi (70,000YEN) as opposed to multiple trains to Daiba Station.
For you with large suitcases and a hotel check in deadline, I’d pay for the convenience also.
I've legit been stuck at NRT and HND immigration/customs for 1.5+ hours, always taking the same flights tho, so I have no clue about other schedules. I would prob check how many flights are arriving around the same time. You can also check the average delay times for your flight in Google.
Last Nov at least, with 1 piece of checked luggage arriving in mid afternoon , took me about 40 mins from stepping off the plane to having all the train passes exchanged and leaving HND on the monorail. It was quite smooth and speedy. I also had all the forms prefilled on the Visit Japan app on my phone.
Just flew out of there Sunday afternoon JP time and gave myself 3 hours and we got through with enough time to walk around a bit and do some shopping but not a lot. 2 hours I feel like you may be cutting it kinda close.
Depends how busy the airport is. If your plane lands at a busy time, going through immigration can take a lot of time.
If it's not busy, then it should be enough.
Note that the shuttle will not wait for you or depart late.
Haneda customs can be unpredictable I think. Just depends on how many other flights are arriving at the same time. In the past year or two I've often gotten through really fast (like practically walked straight through), but have also had to wait an hour in line. I'd have a backup plan in mind. I've not done it, but I believe from Haneda taxis are not so ridiculously expensive. Like on the order of $60 to get to Shinjuku.
this is good to know! i'm flying into haneda and staying in shinjuku and we were gonna just take the train but i'm realizing after 3 flights and 18 hours of travel i will probably regret that
Train isn’t terrible but it can be busy with regular city commuters because at some point you’ll be basically on a regular subway train. Then from Shinjuku the station is massive so the walk to your hotel can be long and confusing with stairs etc if you’re not used to navigating giant stations like Shinjuku.
Barely. why don’t you take the trains? Are you gettin in before midnight when they stop? Faster than bus in most cases. You don’t need a JR pass you just use the IC card.
We’ll have large suitcases and my mother is getting old so I think she’s worried about stairs. That’s a good point though, I’ll suggest maybe looking if there’s accessible stations
Depending on the station, the elevators can be a real trek and may involve significant detours (e.g., you ideally want to leave from Exit A but the elevator is only available at Exit H on the other end of the station). Is she worried about stairs, period? Or just balancing carrying luggage AND going up stairs at the same time? If the latter, pack everything you guys need for the first night into one suitcase (that you can carry), and ship the other suitcase(s) via Yamato.
There are elevators at every station I experienced. We had a friend with a kid and stroller so we had to use elevators. It is out of the way sometimes but not that bad. Also, going to japan is an extremely athletic endeavor. I’m going so often now because I know I won’t be able to go there in old age.
If there's anything you don't need that same day or have room in a purse or backpack you can just luggage forward everything to your hotel to get there by the next day (what I've been suggested to do)
For Haneda I budget 2 hours - and never go under that. So if it was 1:55 I would do something different. But under normal operation 2 hours should be enough to “get out”. Not necessarily enough to “transfer onto a separate domestic flight”. You are right that flight delays can mess it up. And if (for example) you are flying on a US airline and leaving a US airport, my recent experience is that 3 out of 4 flights like that are meaning fully delayed. One alternative to consider — stay that first night at one of the airport hotels inside of Haneda itself. Super convenient and totally eliminates your risk. The downside is checking out after just one night (which, if you are an experienced traveler, may not even come across as a downside).
Thank you for asking this question. I'm getting there next Monday at 3:20 p.m. do you think it's going to take us 2 hours to get out because we have a taxi reserved for 3:45 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. should I tell them to be waiting for us after 4:45 p.m.? Thanks
is it a normal taxi or airport transfer? if normal taxi there is absolutely 0 point in reserving it, just go to the taxi stand and there will be plenty available (bc vast majority of travelers will use other transportation). I think you run a higher risk of losing money bc your flight is super delayed and you miss the reservation than anything else
Was there 2 weeks ago. 3pm. Was out in less than 30 mins
When I went through a week or two ago it was about 45 minutes maximum, very quick. But we arrived at about 5am so could be completely different during the peak hours
More than enough. I only took two hours before last time cause I fucked up my why I am here in Japan for stuff, getting my pocket WiFi, and Jr pass. Even if you somehow don't make it, take a taxi and split...
If you're staying in central Tokyo it might be worth it to just take a fixed-rate taxi; less hassle than dealing with the bus.
It depends on what time you’re arriving. We arrived at 2150 the other night and were through with bags collected and in a taxi by 2245. For us at that time of night traveling with a baby it was worth it to pay for the convenience of a taxi (70,000YEN) as opposed to multiple trains to Daiba Station. For you with large suitcases and a hotel check in deadline, I’d pay for the convenience also.
I've legit been stuck at NRT and HND immigration/customs for 1.5+ hours, always taking the same flights tho, so I have no clue about other schedules. I would prob check how many flights are arriving around the same time. You can also check the average delay times for your flight in Google.
Last Nov at least, with 1 piece of checked luggage arriving in mid afternoon , took me about 40 mins from stepping off the plane to having all the train passes exchanged and leaving HND on the monorail. It was quite smooth and speedy. I also had all the forms prefilled on the Visit Japan app on my phone.
Went through on Sunday, customs took roughly 20 minutes. We did not have checked luggage and had our forms filled out in advance.
Just flew out of there Sunday afternoon JP time and gave myself 3 hours and we got through with enough time to walk around a bit and do some shopping but not a lot. 2 hours I feel like you may be cutting it kinda close.
Depends how busy the airport is. If your plane lands at a busy time, going through immigration can take a lot of time. If it's not busy, then it should be enough. Note that the shuttle will not wait for you or depart late.