A Narita layover by car: Naritasan temple and the old town of Sawara
Narita Airport is far from Tokyo, and that is exactly why a layover here can be worth leaving the terminal for. Two of the most rewarding places in the region are close to the runway: Naritasan Shinshoji, one of the great temples of eastern Japan, and Sawara, a canal town that still looks the way it did two centuries ago. With a car waiting at arrivals, a layover of six hours or more is enough to see one of them properly, and eight or more to see both. Here is how to plan it so the only thing you worry about is lunch.
Can you leave the airport on a layover?
Yes, if you can enter Japan. Leaving the airport means passing immigration and customs, so you need a passport that allows you to enter, and many nationalities can visit for a short stay without a visa. Check the rules for your own passport before you travel. Allow about an hour after landing to get through, longer at busy times, and plan to be back at the terminal at least two hours before an international departure, or earlier if your airline asks for it.
Naritasan Shinshoji: twenty minutes from the terminal
Founded more than a thousand years ago, Naritasan Shinshoji is a vast temple complex on a wooded hill, with a great main hall, a three storey pagoda painted in deep red and gold, and a large garden of ponds and paths behind it. Most visitors come up the Omotesando, a street of old wooden shops famous for grilled eel, which is the dish to eat in Narita. By car the temple is about fifteen to twenty minutes from the airport terminals. Two to three hours is a relaxed visit including lunch.
Sawara: Edo era canals, forty minutes away
Sawara grew rich in the Edo period by shipping rice and soy sauce to Tokyo along its canal, and the merchant houses, willows and stone bridges along the Ono River are still there. It is one of the most atmospheric old towns within reach of Tokyo, and far quieter than the famous ones. Small boats take visitors along the canal, weather permitting, and the house and museum of Ino Tadataka, who mapped Japan on foot, are on the waterfront. By car Sawara is about thirty to forty minutes from the airport, which puts it beyond most layovers by train but well within reach by car.
How many hours you need
For Naritasan alone, plan on a layover of at least six hours: one to get out, twenty minutes each way, two to three hours at the temple and on the Omotesando, and two hours back at the airport before departure. For Sawara and Naritasan together, eight hours or more is comfortable. The temple halls and most shops on the approach close in the late afternoon, so a daytime layover works best. If your connection is tight, stay in the terminal: no temple is worth a missed flight.
What happens to your luggage
If your bags are checked through to your final destination, you only carry your cabin luggage, and it can stay locked in the car with your chauffeur while you visit. If you have to collect your bags, the car takes them too. Your chauffeur meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board, tracks your inbound flight, and has you back at the departures level with time to spare.
Not a layover? Add Naritasan to your transfer
The same stop works on any arrival at Narita. Instead of going straight into Tokyo, stop at Naritasan for an hour or two on the way, have eel for lunch on the Omotesando, and continue to your hotel. A Narita transfer to central Tokyo starts from ¥43,000 for the car, and a stop like this is quoted by the hour on top. For a layover that starts and ends at the airport, tell us your arrival and departure times and we confirm a fixed price in writing. Your chauffeur can speak English, Italian, Spanish, French or Japanese.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do on a layover at Narita?
With six hours or more and the right to enter Japan, you can visit Naritasan Shinshoji temple and its Omotesando street, about twenty minutes from the airport by car. With eight hours or more, you can add the canal town of Sawara.
How long a layover do I need to leave Narita Airport?
At least six hours for Naritasan, allowing about an hour for immigration, the visit, and two hours back at the airport before an international departure. Eight hours or more for Naritasan and Sawara together.
How far is Naritasan Shinshoji from Narita Airport?
About fifteen to twenty minutes by car from the terminals. Sawara is about thirty to forty minutes.
What do I do with my luggage during a Narita layover?
Checked bags usually travel through to your destination. Cabin bags can stay locked in the car with your chauffeur while you visit.
Can I visit Naritasan on the way from Narita to Tokyo?
Yes. We can stop at Naritasan for an hour or two during your Narita transfer to Tokyo, quoted in writing before you travel.