I have never been to Japan before and neither speak nor read Japanese. I will be travelling with a four year old and a two year old and really need good advice as to how to get from Narita to Yokosuka. Our flight arrives at 6:30am and even though there is a direct train (3hr plus trip) to Yokosuka, I do not know if this is the best option for us. Everyone I know has tried to discourage me from driving but I can't help but think that at least then the kids will be restrained instead of possibly running around madly on a train. I am also concerned with the fact that it will be peak hour and what about the crush of people? My plan was to catch the Airport limousine bus to Yokohama City Air Terminal (YCAT) and hire a car from there but as I am not familiar with the area, I do not know where the closest Hertz office would be so instead, I plan to catch the bus to Haneda and drive from there. It apparently puts me about 1 - 1 1/2 hours away from my destination which doesn't seem so daunting if I drive. This way, I also miss the peak hour traffic from Narita, someone else is doing the driving.
I would really appreciate any and all advice that any of you are willing to offer.
Thank you in advance,
Titania Oberg
Sydney
Australia

Take the direct train. There are just too many chances for problems to arise otherwise. Maybe in Australia you could deal with it but in a country where you don't speak the language and don't know the area, it's not likely to be an easy trip. Most Japanese people wouldn't even attempt that route. Besides, I can't think of anything worse than being lost in Tokyo, after being on a plane all night, with 2 kids asking "Are we there yet?"

Hi Titania,

You can take the direct and slow train with non-reclining hard seats all the way from Narita Airport to Yokosuka, but I suggest you take the luxurious and comfy Narita Express train to Yokohama Station. The first one for Yokohama leaves at 8:17 and takes 1 hr 40 min to Yokohama. Then change to JR Yokosuka Line which is probably a platform away. It's a 45 min. ride to Yokosuka Station. At the airport, purchase your tickets at a counter so that they can issue it correctly, through to Yokosuka.

You can also take the comfy Limosine Bus to YCAT which is connected to the JR Station building, but you'll have to walk further, and queue in front of the crowded ticket vending machines at Yokohama.

You can try driving, but speaking of rush hours, it exists on the roads as well. Merging around Yokohama Station is tricky, as well as the highway from Haneda which is adventurous enough to have been used as location on the Blade Runner movie. If you know the roads, I'd say it's an option considering you have small children, but I wouldn't recommend it to a first-timer.

If you do insist on taking the road, take a taxi from Yokohama. The fare is probably less than 10000 yen from either YCAT or Yokohama Station.

Bon Voyage!

I'd like to add that most trains on the Yokosuka Line has the "Green Car" seats which is kind of like first class, where the fare will be slightly higher, but there will be less or no crowd.

Also, I'd like to appologize for mentioning a train departure time without even confirming your arrival date. But you can use it as reference.

Dear Lara and Yuko,
Thanks so much for your replies. I can see now that taking the road is simply a foolish notion, I must have made that decision whilst on something - lol!
I must say that I have been quite apprehensive about driving but I thought that having to manage two kids, luggage and the idea of changing trains more than I could handle. If it is only a platform away, then that sounds quite manageable.
Thanks so much Yuko for the train schedule as it fits in perfectly with our arrival time of 6:30am. From what I can recall, the direct train leaves at 8am but the luxurious and comfy Narita Express train sounds far more appealing. Is a 'Green Car' much the same thing?
I was given some advice today about catching the Airport Limousine Bus to TCAT and getting on a train to Yokosuka from there, any thoughts on this option? I wonder if it equates to the same amount of walking as from YCAT to the train and the same issues about buying a ticket?
Thanks so much again and I really appreciate how quickly you responded to my query. If you ever come to Australia and need some help, please don't hesitate to email me.
Cheers,
Titania

Dear Lara and Yuko,
Thanks so much for your replies. I can see now that taking the road is simply a foolish notion, I must have made that decision whilst on something - lol!
I must say that I have been quite apprehensive about driving but I thought that having to manage two kids, luggage and the idea of changing trains more than I could handle. If it is only a platform away, then that sounds quite manageable.
Thanks so much Yuko for the train schedule as it fits in perfectly with our arrival time of 6:30am. From what I can recall, the direct train leaves at 8am but the luxurious and comfy Narita Express train sounds far more appealing. Is a 'Green Car' much the same thing?
I was given some advice today about catching the Airport Limousine Bus to TCAT and getting on a train to Yokosuka from there, any thoughts on this option? I wonder if it equates to the same amount of walking as from YCAT to the train and the same issues about buying a ticket?
Thanks so much again and I really appreciate how quickly you responded to my query. If you ever come to Australia and need some help, please don't hesitate to email me.
Cheers,
Titania

Sorry for the fact that I have posted the same reply twice, my computer had kittens; since nothing was happening I hit the cancel post option and lo and behold, it posted it twice - modern technology, you can't live with it and you can't live without it! :)
Have a Great Day!

Hi Titania,

>From what I can recall, the direct train leaves at 8am
> but the luxurious and
> comfy Narita Express train sounds far more appealing. Is a
> 'Green Car' much the same thing?

First of all, I'd like to remind you that I mentioned the September departure time, so please be sure to up-date your time table although there won't be a great difference in time.

About the seats, the Narita Express (NEX) is one of those high-quality express trains that has soft aircraft type seats fit for longer journeys. But the Yokosuka Line local train is a commuter train, and the seats are usually more of a subway type. Some newer coaches might have better seats for the Green Car section, but often, even in the Green Car the seats are hard. And most of all, mind you that while the direct train from the airport takes only about 15 minutes extra, it will stop every 5 minutes, meaning more "Are we there yet?"s.

Anyway, when boarding the slow Yokosuka Line train, whether it is at the airport or at Yokohama, if the train comes in and the ordinary seats seem to be okay for you, you can stick to that. If you prefer the Green Car, you can just choose an unoccupied seat there, and when the conducter comes, you can pay the additional Green Car fare to him inside the train.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask any station staff in uniform. They will tell you precisely where to stand at the platform in order to get the right seats.

Also, here is some additional info on airport transportation in general.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html

And the JR East website. Click "Maps of Station Premises" and then "Yokohama Station". I'm wondering maybe you won't even have to change platforms when changing trains at Yokohama.

> I was given some advice today about catching the Airport
> Limousine Bus to TCAT and getting on a train to Yokosuka
> from there, any thoughts on this option?

I'm not sure if that really benefits you compared to the other options, because from TCAT you will have to take the subway to a Yokosuka Line station, which means an extra changing of trains and going through ticket gates. See the TCAT site for yourself.
http://www.tcat-hakozaki.co.jp/eng/access/index.html

Btw, the Narita Express requires reservation. Coming from the airport, it's very easy to make last-minute reservations. But when going back to the airport, you should try to make reservations at least a day or two in advance. Of course you do still have other transportations though.

Dear Yuko,
I just wanted to thank you for your help and am asking you to wish me luck, we leave tonight so all fingers crossed ;)
Many thanks again and if I can ever return the favour, don't hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Titania

hello,
I d like to rent a car to drive in Tokyo. But I don t know any places where people can speak in english.If someone knows!?it d help me big time!!!
(around shibuya is the best)
thank you...
julie

look in the English Language Yellow
Pages under Auto Leasing. Call or
visit the Nippon Rental Service in
Shibuya they will get you going.
3485-7196. Nippon used to have a
English Language Help Desk but no
more but for sure they can find
someone that can talk with you. Or
call the display ads in the auto
leasing section, If they advertise in
an English magazine they are praying
you will call.

For car hire in Japan I highly recommend on-line booking via Club Tocoo (http://www2.tocoo.jp/english/). We booked a Mazda at a huge discount to normal rates and were very happy with the service. All booking is in English and online booking is very easy to use.

To those of you from places where one drives on the other side of the road/car, is it foolish to rent a car the first week I arrive in Japan? I will be travelling from Kochi to Nikko alone, but then back to Kochi with four passengers (including my 3-year-old) 3 days later.

Well, my first experience riding in a car here in Japan was a bit frightening. It took a few weeks of observation to really adjust for me. I don't know if I would do that the first week after I arrived unless you really needed to.

The hardest part for me was turning in traffic. If you will be driving on highways it might be fine and give you time to adjust your thinking. Make sure you have your international license, though it is only a legality and doesn't give you any instruction.

Have you ever been here before or are you familiar with the signage? If not you might want to find a way to review the signs and general rules of the road. They are pretty common sense but it would still do you good to know that a blue arrow means "one-way" and red triangle means "stop".

Driving itself once you get the hang of it isn't too bad, I think.
Leese

Diane Daly wrote:

"To those of you from places where one
drives on the other side of the road/car, is
it foolish to rent a car the first week I
arrive in Japan? I will be travelling from
Kochi to Nikko alone, but then back to
Kochi with four passengers (including my
3-year-old) 3 days later."

Driving on the other side of the road will
be the least of your problems.

I have been driving in Japan for over 20
years, read Japanese, study maps as a
special hobby, and I'm not a timid driver in
any sense, but if the Kochi you refer to is
on Shikoku Island and Nikko is the one in
Northern Japan, I wouldn't even consider it
unless I had a co-driver who could also
read both Japanese and maps.

And even then I probably wouldn't bother.
Trains are just so much more comfortable
_and_ cheaper. Much better to doze or
read a book than fight insane traffic and
poor to non-existent route signage.

Of course, if the car has "Car-Navi" it
would help, but will you be able to set it
up in Japanese or are you sufficiently
versed in programming such devices that
it won't be an issue (still, the place names
will be in Japanese).

So, I guess my short opinion is, yes,
foolish, if the locations are more than an
hour apart.

Joe

Hi Diane,

I definitely agree with Joe. If you're going to drive, rent cars only between resorts and it's nearest express train stations or airports.

For the main portions of your lengthly travel, express trains or flight are most convenient. But in the countryside, cars can be convenient and easy to drive ONLY if you don't get stuck in the terrible summer resort traffic.

My family used to travel with a 3 year old between Yokohama (near Tokyo) and Nasu (near Nikko), so I know.

Too true about the navigation part! I guess I was thinking only of the mechanics of hopping on a highway and driving straight, getting off, staying on one road and return.

We have an "English" navigation system in our car. Hmm. That is it speaks in English and the menus are in English but both DH and I had a heck of a time trying to figure it out. We are both "techys" and know our way around on the computer but it took us a while to figure it out. In order to program a location in we must be able to place it on the map ourselves OR read Kanji.

The road tolls can eat up a good portion of your budget, too. Depending on your need for a car and the number of people, like Joe said, trains might be a better transportation method.

Leese