This post was inspired by a DM I received from a parent who was trying to work out the logistics from her accommodation into Tokyo from Haneda Airport.
I was looking at her plan and my eyes were growing wider and wider the more she told me (no exaggeration)*this is also for a night arrival and for a family changing time zones.
“So first we take the monorail to Hamamatsucho station and then change for the Yamanote line, right?
Then hope off a Okachimachi and then it’s a 10 min walk to our accommodation.. we have large suitcases and backpacks…”
Absolutely not.
That first night.
Nope.
Let me mother everyone for a second.
You will all be exhausted after a flight (and immigration etc too.)
Take advantage of the fact you were able to fly into Haneda instead of Narita.
Go to the taxi rank outside of arrivals.
Take a taxi door to door.
It will cost 8000-9000 yen to pretty much anywhere in central Tokyo and will take approximately 30 mins.
For me, that cost is part of the flight costs for that first day. You can start being cost savvy in the morning on day 2 (have one convenience store breakfast or lunch and a family restaurant meal and you’re back on budget.)
If you’re in an airbnb in Tokyo then taking a taxi door to door is even MORE important as you don’t want to be worrying about google maps and contacting a host etc.
If you’re having a hard time justifying the cost to yourself or your partner.. I encourage you to think of it this way…
– The start of the holiday sets the tone of the holiday. If you’re wheeling a suitcase around and then lugging it up and down stairs changing platforms etc then you will feel like “will the whole time here be this hard?” and your kids will think that too!
So imagine you’re sweaty and hungry and grumpy and you’re about to put your suitcase and a child along a big long walkway between stations and I said “ok how about now! You give me 2,250 yen per person for your family of four and I can magically transport you to your hotel door right now!” Trust me – you’d take it! (in case you didn’t follow me – I just divided 9000 yen by 4 to get that amount.)
If you still want to try it a cheaper way here are your options
Get a pen. Write this all down so you can compare at the end.
1) Check the access page of your accommodation website and see what they recommend. Use google maps to calculate train costs (x no. of people) and timing.
2) Look at the Airport Limousine Bus timetable (careful as they don’t run all night so look at the times.) Look at where it stops in the area you are staying. You don’t have to be staying at the hotel where the bus stops. You get out there and walk or take a short cab the rest of the way. Airport Limousine Buses have free wifi and a toilet on board.
3) Look at the cost to stay at a hotel next to Haneda airport and take public transport in the morning.
4) Get a quote from a private driver and see which appeals the most (It can be so nice to have someone waiting at arrivals with a sign and this company also will do car seats for you – which you won’t get in a taxi.) This company offer a full service transfer (providing child seats, pre-meetings with clients online so that they can match their needs and the kind of holiday they are after. I’ve also been so impressed how helpful they have been with helping my family problem solve regarding best times to travel and what my family needs. I love that they are also only use legally registered drivers and vehicles. Prices match the other legally registered companies offering similar services BUT with a much higher end service and with options such as baby and child-seats. I highly recommend.
So to sum up – take the taxi.
Come out of the airport. Collect your pocket wifi if you’re getting it (or have it shipped to your hotel to meet you there).
Don’t mess around with suica cards etc (do it on the app or just do it tomorrow!)
We always go to the 7-Eleven in the airport for kids to eat the fried chicken because they love it so much. Everyone stops to pee. We go to the cab rank.
Done!
See my advice here on taking a taxi with more than 4 people.
