Sometimes the cheapest airline tickets to Japan require someone to go through Narita airport, even if you come from a major airport such as Kansai International. At first thought, a 7 or 8 hour layover in Narita Airport can seem like a daunting pile of steaming boredom. However, there are some really great ways to make use of your time, and some of them are quite inexpensive to boot!
If you have kids with you, or don’t mind a bit of shopping before heading back to your land of origin, or moving on to the next leg of your trip, you can always take an inexpensive bus ride to Aeon Mall.
Aeon is a huge company in Japan with malls all over. One of their huge malls is near Narita Airport.
The best way to get to the mall from the airport is to take the “Narita City Round Bus”. The buses they use all look like old time trolleys. They are red and green.
The ride to the Narita Aeon Mall is about 15 to 20 minutes. The bus stops at both the No. 1 and No. 2 passenger terminals at Narita Airport. It is a loop line so if you happen to miss the mall stop (hard to miss though) you can still get back where you need to go.
The bus only costs 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children (children under elementary school age ride free). The bus also stops at the famous Naritasan temples and parks area for a more peaceful, cultural adventure.
If you are with kids, need a less expensive bite to eat than what is offered at the airport, the Narita Aeon Mall may be the place for you though.
There are several restaurants ranging from the inexpensive Italian style restaurantchain “Saizeriya” to a Hard Rock Cafe. There are also lots of cafes including American chains Tullys and Starbucks, as well as more Japanese style places. There are also fast and faster food shops such as McDonalds, Mister Donut, udon (buckwheat noodle) shops, 31 Flavors Baskin Robbins, and even a bibimbap restaurant if you are in the mood for Korean food.
There are tons of shops, drug stores, a Sanrio shop for last minute gifts, nail and hair salons, and even an arcade.
You can easily save the 400 yen for a ride to the mall and back in how much less you will pay for food there than at the airport. An all day pass is also available for 500 yen (250 yen for kids elementary school aged and above) that will allow for some further exploration of the Narita area.
When I was traveling with small kids once and had a 7 hour layover at Narita, I have to say that going to Aeon made the time go buy so fast that we found ourselves rushing back to the shuttle bus to make it in time.
That brings me to my parting message which is that when you are spending you Narita Airport layover at the Aeon Mall, please be sure to check the bus times so that you don’t end up taking a $30 taxi ride back to the airport to make your flight! Happy layovering!
Is really good