Narita to Haneda - Transfer and visa

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goodMXguy

New Member
Hi.

I am traveling PHL/ORD/NRT/HND/BKK. I have 4 hours layover in Tokyo to travel between NRT and HND. What kind of visa do I need to transfer between the two terminals in Japan?

I am Mexican with Green card. My wife is American. Both of countries have visa reciprocity with Japan for 90 days. However, we are not tourists, but just mere in-transit travelers. I am confused between:

TWOV (Transit Without Visa), Shore Pass/Transit Pass, and turist visa for this part of the trip.

If someone can help with pointing out to the right visa for this case I will appreciate it.

BTW! The entire trip (with open jaw) is NYC/ORD/NRT/HND/BKK. Then BKK/NRT/ORD/YUL. We paid $370 x person instead of our original reservation for $680 with UA (Which was already good). Granted, we still need to find YUL to NYC, but we can use miles for that last part and visit Montreal in the summer! You can still find this price, but with a longer layover in US (FYI).
 
italdesign

italdesign

Level 2 Member
You enter as a tourist for the purpose of transiting. I did the exact thing a few months ago as US citizen. No problem.

Most importantly, don't fold the arrival card or you will be reprimanded by the immigration officer.
 
G

goodMXguy

New Member
OK. Thanks for sharing your experience italdesign! I have 4 hours to get from Narita to Haneda. Did you have a tight schedule as well? I read somewhere that you can document your luggage in Narita so you don't have carry the luggage to Haneda. Did you have luggage? Thanks for the tips!


italdesign said:
You enter as a tourist for the purpose of transiting. I did the exact thing a few months ago as US citizen. No problem.

Most importantly, don't fold the arrival card or you will be reprimanded by the immigration officer.
Click to expand...
 
Maverick17

Maverick17

Level 2 Member
I've done this a few times. As italdesign mentions, there is no trouble with visas. The immigration counter is used to the transfer process. They will often want to know your departure flight info though, so keep a copy of your itinerary handy. (ETA: I have never had to show it, just mean keeping it handy if you need to know what to tell them.)

The easiest way to go between the terminals if you have luggage is on the bus. They depart frequently and you buy a ticket in the arrivals lobby after getting your bags and clearing customs. You have to handle your luggage to the bus, but then you just hop on and arrive at HND awhile later, no transfers. I travel alone and with only a small bag, so I take the train as I enjoy it much more. It's not tough, but involves two or three transfers, so with luggage or kids it can be more work.

There is a long FT thread on the exact details of the transfer as well. But I've not heard of the "documenting" your luggage part.
 
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G

goodMXguy

New Member
Awesome Maverick17! I will try to take the subway then. I travel light most of the times so I will just do that. I contacted ANA via Email asking about checking luggage in Narita. If they say it's possible I will comment in this post so others can have this information.

Maverick17 said:
I've done this a few times. As italdesign mentions, there is no trouble with visas. The immigration counter is used to the transfer process. They will often want to know your departure flight info though, so keep a copy of your itinerary handy.

The easiest way to go between the terminals if you have luggage is on the bus. They depart frequently and you buy a ticket in the arrivals lobby after getting your bags and clearing customs. You have to handle your luggage to the bus, but then you just hop on and arrive at HND awhile later, no transfers. I travel alone and with only a small bag, so I take the train as I enjoy it much more. It's not tough, but involves two or three transfers, so with luggage or kids it can be more work.

There is a long FT thread on the exact details of the transfer as well. But I've not heard of the "documenting" your luggage part.
Click to expand...
 
Bury

Bury

Level 2 Member
While train is certainly an option, I did this transfer a while back and found the Limousine Bus to be painless.

If for whatever reason your flight into NRT is early and your flight out of HND is late, you may be able to use the same lockers we used to check your luggage pre-security and visit the town briefly.
 
G

goodMXguy

New Member
Hi Bury.
Thanks for your comment! I have no time to explore, but I am sure others will find this information useful.

Bury said:
While train is certainly an option, I did this transfer a while back and found the Limousine Bus to be painless.

If for whatever reason your flight into NRT is early and your flight out of HND is late, you may be able to use the same lockers we used to check your luggage pre-security and visit the town briefly.
Click to expand...
 
Maverick17

Maverick17

Level 2 Member
goodMXguy said:
I will try to take the subway then.
Click to expand...
While I enjoy the train and subway more, the bus is faster. So if your flight is late at all, and/or immigration is unusually long, you might just hop on the bus. Also you might want to check the train schedule ahead of time via hyperdia to see how the trains match up with your arrival time. A 4 hour layover is enough time for either, but it's not tons of time if there are any delays.
 
G

goodMXguy

New Member
Maverick17. Thanks for adding information. I arrive at 8:20 PM and depart at 12:25 AM Probably it's best to just get the faster option so I don't get stranded in Japan :) Thanks for sharing "hyperdia".

Maverick17 said:
While I enjoy the train and subway more, the bus is faster. So if your flight is late at all, and/or immigration is unusually long, you might just hop on the bus. Also you might want to check the train schedule ahead of time via hyperdia to see how the trains match up with your arrival time. A 4 hour layover is enough time for either, but it's not tons of time if there are any delays.
Click to expand...
 
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G

goodMXguy

New Member
Hi.

I just wanted to thank you all. Bury, Italdesign, and Maverick17. It was very easy to go from one terminal to the next. No traffic, issues, nothing. Just a pleasant commute. I used the bus service. The bus was on time, no surprises, happy customer :)
 
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