You may not really mind, even realize where you are touching down when you arrive in Tokyo for the first time. Choosing the gateway airport is very important since it dominates the impression of the country if it is your first time of the visit. The difference of Haneda and Narita may something equal to Heathrow and Gatwick if you put it in London. After a long flight from Europe over 10 hours, it will make a huge difference physically and psychologically depending on which airport you are arriving and even it matters when you wrap up your journey in Tokyo. In this newsletter I will write about the advantage and disadvantage of both airports, and I hope this will give you clearer picture when you make a planning your journey to Japan via Tokyo.
Geographies Difference
The location is the most important to decide the cost and time. Haneda Airport was opened more than 90 years ago in 1931 and it was the first commercial airport in Japan. In 1978 most of the international flights shifted to Narita Airport due to high demand of international flights. All passengers had to use Narita Airport until 2010 when the new international terminal in Haneda Airport started the operation. Direct distance from Tokyo Station to Haneda International Terminal is 14 kilometers and to Narita Airport Terminal 1 is 57 kilometers. So, there is no question Haneda Airport is much easier physically and cheaper in cost.
Accessibility and Costs
Accessibility to Narita Airport used to be really bad when I traveled abroad for the first time more than 40 years ago. There were a few options by trains and buses, and I felt it took ages to get to the airport. It was a whole day event to see somebody off at Narita Airport. Now everything has been improved such as time, costs, frequency and comfortability.
You can choose Keisei or JR East for trains and you can get to Tokyo station in just over one hour by Narita Express. Even by Keisei Skyliner you can make to Tokyo station in just less than an hour, even though you have to transfer at Nippori station. If you choose bus, there are lots of destinations from Narita Airport to major cities in Kanto area. But the most convenient bus from Narita Airport to Tokyo station is Keisei Bus which takes you to Tokyo station in 90 minutes (subject to change by congestion). The bus service is every 20 minutes.
Regarding the cost of transportation, price is as follows from expensive to cheaper.
Train (Narita Express) >>Train (Keisei Skyliner) >>Bus
For coming to Tokyo the easiest and cheapest choice is a bus to Tokyo Station. Keisei Skyliner is not very expensive, but you have to transfer with your baggage. It takes a bit of time, but it is the cheapest and it will take you all the way to Tokyo station without transferring. But for coming to central Tokyo please be aware that congestion may delay your arrival.
From Haneda Airport to Tokyo Station, the easiest way to Tokyo station is either by Monorail and JR (transferring at Hamamatsucyo) or Keikyu Line and JR (transferring at Shinagawa). Either way it only takes 30 minutes. Monorail and JR route is easier because of a shorter connection to transfer. Same as Narita Airport, access from Haneda Airport to other cities in the Kanto area is easy by bus. If you are going to another major terminal Shinjuku, there is frequent bus service to BUSTA (Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal) with 1,250 Yen, which is relatively expensive.
Transferring
If you are transferring to another part of Japan, especially smaller cities in Kyusyu and Shikoku, you should choose Haneda because of the frequency and connection of domestic flights. There are connecting flights in Narita, but your choice is much limited.
But if you are using LCC=Low Cost Carrier, Peach Aviation (MM), Vanilla Air (JW) and Jetstar Japan (GK) Narita has most of domestic service from Narita Airport.
Choice of Airline Company
If you have a priority on carrier, restriction of the arrival and departure airport may occur. For instance, choosing an airline company among the Gulf states, Emirates flies both Haneda and Narita, but Qatar and Ethihad only fly to Narita (This is as of 25th May and this may subject to change). When you search be aware that the difference of airports ends up with big burden if you are visiting for the first time. Narita Airport used to be described as “New Tokyo International Airport”, but geographically it is located in Chiba prefecture and it isn’t in Tokyo.
Finally, elements when you decide
There are complicated factors, and it all depends on which factor you think important.
Easiness: Definitely it is Haneda Airport, and you will save money and time.
Costs: The difference of costs depends on how you compare. If you compare the cheapest cost to travel to Tokyo from the airport, Haneda is roughly 800 Yen cheaper, but it is true that you have more choices to buy cheaper air tickets to Narita, which will make up.
Comfortability: Narita Airport has much more space and places to sit and rest. If you have to spend long hours at the airport, Narita Airport may be your choice and you may even have time to explore. If you consider the airport as embarking place, Haneda Airport will be enough.
There is no perfect decision regarding airport and it all depends who travels and what to look at. Gathering as much information as possible is the most important to make your satisfying decision.