Last Updated on July 28, 2026
Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links.
During Japan’s Golden Week holiday, I stayed at ANA Crowne Plaza Narita by IHG with my family. This hotel is located near Narita Airport.
Instead of simply staying near the airport, we enjoyed Narita Airport itself as part of our trip. From riding the Skyliner to exploring the newly renovated areas in Terminal 1, this guide shares our experience, including the hotel stay, airport highlights, and practical tips.
What to Expect in This Article:
- How to travel from Tokyo to Narita Airport using the Skyliner
- Exploring Narita Airport Terminal 2, including dining, shopping, and the observation deck
- Staying at ANA Crowne Plaza Narita by IHG with an airport-view room
- Enjoying the hotel breakfast buffet and airport atmosphere
- Discovering the newly renovated GARDEN WALK and SHIKISAI GARDEN in Terminal 1
- Practical tips for making the most of your time at Narita Airport
About this trip:
| Route | Nippori Station to Narita Airport Terminal 2/3 *Nippori Station is about 11 minutes from Tokyo Station by JR train. |
| Travel time | About 36 min (one way) |
| Train | Keisei Skyliner |
| One-way fare | ¥2,580 (approx. $15.9 / €13.9) *Price includes both the basic fare and the Skyliner limited express ticket. |
| Hotel | ANA Crowne Plaza Narita by IHG |
| Room type | 2 Single Beds Standard High Floor Airport View room |
Riding the Skyliner to Narita Airport
The Skyliner is a high-speed train from central Tokyo to Narita Airport, taking around 40 minutes. It’s one of the easiest and most comfortable ways to reach the airport.
Although the Skyliner starts from Ueno, I usually board it at Nippori Station because transferring from the JR lines is more convenient there. Inside JR Nippori Station, you’ll find convenience stores and the ecute shopping area, where you can easily pick up local sweets, drinks, and light meals before your journey.
Travel Tip:
Since transferring between JR Ueno Station and Keisei Ueno Station involves a short walk, I find it easier to board the Skyliner at Nippori Station. However, if you’re transferring from the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, boarding the Skyliner from Ueno Station may be the more convenient option.
Skyliner Tickets and Boarding Guide
The Skyliner is fully reserved, and tickets can be bought online or at stations. I traveled during Golden Week, so I booked my seat online in advance to be safe. When I checked on the day of travel, the train we had planned to take was already fully booked.
At the Skyliner platform at Nippori Station, there was a waiting room where passengers could escape the heat or cold, as well as vending machines for drinks and snacks. There were no lines at all for the vending machines, so it was easy to pick up a quick refreshment before boarding. However, all of the seats in the waiting area were occupied, and even the benches outside the waiting room were full.
Travel Tip:
After entering the Keisei Line ticket gates, follow the signs to the dedicated Skyliner gate, which leads directly to the platform.
One thing I like about the Skyliner is that all seats are reserved, so I never have to worry about finding a seat after boarding.
When traveling toward Narita Airport, the luggage area is located at the front end of each car. There was still plenty of space, and it wasn’t overflowing with suitcases. The seats are much more spacious than those in economy class on an airplane, so small bags can easily be kept at your feet.
Which Seat to Choose
As we departed for Narita, we caught a glimpse of Tokyo Skytree on the right-hand side. I rode in an even-numbered seat in Car 2 and was able to enjoy the passing scenery without the window frame blocking my view.
The journey from Nippori to Narita Airport on the Skyliner is quite short, but it was a smooth and enjoyable ride. On the way, you can catch glimpses of everyday life in Japan, with residential houses, several rivers, and suburban shopping malls passing by on both sides. Even though the ride didn’t take long, it already felt like part of the journey itself.
Exploring Narita Terminal 2
The Skyliner we took stopped only at Ueno, Nippori, Narita Airport Terminal 2·3, and Narita Airport Terminal 1.
After passing Lake Inba, the train soon arrived at Narita Airport Terminal 2·3 Station.
As soon as we stepped out of the ticket gates, the airport was bustling with travelers. Some were about to board flights to faraway places, while others had just arrived to begin their stay in Japan. Watching them, I couldn’t help feeling a little excited, as if I were one of the travelers myself.
If you take the escalator beyond the check-in counters, you’ll find the restaurant and shopping area. This area is open to everyone, including visitors like us who didn’t have plane tickets.
Lunch at CAFE & DINING N’s COURT
To avoid the lunchtime rush, we headed to the restaurant a little before noon. There are a few restaurants in Terminal 2 with views of the runway, but this time we chose CAFE & DINING N’s COURT because the menu looked especially good.
Although the restaurant did not overlook the runway, it offered plenty of seating and wide aisles, creating a spacious and comfortable atmosphere. Even around lunchtime, it never felt crowded during our visit.
As you might expect from an airport restaurant, the prices were a little higher than average, but the portions were generous. I ordered the roast beef rice bowl, and the tender slices of beef went beautifully with the creamy soft-boiled egg and the soy sauce-based onion sauce. Enjoying it with the fresh green onions and a bowl of miso soup made the meal even more satisfying.
The other dishes we ordered, including the hamburger steak, fried shrimp, and tonkatsu set, also arrived piping hot and looked delicious. With power outlets available as well, I thought this would be a comfortable spot for travelers to take a break and relax for a while.
Shopping and the Observation Deck
Near the restaurant, there were several shops selling uniquely Japanese items that would make great souvenirs. Our first stop was the stationery storeItoya, famous in Japan for its stylish notebooks, pens, and paper goods.
The shop was filled with tempting items, including notebooks featuring Narita Airport designs, high-quality pens, and traditional Japanese origami. I bought a cute postcard to send to a friend.
Since we still had time before the shuttle bus arrived, we explored a few more shops, including the SQUARE ENIX POP UP STORE and a store selling Tokyo Banana treats.
We also made our way to the observation deck on the fourth floor, as we wanted to make the most of our visit to the airport.
Although the runway was some distance away, we could watch aircraft slowly taxiing before departure and after arrival.
Terminal 2 has two observation decks, and each has two access routes: one with stairs and one with a ramp. Please keep this in mind when choosing your route. I didn’t realize there was a ramp-access route, so I ended up carrying my suitcase up the stairs.
ANA Crowne Plaza Narita
ANA Crowne Plaza Narita by IHG is a hotel near Narita Airport where guests can book a room with airport views and take advantage of the hotel’s complimentary airport shuttle. The bus leaves from Bus Stop No. 25 on the first floor.
To avoid any possible rush for the shuttle bus, we arrived at the bus stop about 30 minutes in advance. However, Terminal 2 mainly serves arrivals from other parts of Asia, and there didn’t seem to be many people heading to Narita hotels at that time. In fact, there was no one else waiting at the bus stop.
The shuttle bus arrived right on schedule, stopped at Terminal 1 along the way, and reached the hotel in about 25 minutes.
At Terminal 1, a few passengers boarded the bus, but there was still plenty of space available. The driver also kindly asked the people waiting nearby if anyone else was going to ANA Crowne Plaza Narita.
Our Airport View Room
We arrived at the hotel right at check-in time, 3:00 p.m. I finally headed up to our room. We stayed in a 2 Single Beds Standard High Floor Airport View room.
I especially liked that the booking page clearly showed whether each room offered an airport view or a forest view, making it easy to choose the view we wanted.
From our room, we could see the Marroad International Hotel Narita, which is even closer to the runways. This hotel also offers airport-view rooms, but they are only available as double rooms. As we needed two beds for our stay, we chose the Crowne Plaza instead. The Marroad would still be a good option for solo travelers or families with a small child.
The view from our window was one of the highlights of our stay. We watched many planes take off beyond the apron in front of us and also spotted several aircraft approaching from the right, looking surprisingly large as they came in for landing.
The bathroom was not the Japanese-style separate type, but it was spacious and comfortable.
The bathroom amenities were from the Antipodes Fig & Feijoa series. I loved the refreshing fragrance, which added a pleasant touch to our stay.
We were also lucky to receive a pair of chopsticks from Naritasan Temple at the front desk.
They made a charming little souvenir to take home.
We had originally planned to enjoy the indoor pool, but after a fun day exploring Narita Airport, we decided to unwind in our room instead.
Japanese Convenience Store Dinner
After our filling lunch, we weren’t very hungry, so we decided to have a light dinner with food from a convenience store.
The hotel also had a FamilyMart convenience store on the first floor. Japanese convenience stores are famous for their wide selection of food and surprisingly good meal options. For dinner, we picked up rice balls, cup noodles, fresh strawberries, and a few desserts to enjoy in our room.
We had visited this hotel before for a summer barbecue. I recently learned that the barbecue area has been renovated and is now open in spring as well. Since guests can bring their own ingredients, that might have been a fun option for this trip too.
After a relaxing evening, we started the next morning with breakfast at the hotel.
The Breakfast Buffet
On busy days, breakfast is served not only in the café restaurant on the first floor but also in the banquet hall on the 17th floor, which offers great views. We headed to the banquet hall a little after 7:00 a.m. However, when we headed there, it was already full, so we ended up having breakfast on the first floor instead.
Near the entrance, we saw what appeared to be a crew from a Vietnamese airline, with the flight attendants wearing elegant áo dài-style uniforms. A little later, another crew, who appeared to be from a European airline, arrived in striking bright red uniforms. One of the things I enjoy most about staying at an airport hotel is seeing flight crews from around the world, as it gives the hotel a lively and vibrant international atmosphere.
Although the Sky Banquet Hall was already full, we were happy with how things turned out. Seeing airline crews from around the world was a memorable part of our morning before enjoying the breakfast buffet.
Breakfast Highlights
The café restaurant on the first floor had an inviting food display and a wide variety of thoughtfully prepared dishes. The buffet included several kinds of smoothies, fish ball soup, and Narita’s famous grilled eel rice bowls.
My favorite was the made-to-order onigiri (Japanese rice balls), which the staff prepared fresh for each guest.
I chose two fillings for my rice balls: kombu tsukudani (kelp simmered in soy sauce) and namero, a local specialty from Chiba made by finely chopping fresh horse mackerel with miso and aromatic seasonings. The rice balls were served warm and gently shaped, with just the right firmness. Wrapped in fragrant nori seaweed, they were absolutely delicious.
The bakery section was another highlight of the breakfast buffet. There was a wide selection of spreads to enjoy with the bread, including some inspired by local specialties.
The bread itself was softer and fluffier than I expected, with a gentle texture that was easy to enjoy. Even after a satisfying Japanese breakfast, it was hard to resist going back for another piece.
After spending a relaxing morning enjoying coffee while watching the planes, we checked out of the hotel at 11:00 a.m.
As I looked up in the lobby, bright natural light poured in through the large skylight, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
There were many guests waiting for the airport shuttle bus, so we decided to wait near the lobby entrance, where we could get on quickly if the bus became crowded. However, there were still plenty of seats available, and everyone was able to board without any problem.
That said, since the shuttle bus service runs on a limited schedule, it is a good idea to ask the front desk about the bus situation in advance if you have a flight to catch that day.
This hotel is a convenient choice for travelers with early morning flights or late arrivals at Narita Airport. If you’d like to stay here too, you can check the latest room rates below.
Exploring Narita Terminal 1
Rather than heading straight back to Tokyo, we decided to make the most of our time at the airport. We got off at Narita Airport Terminal 1 to explore the recently renovated areas.
The shuttle bus took about 15 minutes to reach Terminal 1 from the hotel.
This is the hotel’s complimentary shuttle bus. After retrieving our suitcases from the shuttle bus’s luggage compartment, we headed to two newly renovated areas in Terminal 1: GARDEN WALK and SHIKISAI GARDEN.
GARDEN WALK
The observation deck has recently been renovated and reopened as GARDEN WALK.
Unlike Terminal 2, the observation deck at Terminal 1 faces the runway directly, so we had a great view of planes taking off one after another. Part of the metal fence has been replaced with large glass panels, making it much easier to take photos with the aircraft in the background.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t share a photo because there were too many people in the frame, but the glass panels were beautifully framed with wood featuring the letters “NRT,” adding a fun and welcoming touch to the area.
The observation deck also features a foot bath and a stepped viewing area called the Mountain Deck. However, despite it being spring, the weather was surprisingly hot on the day of our visit, so we soon headed back inside. On a cooler day, it would have been the perfect place to soak our feet and relax while watching the planes.
SHIKISAI GARDEN
SHIKISAI GARDEN is a relaxing space on the fifth floor, the same floor as GARDEN WALK. It is filled with Japanese-inspired design elements that create a calm and welcoming atmosphere.
The atrium featured a large bamboo craft installation, and the entire area was designed with a modern Japanese aesthetic.
Around the escalators, there were plenty of seating options, including benches, counter seats, and modern Japanese-style booth seating, making it easy for every type of traveler to find a place to sit and relax.
As we looked around, we found a tatami area where visitors could stretch out and relax, as well as spacious lounge areas furnished with comfortable sofas and tables.
SHIKISAI GARDEN features three themed relaxation spaces: CHA-NO-MA, inspired by traditional Japanese tea culture; I-NO-MA (Living Room); and SHO-NO-MA, inspired by Japanese calligraphy.
Each space has its own distinctive atmosphere and furniture, offering a variety of ways to relax. Besides the tatami area, there were also reclining chairs where visitors could lie back and unwind.
The restaurant area is a little farther away, but still within walking distance.
If you would like to enjoy a relaxing break, taking your food to go and eating it at SHIKISAI GARDEN could be a nice option.
After getting a little hot at the observation deck, we bought soft-serve ice cream from GODIVA on the fourth floor and brought it up to SHIKISAI GARDEN, where we enjoyed it on a bench. It was the perfect place to cool down and relax before ending our airport visit.
Explore Narita Beyond the Airport
If you have extra time, you can also explore the area around Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, which is easily accessible from the hotel. Although we didn’t visit this time, the historic temple and the traditional streets around it offer a chance to experience a different side of Japan beyond the airport.
Another option is Shisui Premium Outlets, which offers a free shuttle bus service from Narita Airport. It can be a convenient stop for travelers who enjoy shopping before or after their stay.
Taking the Skyliner Back to Tokyo
We had originally planned to have lunch at the airport, but since we were still full after the hotel breakfast, we decided to leave a little earlier and changed our Skyliner reservation to an earlier train.
Skyliner Tip:
If you use the Skyliner Internet Reservation Service, you can change your train reservation for free up to two times. After that, you will need to cancel your reservation (a refund fee applies) and make a new booking. Please note that discounted tickets may have different change and refund conditions.
We once again enjoyed a comfortable 40-minute ride on the Skyliner before returning to Tokyo.
Conclusion
Despite offering facilities such as an indoor pool and BBQ area, ANA Crowne Plaza Narita can be more affordable than many hotels in central Tokyo. That’s why many Japanese visitors, including people like us who don’t have a flight to catch, also come here for a short getaway.
With its international atmosphere, the chance to enjoy airplane spotting near the airport, and several sightseeing spots in the surrounding area, the hotel offers a relaxing and enjoyable stay beyond just a place to wait for a flight.
For travelers looking to experience a different side of Japan, combining Narita Airport, an airport hotel, and the surrounding attractions makes for a relaxing and memorable getaway.
Recommended For:
• Travelers looking for a unique way to enjoy Narita Airport beyond simply catching a flight
• Visitors interested in staying at an airport hotel with an airport-view room
• Travelers who enjoy exploring Japanese food, shopping, and cultural touches at airports
• Families or couples looking for a relaxing overnight stay near Narita Airport
• First-time visitors to Narita looking for a comfortable itinerary combining the airport, hotel, and local experiences
Discover another airport-view hotel stay below:
A Relaxing Stay at Haneda Excel Hotel Tokyu | Airport Views & Tokyo Monorail Ride
Explore another Japanese airport beyond Narita below:
How to Spend a Day at Haneda Airport | Food, Plane Views & Shopping
Information
Information, prices and exchange rates are current as of my visit but may change. Please check official sites.
Keisei Skyliner
– Official English website
– Skyliner Internet Reservation Service
The website is available in multiple languages, and you can purchase tickets without creating an account.
Narita Airport
– Official English website
– SHIKISAI GARDEN(Japanese Only)
You can often read the content easily using your browser’s built-in translation feature.
ANA Crowne Plaza Narita by IHG
Access
Airport Shuttle: Complimentary shuttle service available. Approx. 20 minutes from Terminal 1 and 25 minutes from Terminal 2. Please check the official website for the latest timetable.
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
Please note that only the temple grounds are open 24 hours. Prayer reception hours and shop opening times may vary, so please check in advance.
– Official website(Japanese Only)
You can often read the content easily using your browser’s built-in translation feature.
Access
– About 0.7 mi (1.2 km) from Narita Station
– Google Maps
Shisui Premium Outlets
Hours:
10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Opening hours are subject to change. Please check the official website before visiting.
– Official English website
Access
Free shuttle bus:
Departs from Narita Airport Terminal 2 (1F, Bus Stop No. 3) and stops at Terminal 1 (1F, Bus Stop No. 30) before arriving at Shisui Premium Outlets.
Please check the official website for the latest timetable.
– Google Maps
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