How do I get from the airport to Tokyo?

Most international flights still land at Narita, which sits 66 km east of central Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture. That distance sounds alarming, but the rail connections are fast and the stations are air-conditioned, quiet, and obsessively well-signed in English. The Narita Express (N'EX) is the right answer for first-timers: reserved seats mean you sit down with your luggage and don't think again until your stop. It runs to Tokyo Station in 53 minutes, Shinagawa in 65, Shibuya in 75, Shinjuku in 80. The smell of the train is clean plastic and recycled air — not glamorous, but the silence after a 12-hour flight is a relief. Tickets are 3,250 JPY one-way ($20) from the JR ticket counter in the basement of Terminal 1 or 2. There's a round-trip discount ticket for 4,070 JPY if you're returning within 14 days.

The Keisei Skyliner is faster — 36 minutes flat to Nippori or Ueno — and cheaper at 2,520 JPY ($16). The catch: if your hotel is in Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Roppongi, you'll need a transfer at Nippori onto the JR Yamanote Line, which adds 10 minutes and another 180 JPY. If you're staying near Ueno or Asakusa, the Skyliner is the better pick. The Access Express on the same Keisei tracks costs only 1,270 JPY ($8) and reaches Asakusa in 58 minutes — the budget option, and perfectly fine if you travel light. Skip the limousine bus unless your hotel is its final stop; 85-120 minutes in highway traffic after a long-haul flight is grim.

Haneda is closer — 15 km south, on Tokyo Bay. If your flight lands here, you're in luck. The Keikyu Line to Shinagawa is 300 JPY, 11 minutes, and connects to the JR Yamanote loop that circles every major district. The Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsuchō is 500 JPY, 13 minutes, slightly more scenic (you cross the waterfront and can see container ships). Both run from roughly 5:15am to midnight. After midnight from either airport, your only option is a taxi or pre-booked car — expect 20,000-30,000 JPY ($125-190) from Narita, 5,000-8,000 JPY ($31-50) from Haneda. Japan Taxi is the app; it works in English and the fare is metered. Do not negotiate.

One thing that catches people: Suica or Pasmo IC cards. Buy one at the airport JR ticket counter or the machines (they have English mode). Load 2,000 JPY on it. You'll tap in and out of every train, bus, and konbini for the rest of your trip. The N'EX itself requires a separate reserved-seat ticket, but everything else — Yamanote, metro, monorail — runs on IC tap. The machines dispense the card in about 40 seconds. Worth noting: if you land after the last train (roughly 11pm from Narita, midnight from Haneda), your backup is the overnight bus to Shinjuku or Tokyo Station for around 2,000 JPY, though these only run a few times and fill up fast during peak season.