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| Japan
Getting There - International Travel |
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Air
Japan’s largest international airline is Japan
Airlines (JL).
Several international airlines fly to Japan including
the following:: Air Canada, Air France, American Airlines, Air
New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific
Airways, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, IBERIA, Korean Air, KLM, ,
Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airways, SAS, SWISS, Singapore
Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Approximate flight times
From Tokyo to:
 London:
13 hours
New
York: 12 hours 30 minutes
Los
Angeles: 9 hours 30 minutes
Hong
Kong: 5 hours
Sydney:
9 hours 30 minutes
International airports
New Tokyo International Airport
New Tokyo
International Airport (NRT) (Narita City) (also web site:
www.tokyo-nrt.com) is located 65 kilometres (40 miles) northeast
of Tokyo (travel time – 1 hour 10 minutes).
Airport facilities include duty-free shops, car
hire, bank/bureau de change, restaurants and a tourist information
centre with multilingual staff situated in both terminals.
There are Luxury coaches which depart regularly
from the airport to city-centre hotels. A bus
runs to the Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT). A shuttle
bus connects the airport with major hotels in the city
centre. Tickets for all services can be purchased in the terminals.
Japan Railways Narita Express line operates from
Narita station terminal situated beneath the airport to
Tokyo station (the travel time is 60 minutes), Shinjuku
(travel time – 90 minutes) and Yokohama
(the travel time is 105 minutes) every 1/2 hour from 07:45-21:45.
JR also operates a slower, cheaper service that departs every 45 minutes
(the travel time is 1 hour 20 minutes). 1st-class and private
compartments are offered. JR Passes can be used on these trains;
see under Rail below for additional information. Keisei
‘Skyliner Train’ also runs from the airport
terminal to Keisei Ueno Station in Tokyo (the
travel time is 60 minutes) from 09:20-22:00.
There are taxis to the city, with an added charge
after 22:00 (travel time – 60-70 minutes). Travellers should
be aware that these are five times more expensive than the trains.
A second terminal opened in 1992, with its own
Japan Railways and Keisei Line station
located in the basement. There is also a free shuttle
bus linking both terminals every 10 to 15 minutes
(travel time – 10 minutes).
Kansai International (KIX) (Kansai)
Kansai
International (KIX) (Kansai) is located 50 kilometres (31
miles) southwest of Osaka.
Airport facilities include duty-free shops, car
rental, banks/bureaux de change, tourist information and bar/restaurant.
A bus runs to the city every 30 minutes from
08:00-21:20 (the travel time is 60 minutes). The Nankai
RR service goes to Namba station every
15 minutes (the travel time is 30 minutes). The
JR West service goes to JR Osaka station
every 30 minutes (the travel time is
70 minutes). Taxis are available to the city
(the travel time is 60 minutes) however a surcharge may be imposed
after 22:00. It is also possible to ride the jetfoil from Kansai
Airport to Kobe’s Port Island (the travel time is 32 minutes).
Fukuoka International
Fukuoka International (FUK) is situated 20 minutes’
travel time from Fukuoka City.
Airport facilities include an outgoing duty-free
shop, car rental, bank/bureau de change and bar/restaurant.
Nagoya International
Nagoya International (NGO) is located 10 kilometres
(6 miles) north of the city and operates flights to 29 international
destinations including: Bangkok, Brisbane, Frankfurt/M, Honolulu,
Hong Kong, Melbourne, Paris, Singapore, Seoul, Sydney and Taipei.
Departure tax
¥2650. Children younger than 12 are charged
half price; children under 2 are exempt. Departure tax is normally
paid when purchasing tickets and not at the airport.
Sea
Japan is easily accessible by sea, and passenger
ships stop at the major ports. Ferries run daily
from Osaka and Kobe to Shanghai (China) and weekly from Kobe to
Tanggu (near Tianjin, China).
For Taiwan, ferries operate from Okinawa. The Shimonoseki-Busan
ferry runs every night across the Sea of Japan to Korea (Rep).
Connections to the Russian Federation include
weekly services between Yokohama and Nakhoda (near Vladivostok).
Alternatively, there is a service twice a week to Wakkanai in
Hokkaido from Korsakov in the Russian Federation.
Cruises operate between the Japanese
islands en route to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Cruise lines that call at Japan include Clipper Cruise Lines,
Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises.
Rail
The Trans-Siberian route to Japan a very interesting
and well organised, although lengthy, trip. Connections are possible
daily from London (Liverpool Street) via Harwich or London (Victoria)
via Dover through Europe to Moscow. Sleeping cars are available
4 times a week from Hook of Holland to Moscow, and 2 times a week
from Ostend to Moscow. The Trans-Siberian
railway departs regularly from Moscow.
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