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Travel - International
AIR: Japan’s largest international airline is Japan Airlines (JL) (website: www.jal.co.jp). Many international airlines fly to Japan including: Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, IBERIA, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airways, SAS, Swiss, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Approximate flight times: From Tokyo to London is 13 hours; to New York is 12 hours and 30 minutes; to Los Angeles is 9 hours and 30 minutes; to Hong Kong is 5 hours; to Sydney is 9 hours and 30 minutes.
International airports: New Tokyo International Airport (NRT) (Narita City) (website: www.narita-airport.or.jp or www.tokyo-nrt.com) is 65km (40 miles) northeast of Tokyo (travel time – 1 hour 10 minutes). Airport facilities include duty-free shops, bank/bureau de change (0900-2300), car hire, restaurants and a tourist information centre with multilingual staff located in both terminals. Luxury coaches depart regularly from the airport to city-centre hotels. There is also a bus to the Tokyo City Air Terminal (TCAT). A shuttle bus links the airport with major hotels in the city centre. Tickets for all services can be bought in the terminals. Japan Railways Narita Express line runs from Narita station terminal located beneath the airport to Tokyo station (travel time – 60 minutes), Shinjuku (travel time – 90 minutes) and Yokohama (travel time – 105 minutes) every half hour from 0745-2145. JR also operate a slower, cheaper service that departs every 45 minutes (travel time – 1 hour and 20 minutes). First-class and private compartments are available. JR Passes can be used on these trains; see under Rail below for more information. Keisei ‘Skyliner Train’ also runs from the airport terminal to Keisei Ueno Station in Tokyo (travel time – 60 minutes) from 0920-2200. There are taxis to the city, with a surcharge after 2200 (travel time – 60-70 minutes). Travellers should note that these are five times as expensive as the trains.
A second terminal opened in 1992, with its own Japan Railways and Keisei Line station in the basement. There is also a free shuttle bus connecting both terminals every 10-15 minutes (travel time – 10 minutes).
Kansai International (KIX) (Kansai) (website: www.kansai-airport.or.jp) is 50km (31 miles) southwest of Osaka. Airport facilities include duty-free shops, car hire, banks/bureaux de change, tourist information (0900-2100) and bar/restaurant. There is a bus to the city every 30 minutes from 0800-2120 (travel time – 60 minutes). The Nankai RR service goes to Namba station every 15 minutes (travel time – 30 minutes). The JR West service goes to JR Osaka station every 30 minutes (travel time – 70 minutes). Taxis are available to the city (travel time – 60 minutes) although a surcharge may be imposed after 2200. It is also possible to take the jetfoil from Kansai Airport to Kobe’s Port Island (travel time – 32 minutes).
Fukuoka International (FUK) is 20 minutes’ travel time from Fukuoka City. Airport facilities include an outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change and bar/restaurant.
Nagoya International (NGO) is 10km (6 miles) north of the city and has flights to 29 international destinations including: Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Honolulu, Taipei, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, Frankfurt/M and Paris.
Departure tax: ¥2650 at Kansai Airport. Children under 12 are charged half price, children under two are exempt. There is no departure tax from other airports.
SEA: Japan is easily accessible by sea, and passenger ships include the major ports on their schedules. Ferries operate daily from Osaka and Kobe to Shanghai (China) and weekly from Kobe to Tanggu (near Tianjin, China). For Taiwan, ferries depart from Okinawa. The Shimonoseki-Busan ferry runs nightly across the Sea of Japan to South Korea. Links to Russia include weekly services between Yokohama and Nakhoda (near Vladivostok). Alternatively, there is a twice weekly service to Wakkanai in Hokkaido from Korsakov in Russia. There are cruises between the Japanese islands en route to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Cruise lines that call at Japan include Seabourn Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Clipper Cruise Lines.
RAIL: The Trans-Siberian route to Japan is an interesting and very well organised, if lengthy, trip. Connections can be made daily from London (Liverpool Street) via Harwich or London (Victoria) via Dover through Europe to Moscow. There are sleeping cars four times a week from Hook of Holland to Moscow, and twice a week from Ostend to Moscow. The Trans-Siberian railway departs regularly from Moscow (see Russian Federation section).
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