To Narita

One of the tedious things about living in Yokohama is international travel. Yokohama doesn't have its own airport. To travel abroad, you have to go all the way to Narita (well, unless you're taking one of Haneda's very limited range of international flights).

There are many possible ways to get to Narita from Yokohama. None are ideal, so it becomes a balance of time, money, and how many train transfers you're willing to take.

For this post I'll assume you can go through Yokohama station. Of course, it's possible to live in Yokohama and be nowhere near Yokohama station, so there may be more (or less) convenient options for you depending on where in Yokohama you are. Most likely you will not live right at Yokohama station, so be prepared to add time and money to all these recommendations.

If you go to Hyperdia and plug in your station and Narita, you can see all the choices. These choices differ depending on what times you put in - some of the best options have to be timed correctly. You have to realise that some of the trains run infrequently, so if you miss the specific train Hyperdia recommended, you might be stuck somewhere for a while. Remember also that if you have masses of luggage, it takes longer to change train lines.

Another complicating factor is that Hyperdia tends to try to recommend the fastest options. This means it will recommend a path with three train transfers over a path with one, if you can save five minutes. That might be okay for regular commuting, but for getting to the airport with luggage... it may be more convenient to spend an extra five or ten minutes and avoid changing lines.

So here are some options.

Narita Express

The most expensive and therefore a fast and convenient option. You can take the Limited Express Narita Express straight from Yokohama station to Narita. Since you have to get special reserved tickets, though, it costs around 4400 yen and takes around 90 minutes.

You can also go to Tokyo or Shibuya and then take the Narita Express from there, which will save you about 600 yen but take perhaps ten minutes longer.

The trains mostly run every half hour, but sometimes only once an hour. You can see a timetable here.

Limousine bus

This is what I usually take when I have lots of luggage or I have an 'early' flight (and if you are living in Yokohama, you'll probably have to leave your house at 6:30am for a 10:30am flight).

The limousine bus is not really cheap - 3500 yen - but it's the most convenient and probably the fastest option. It doesn't show up on Hyperdia, since it's not a train, but you can look at their website. The buses run every 10-20 minutes, you can buy tickets on-site without an advance booking, it's straightforward, there's someone to help you get your luggage on and off, and they drop you off *right* outside the departures hall.

Also, unless the traffic is terrible, this really is a fast option. They estimate 90 minutes from Yokohama, but it can be even quicker if you're lucky. Every time I have taken it, it has taken less than 90 minutes. Limousine buses also go from other locations in Yokohama, like Shin-Yokohama or Tama Plaza, which may be more convenient for you if you're not near Yokohama station.

The limousine bus is the option I recommend to visitors coming *to* Yokohama if they're in Japan for the first time. Even for me, taking a train from Narita can be confusing. All these expresses and rapids and limited expresses; different train lines; you plan to take a particular train but it doesn't leave for 35 minutes; you're looking at your timetable and thinking 'hmm, this train's name seems to be slightly different to the one I need to take; will it be faster or go somewhere else entirely?' I have become pretty comfortable taking trains in Japan, but I still don't like dealing with Narita.

Keisei line

This is a good option if you want to save some money and don't mind its taking longer. I sometimes do this coming *back* from Narita, since I'm less likely to be in a hurry.

You can take the Keisei Line Limited Express from Nippori or Funabashi (Nippori is more convenient with transfers, as you can take the Keihin-Tohoku line all the way from Yokohama to Nippori. This doesn't show on Hyperdia, because the 'faster' way to Nippori is to take the Keikyu line and transfer, but it's actually only about 6 minutes more if you stay on the Keihin-Tohoku line the entire time).

It costs around 1500 yen and takes around two hours.

There's also something called the Keisei Skyliner, which you can also catch from Nippori or Ueno, to the airport. Price is similar to the Keisei Limited Express - about 200 yen more - and it has fewer stops. Check out the website for more info. Frankly, these Keisei trains have always confused me. -_-

Sobu line??

I took this train once, ages ago. I can't even remember what it was, maybe the 'Airport Narita' service? I remember once I was at Yokohama station; I had planned my route already when I happened to see a train advertised as a 'rapid' train for Narita airport. It wasn't a fancy limited express requiring a reserved seat. Bonus! I thought. A cheap option to Narita, and no transfers. Why didn't it appear on Hyperdia? Stupid website.

I got on and the train took FOREVER. 'Rapid' train was a misleading name. We seemed to stop at every whistle-stop in Chiba prefecture. It took about 40 minutes longer than any option on Hyperdia. That's why it hadn't appeared on there. The moral is, don't just jump on any old train purporting to go to Narita. Decide in advance how you're going to get there.

Driving

If you have a friend or a car, lucky you. ^_^ If you are taking a short trip, and there's more than one of you, it might actually be cheaper to drive to Narita and leave your car there for a few days (bearing in mind highway tolls etc). My friend did it when we went to Seoul for three days. She claims it's not that expensive.