narita city: we love you
narita has one of our favorite culinary scenes in all of japan: full of local specialties, and delicious sake!
we love narita! people often think it is only the airport near tokyo, but it is so much more! a middle-sized traditional town surrounding one of the most revered and ancient temples in all of japan. we plan our itineraries to begin and end in narita for many reasons: it is a great safe and small-enough-to-wander town with all that you would expect from japan, it is a culinary center proud of its local produce, sake & cuisine, the temple and its gorgeous gardens. on top of that, a few nights in narita give you the chance to catch up with jet lag—-and catch up literally if you miss your plane or connections go awry (once we are deep in the countryside, it is very difficult to catch up with the tour on your own).
most flights from japan arrive in the 4-6 pm window at NRT, narita international airport. unless you are arriving early or late, we will be there to meet you at the airport arrivals lobby (past passport control and customs). we will get you on the next shuttle bus to our hotel in narita city, about a 15 minute drive away. there you will check in, receive your welcome packet (letter, itinerary, a map of narita, luggage tags) and have a chance to get settled in to your room and shake off the cobwebs from the long flight. if you want to arrive a day or so early, we will easily extend your stay in the same hotel/room. the first night of arrival you are free to fill as you wish: we make no formal plans, since most people just want a shower and a snack before falling into bed!
upon waking on your first morning in japan, i recommend that your venture out on to walk around narita-san temple & garden complex (perhaps even catch the dawn chanting session). to get to the temple, you will walk through the silent morning streets of shops just opening up, or catch a glimpse of the crews preparing eel for the day’s grilling (eel is a specialty of narita city, among many).
there is always plenty of time to wander the old streets of narita city, one of our favorite small cities in japan. home to one of japan’s largest temples, the grounds and parks around the temple are not to be missed. also, from our hotel to the temple is a charming old city full of rice cracker and pickle shops, old craft stores, and many small tea shops and cafes.
near to the hotel is also one of our favorite onsen in all of japan, which you may have joined us for on your first afternoon in country. if you aren’t feeling adventurous enough to take the local train, it is only a 15 minute cab ride or a 30 minute local train ride away. some people love this onsen so much they return the next day to soak before they fly (for those who have late afternoon flights, this is very do-able). the massage at this onsen is also superb.
