Narita
Kanto, Japan · Town / small city
The airport's own town, which the vast majority of travellers fly over without ever visiting despite laying over right there: Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, over a thousand years old with a fire ritual (Goma) several times a day, every day of the year, the Japanese garden behind it (Naritasan Park), and the 800-metre Omotesando shopping street lined with shops and restaurants specializing in grilled eel (unagi).
The essentials
Getting there
Train — JR Sobu Line + Narita Line from Tokyo, no real line transfer, ~1h20min, ¥1,230. Also reachable directly from Choshi on the same Narita Line, without going through Tokyo: ~1h20-1h25min, ¥1,230. The temple is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Frequently asked questions about Narita
How many days do you need in Narita?
1 day minimum for it to be worth it. There are 19 documented activities in Narita, so it keeps giving with more time.
How do you get to Narita?
Train: JR Sobu Line + Narita Line from Tokyo, no real line transfer, ~1h20min, ¥1,230. Also reachable directly from Choshi on the same Narita Line, without going through Tokyo: ~1h20-1h25min, ¥1,230. The temple is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Can you visit Narita in a day?
Yes. Narita works well as a day trip, usually from Tokyo, with no need to change accommodation.
What must you see in Narita?
What is marked as a must-see: Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.
Is Narita expensive?
Spend level low to mid by Japanese standards. Factor in the per-night tourist tax as well, which varies from city to city.
What to do in Narita: 19 activities
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Naritasan Shinshoji Temple 1.5 h must-see
A temple over 1,000 years old with five buildings designated Important Cultural Properties; the Goma fire ritual is held several times a day, every day of the year.
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Eel (unagi), Narita's speciality 1 h
Nearly 60 eel restaurants in a small town; at the oldest ones the unagi is filleted in the window, in full view of the waiting queue.
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Fire ritual (goma) at Naritasan 1 h
Five or six times a day, Shingon monks burn wooden tablets before Fudo Myoo amid drums and chanting; you can walk in freely and pass your luggage through the purifying smoke.
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Omotesando Street 1.5 h
An 800-meter shopping street between the station and the temple, with over 150 shops, restaurants, and traditional inns specializing in grilled eel (unagi).
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Boso-no-Mura, open-air museum 3 h
An open-air village museum in the neighbouring municipality, with streets of Edo-period houses and hands-on workshops in indigo dyeing, ceramics and soba making.
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Narita Gion Matsuri 3 h only the weekend around 8 July
Three days in July when ten lacquered floats are pushed uphill along Omotesando street to the temple, with some 400,000 attendees.
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Inba-numa lake cycle path 3 h
A completely flat cycling route beside the largest lake in Chiba, known for its sunsets and for an unusual fireworks display, in November.
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Last-minute shopping before the flight 2 h
Aeon Mall shopping centre, the Shisui premium outlets and a Don Quijote open until the early hours: the last practical chance to shop before flying.
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Museum of Aeronautical Sciences and plane-spotting parks 1.5 h
A museum with real aircraft and simulators next to Narita airport, and the nearby Sakura-no-Yama and Hikoki-no-Oka parks, green hills from which to watch planes take off and land close up, very popular with children.
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Narita airport observation decks 1.5 h
Panoramic terraces in terminals 1 and 2 above the runways of the country's main international airport, with the ground machinery working below.
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Narita onsen with outdoor bath 2 h
A hot spring bath with a rotenburo right under the aircraft approach path, a convenient stop for the night before a flight; confirm the hours before going.
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Naritasan Calligraphy Museum 1.5 h
One of the few museums in Japan devoted entirely to modern calligraphy, inside the temple park.
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Naritasan Park 1 h
A Japanese garden behind the temple, with a central pond, pavilions, and wooded areas — a quiet contrast after the busier part of the temple.
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Naritasan Yume Bokujo farm 3 h
A dairy farm with milking, animals, seasonal flower fields and a camping area, on the edge of town.
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Setsubun-e at Naritasan 1.5 h only 3 Feb
On 3 February, sumo wrestlers and television actors throw beans from the Great Hall before tens of thousands of people, one of the most crowded setsubun in Japan.
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Sogo Reido temple (Toshoji) 1 h
A temple dedicated to Sakura Sogoro, the 17th-century peasant executed for taking his village's grievances to the shogun and venerated as a martyr ever since; hydrangea garden in June.
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Sutra copying and meditation at Naritasan 1.5 h booking
The temple offers sutra copying (shakyo) daily, ajikan meditation and fasting retreats of one to seven days within the grounds themselves.
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Nagomi-no-Yoneya yokan museum 0.5 h
A free museum of the red bean sweet inside the 1899 confectioner that invented Narita's kuri-yokan, right on Omotesando street.
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Sanrizuka conflict history museum 1 h
The 'Heaven and Earth' museum, which recounts the land expropriation and the long peasant struggle from 1966 to 1978 that came close to preventing the airport from being built.
What only happens on specific dates
- Setsubun-e at Naritasan 3 Feb
- Narita Gion Matsuri the weekend around 8 July
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