On our previous trips to Japan we had always hopped on a train straight from the airport. We had never had time for a Narita stopover. However, on our recent family trip to Japan we were arriving a day before the friends we were going to travel with, so we had some time to explore Narita before we headed to the first major destination of our trip, Kyoto.

What to Do on a Narita Stopover

Narita is the airport for Tokyo, but it’s a long way from the city, about an hour by train. Fortunately, the nearby town of Narita has some things to do and see. If you only have a few hours between flights, the Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program provides options to see Narita town or other nearby places. However, we had an overnight Narita stopover so we chose to explore Narita independently. We landed around lunch time, and after clearing customs we headed to our hotel which was a short walk from the airport terminal. See the “Where to Stay” section later on in this post for information about accommodation options for a Narita stopover.

By the time we had had showers and freshened up after our long flight from Houston, it was mid-afternoon. We realized we had to get moving while we still had daylight to check out Narita town. After a short train ride from the airport, we made it to Narita Station to start our exploration.

Exiting the station, we saw a small but bustling town. Narita is a good first experience for a trip to Japan, because it isn’t as overwhelming as suddenly arriving in Tokyo or Shinjuku Station and having to battle the crowds. The first interesting sight we came across, right outside Narita Station, was a statue of a kabuki actor which looks out over the town.

Kabuki Actor Statue – Narita

Naritasan Shinshō-ji Temple

From the statue, we set off along Omotesando (the main street in Narita), heading towards the Naritasan Shinshō-ji Temple. This is the main attraction in Narita, but the walk through town to get there is also quite pleasant. There are many souvenir shops and restaurants along the way. Unfortunately for us most places were closed, as it was late afternoon. This was probably for the best, because it meant we weren’t distracted so we got to the temple while there was plenty of daylight left.

Temple Guardian – Narita-san Shinshō-ji

In fact, the late afternoon sunlight was spectacular. The temple buildings glowed, and the golden architectural details shone brightly.

Pagoda at Narita-san Shinshō-ji

Narita-san Shinshō-ji

There were also interesting temple guardians and statues. Some of these looked fairly new. This is obviously a temple that is a part of the lives of the people of Narita, not just a historical or tourist site.

Narita-san Shinshō-ji

Narita-san Shinshō-ji

Where to Eat on a Narita Stopover

With the sun setting, we headed back towards Narita Station to look for something to eat. We had limited options as it seems that almost all of the restaurants along Omotesando operate for lunch rather than dinner. We read online that the local specialty is unagi (eel), but we couldn’t find an unagi restaurant that was open. This was a shame, because unagi is Lachlan’s favorite Japanese food, and his goal for our trip to Japan was to eat unagi every day.

Fortunately, we were able to find a sushi restaurant, which was a good start to our Japanese food experiences for the trip (the food is one of the best things about any trip to Japan).

Our first sushi dinner – Narita town

After enjoying our sushi, we were really feeling the travel fatigue from our long journey from Houston. So it was time to head back to Narita station to get a train back to Narita airport and our hotel.

Omotesando – Narita

Where to Stay on a Narita Stopover

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With Narita town being a short train ride from Narita Airport, if your Narita stopover includes an overnight, there are feasible options in town and near the airport. We chose to stay right at the airport as we were meeting our friends early the next morning when they arrived in Japan to join us. We stayed at the Narita Airport Rest House, which was walking distance from the terminal we arrived at. This is an older property, but very clean and a good budget option.

The Narita Airport Rest House has all the important amenities

Relaxing Toothbrush – Narita Airport Rest House

We enjoyed our Narita stopover. Hopefully this post gives you an idea about what there is to do and see if you have some time to spare while passing through Narita Airport.