As one of Japan’s primary points of entry and departure, Narita Airport near Tokyo is
one of the most visited places in the entire country.
In fact, according to a study released in 2018
in 2017 Narita was used by over 40 million passengers.
That’s over 111,000 per day
and this doesn’t include friends or family going to pick-up or drop.
However, despite so many visitors going through Narita
sadly most only think of it as a transit point.
Few realize that nearby are a number of worthwhile attractions close to the airport
which only take a few hours to experience.
For example there’s a feudal era replica town, several important temples and shrines,
beautiful and accessible natural scenery, an airplane museum,
and plenty of delicious local cuisine.
On top of this, many also aren’t aware that Narita Airport has a new free service called
the “Narita Airport Transit & Stay” program where they provide visitors with an English-speaking
volunteer guide who leads them on one of several short, customizable tours to a variety of
nearby attractions and still get back them to the airport in a few hours.
If you end up traveling to or through Japan,
it’s entirely likely that you’ll find yourself at Narita.
If so, we highly recommend taking advantage of this service
and in this video we are going to explain exactly how to so
as well as walk you through the itinerary for three of the tours.
So follow along we go on three short side trips from Narita Airport.
How to sign-up for the tours
There are two ways to sign-up for the tours.
The first is to go to the Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program website
and book a tour for a specific day.
And the second way is to show up at the one of the two Transit and Stay Program
counters in Narita Airport on the day of and sign-up for the tour in person.
These counters are located in the international arrivals lobby of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
Here and here.
At these Transit and Stay counters is the same place you’ll meet your guide
and depart for the tour.
Each tour uses public transportation and the guide will be with you the whole time
letting you which buses or trains to take.
One quick point of clarification though is that
although Narita provides this guided tour service for free
you’ll still have to pay transportation fares and attraction fees yourself.
Alright so let’s take a closer look at three of the tours offered.
Tour 1 Exploring Boso no Mura
Boso no mura is a open air museum where you can experience first-hand what life was like
in a local Japanese town during the feudal era.
Before entering this life-size replica town, you can also rent an Edo Period style outfit
at the Cosplay Annex just across from the main museum entrance and wear it while walking around the town.
Once in costume and having paid the entrance fee, it’s time to explore the many facets of Boso no Mura.
On the main street there are numerous shops, buildings, and eateries.
A number of buildings also are free to enter and explore.
At the end of the street is the local forge, and if you’re interested this where you
can also try your hand at blacksmithing.
Further into the grounds is a samurai residence which you are allowed to walk through
and is also a peaceful place place sit to rest.
And finally, the northern half of town is a functioning farm, complete with real growing
crops and a complex of farm buildings which you can enter and explore.
Here there are a variety of activities to try such as traditional toys, bamboo crafts,
and (depending on the season) harvesting crops.
After fully exploring this Edo era replica town and returning the rental costumes
you’ll head back to the airport with the guide.
Tour 2 Cycling through the Countryside of Tako Town
Only a short bus ride from the airport is a peaceful rice farming town called Takomachi,
or literally, Tako Town.
The highlight of this tour is renting a bicycle
and pedaling through a few of its picturesque rice fields.
The bus drops you off at Takomachi Michi no Eki,
which is where you rent the cycles.
These bicycles have electric assist motors, so even pedaling uphill is easy.
From the station you cross the river and immediately are in the middle of a beautiful scene.
With rice fields on either side and hills in the background, this is an excellent place
to go slow, take a few photos, and soak in the natural beauty of this amazing location.
Once you reach the end of the rice fields the next stop is the nearby Nichihonji Temple
where you can explore the temple grounds, ring the large bell
and pay respects in front of the main temple itself.
The tour finishes by cycling back along the Kuriyama River to the Takomachi Michi no Eki
to return the cycles.
Here you can also shop for local produce and specialty items, and buy lunch
which can be enjoyed either upstairs in the rest area or outside along the river.
Tour 3 Local Cuisine & Aviation Museum
The main focus of this third tour is eating delicious local cuisine at a well known nearby buffet restaurant.
However, as we said before all these tours are customizable with a number of options
depending on your interest, time, and budget.
So, since we are at an airport, for this tour
we’re going to add-on a few nearby aeronautically themed attractions.
First off we’ll take the bus to the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences which is located
at the southern end of Narita’s main runway.
The museum has a number of interesting life sized aircraft displays
many of which you can experience for yourself.
Together with an abundance of interesting models, information, and several simulator experiences
you don’t have to be a plane enthusiast to enjoy the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences
And, although it costs extra, one of the highlights is the hands-on Boeing 747 experience
where a guide gives you a tour of the nose of a full sized 747
including the cockpit where you can even sit in the pilot seat.
After the museum, we chose to take add a brief stop at Hikouki no Oka Park
or literally Airplane Park
which is an excellent place to relax while watching the planes take off up close.
Along with the museum of Aeronautical Sciences, this is another optional stop of tour
which can be inserted anywhere you like on the itinerary.
Last but definitely not least is the main event of this tour
the all-you-can eat Restaurant Fu-Wa-Ri
which is attached to the small roadside stop called Sora no Eki
where local produce and specialty items are sold
and events are often held.
The cuisine offered in Fu-Wa-Ri’s buffet features dishes made primarily of local ingredients
which come from nearby farms.
The menu rotates depending on the season, and all the food is prepared in a home-cooked style
As you eat, can also enjoy watching planes fly by outside.
Hopefully the next time you're at Narita Airport with a few hours to spare
you can take advantage of these free guided tours offered by the Narita Transit & Stay program
and are able see some of the attractions shown in this video for yourself.
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