Narita Express (N’EX) Train Ticket – Step-By-Step Guide to Buy and Reserve Your Seat Online

Welcome weary travelers! Tokyo, Japan can be overwhelming after a long flight, especially with the added stress of navigating crowded immigration lines, exhaustion, and jet lag. Let alone having to think of getting public transport to travel from the relatively distant Narita airport to your hotel in central Tokyo, which takes about 60 to 90 minutes total.

However, there is an easy and hassle-free solution – the Narita Express train going from Narita Airport to central Tokyo. With its direct (no-transfer) travel to major Tokyo central hubs and comfortable reserved seats, you can unwind and enjoy your journey.

Now, buying the Narita Express train ticket at the airport is easy to do, and often there are plenty of train availability. However, if you travel during peak holiday season, such as Japanese cherry blossom time, the Golden Week in April and May, or summer and winter holidays, where everywhere is crowded, it is crucial to book your train ticket and seat in advance.

This step-by-step guide is created with the purpose of helping you purchase your Narita Express train ticket and reserve your seat online, before you even leave for Japan. So that you can start your adventure feeling rested, relaxed, and excited!

Not only will it save you time, but it will also give you peace of mind, knowing that you have your ticket and seat reserved before going to Japan. No more worrying about sold-out trains or not being able to find a seat.

Step 1 : Go to the JR East Train Reservation Official Website

In order to buy the Narita Express train ticket and reserve your seat online, you will want to go to the official JR East Train Reservation website here.

Once on the website, you will see many options :

• You can purchase a regional Pass directly on the JR East Train Reservation website in order to ride as many JR trains as you desire in a specific region by clicking on the ‘Purchase a Pass’ button.

• Or if you buy a pass directly from this same website or already own a physical pass, you can reserve a seat for any JR train (using your pass) by clicking on the ‘Seat Reservation’ button.

• Or for the main purpose of this post : If you do not have any passes, including the JR Pass, and just want to purchase your Narita Express train ticket AND reserve a seat in advance, before going to Japan, you can do that by clicking on ‘Customers Not Using a Pass – Purchase Tickets’.

Step 2 : Click to Search by Train Line

In this hypothetical scenario, let’s pretend that your hotel booking for the trip is in the Shinjuku area in central Tokyo, and is very close to the Shinjuku JR station. Thus, the Shinjuku JR station is your desired destination, and then you can take a few minutes walk over to your hotel from the station.

In this case, since we want to travel from Narita Airport to Shinjuku as fast and conveniently as possible, we know we want to use the Narita Express train line.

Go ahead and click on ‘Search by Line’.

Step 3 : Enter the Name of Your Train Line

The next screen will ask for the specifics of your travel, such as Train Line name, departing and arrival stations, travel date and time, in order to narrow down to the best trains which suit your travel needs.

So click on the dropdown list and choose ‘Narita Express Line’.

Step 4 : Enter Your Departure and Arrival Train Stations

Click and choose the station you depart from – in this case, it is from Narita airport Terminal 1 or 2, which ever terminal your plane arrives at.

Note : The train station at Narita International Airport is located in both Terminal 1 and 2, but not 3. If your flight happens to land at Terminal 3, you will need to take the free airport shuttle bus from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 in order to get to the train platform.

Do the same for the Arrival station, which in this case is Shinjuku JR Station.

Don’t forget to fill in the date and time you need to travel as well, and budget enough time for clearing immigration and baggage pickups.

Then click on the blue ‘Search’ button, and the website will find the suitable trains for you.

Step 5 : Choose Train Time and Ticket Type

The website returns several trains with different time frames. Often there are several trains running every 15 to 30 minutes per day, so plenty of availability to choose from.

However, in peak holiday seasons, trains might be filled up fast, so it’s best to buy and reserve a seat in advance to guarantee a seat on the train, especially if your schedule is tight.

Choose the train with the departing time that works for you (photo above). Then, you will see (below image) that there are 2 types of tickets you can choose from : Ordinary ticket or Green (First-class) ticket.

The only difference between the 2 types is that the Green (First-class) ticket is more expensive (5,520 yen per adult, instead of 3,450 yen), and gets you a roomier seat with more leg room and leather upholstery, instead of fabric upholstery in the Ordinary car.

However, the seat for an Ordinary ticket is already quite sufficient and spacious, so you don’t really need to buy a Green seat, unless you travel with a large party and want to reserve seats for everyone together.

In this scenario, we will choose the Ordinary ticket type for our train, which costs 3,450 yen for adult fare, and click on ‘Select’ to proceed.

Step 6 : Confirm Your Ticket Selection

Check to make sure the train ticket info is correct and what you want, and click the blue ‘Buy Tickets’ button.

Step 7 : Log in or Create an Account & Pay

The screen will ask you to log in to finalize the purchase, if you have an existing account. If not, go ahead and create a new account by clicking on ‘Become a Member’ button.

Follow instructions to create your account, choose a seat on the train, and use a credit card or debit card to pay for your ticket and seat.

Congrats! You have now complete the process of buying your Narita Express train ticket and reserving a seat in advance.

Once you arrive in Japan : Simply bring the ticket confirmation with you to any JR Ticket Office, JR East Ticket Office, or JR East Travel Service Center in the train station area in Narita Airport (First Basement B1 Floor, Terminal 1 or 2), and the staff will give you the actual tickets to board your train.

Need to Make a Ticket Change or Cancellation Due to Unforeseen Circumstances?

If you flight was delayed, or if your schedule change, you can either make changes on the same official JR East Train Reservation website here, or bring your unused tickets to any JR Ticket Office, JR East Ticket Office, or JR East Travel Service Center in the train station area in Narita International Airport (First Basement Floor (B1F), Terminal 1 or 2). The staff there will gladly help you make changes.

Conclusion

And that’s it! I hope you find this post helpful in showing you how to reserve your Narita Express train ticket and seat ahead of your trip, and give you some ease and peace of mind while planning your Japan travel. Check out my other posts for insightful tips and guides on public transport navigation, currency exchange, smart IC transit cards such as Suica and Pasmo, credit card vs. cash payment choices, Japanese food and sweets, and much more.

If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to share your own travel stories, I’d love to hear from you! Please feel free to reach out to me at evelyn@japanoncloudnine.com, and let’s chat. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post, and happy travels in Japan!

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