Narita Airport (NRT) is the largest gateway to Japan, serving Tokyo metropolitan area. As Narita Airport serves only a few domestic flights regardless of the destinations, getting to Hiroshima through Narita is not that easy.
There are three methods :
- A daily flight to Hiroshima Airport
- Narita Express and Shinkansen train to JR Hiroshima Station
- Bus service to Haneda and a domestic flight to Hiroshima Airport
IBEX Airlines serves a daily flight NH3129 (code-shared as UA9731) from Narita to Hiroshima in a CRJ-100. Its departure time from Narita Terminal-1 domestic gate (south end after clearing CIQ) is 17:15. As the minimum connection time is 75 min. for flights arriving in Terminal-1 (Skyteam and most of StarAlliance flights) or 110 min. for flights arriving in Terminal-2 (One-World and other flights), your arrival time should be prior to 16:00 or 15:25 respectively.
The return flight NH3128/UA9732 departs from Hiroshima Airport at 07:55, arriving at Narita Terminal-1 domestic at 09:25 so that you can make a connection with many, if not all European flights. Minimum connecting time is 60 min. for flights departing from Terminal-1 or 110 min. for flights departing from Terminal-2.
Take a Narita Express (1hr. 12 min., every 30 min.) to Shinagawa Station then change to Shinkansen "Nozomi" to JR Hiroshima Station (4 hrs., 3 trains/hour). The fare is 20,440 JPY down to Hiroshima in one-way basis (if you ride in Green Cars, 28,840JPY). Please buy your ticket through to Hiroshima Station at the JR Ticket Office in the basement level of Narita Airport Terminal-1 or Terminal-2. The JR Ticket Office is marked as green.
While the staffs at the ticket office are expected to speak English, you may want to
print out a PDF file to indicate your
intention to a staff.
Tokyo Station can be used to change from a Narita Express train to a Shinkansen train, however, it involves more than a 10 min. walk with baggages in always crowded passages. As all Shinkansen trains stop at Shinagawa, and you need to walk only a few minutes to the Shinkansen platform from Narita Express, the change in Shinagawa is much easy.
Narita Express departs the following time in Airport Terminal 1 station. Departure time of Airport Terminal 2 is 3 min. late:
07:44, 08:13+, 08:50, 09:15+, 09:45, 10:15+, 10:45, 11:15+, 11:45,
12:16, 13:15, 13:45, 14:15*+, 14:45, 15:15*+, 15:45+, 16:15*, 16:45,
17:16*, 17:44+, 18:15*, 18:48+, 19:15, 19:45*, 20:44+, 21:44
Note: * trains doesn't stop at Shinagawa; use Tokyo station to change to Shinkansen.
Note: + trains operate E259-series cars and equipped with AC outlet in each seat.
All Shinkansen trains departing Tokyo/Shinagawa consist of 16 cars, car#1 is at the head and car#16 is at the tail, and total length is 400m. It is recommended to check your car number printed on your ticket.
There are overhead signage panels to indicate the train number and corresponding door number in Tokyo/Shinagawa station. Each regular car has two doors; if your seat number is less than 7, you'd better use Shin-Osaka side door to minimize hasstle after boarding.
If your laptop requires AC power, you should choose a Nozomi train operated by N700-series cars. Departure time of N700 Nozomi trains at Shinagawa station is as follows:
06:00, 06:07, 06:23, 06:57, 07:17, 07:57, 08:17, 08:37, 08:57,
09:17, 09:57, 10:17, 10:57, 11:17, 11:57, 12:17, 12:57, 13:17,
13:57, 14:17, 14:57, 15:17, 15:57, 16:17, 16:57, 17:17, 17:57,
18:17, 18:37, 19:57
(Note: departure time at Tokyo station is 7min. earlier).
The AC outlets are available in all window seats (row A and E) in regular cars and all seats
in Green cars (first class) in these N700-series Nozomi trains. There trains are non-smoking while a few smoking chambers are equipped.
Alternatively you can take a bus service (75 min. 3000 JPY every 15 to 60 min., departure bus depot #3 and #12 in Terminal-1 or bus depot #5 and #15 in Terminal-2) to Haneda Airport.
The travel time is affected by traffic conditions, and you need to have an extra margin for the connection.
Haneda Airport has two terminals; if you take one of 9 daily flights to Hiroshima Airport by All Nippon Airways (NH), your flight departs from Terminal-2, while one of 7 daily flights to Hiroshima Airport by Japan Airlines (JL) departs from Terminal-1.
All Nippon Airways' flights to Hiroshima depart at
06:55, 08:15, 10:00, 11:05, 12:15, 14:15, 17:05, 18:30, 19:25
while Japan Airlines' flights to Hiroshima depart at
06:55, 08:15, 09:55, 11:40, 14:25, 17:05, 19:30