Narita to Shinjuku twice in same day

hi, i have an unusual situation & would value any advice on least expensive way to travel.
i arrive at narita airport 8am Saturday 27 Sep, go to keio plaza hotel shinjuku for noon meeting, go back to narita airport to meet a friend arriving 3pm then return to keio plaza hotel for the night. all within the same day.

There is a direct express train from Narita Airport to Shinjuku, the Narita Express. Seat on this train are 2990 yen each way. Your friend can get a NEX Tokyo Direct ticket for 1500 yen that will go from the airport to Shinjuku, but you are making the trip three times, and I do not believe that there is a NEX Tokyo Direct ticket to return back to the airport.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_nex.html

You could get two of the NEX Passes for 3000 yen, and pay for the NEX back to the airport. This would cost 6000 yen.

You might look into a JR Kanto Area Pass, if you intend to travel to places around Tokyo in the following two days. The Cost is 8300 yen, but allows unlimited travel in the area covered by the pass.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2361_06.html

I hope this helps...

many tks for quick reply. may i bother u for further input on best travel method on following:
after 2 days in tokyo, i plan to travel to an onsen at gora for 2 nights, thence to kyoto 3 nights before returning to tokyo for 2 more nights & returning to narita airport.

Can I just mention pgh make sure you take your passport with you when you go back on the N'EX
to the airport to meet friend, as you have to go through the security, the same as if you were going to depart at the airport.

I would recommend you to take the Access Narita bus to and from Narita Airport to Tokyo station (approx. 1h 30min). It's only a 1000yen and you don't need a reservation. Then take the subway from Tokyo to Shinjuku (15min) and walk to Keio Plaza hotel (10+ min).

http://accessnarita.jp/en/home/

As for Gora, many people who go to the Hakone Region get the Hakone Free Pass. There are several versions, including one that includes transport from Shinjuku.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

As for Kyoto, you might look into a packaged deal which includes Shinkansen transportation and hotel. There are discount tickets available with some strings attached, such as the Puratto Kodama Economy Plan, which uses the slower Kodama Shinkansen. Within Kyoto, the bus system is very good, and you might want to look into a day pass, like the Kyoto City Bus One Day Card.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

Passports should be carried at ALL times....

[Between NRT and Keio Plaza Hotel]

Tochomae Station on Toei subway Oedo Line is close to Keio Plaza Hotel.
You can take three trains on Keisei lines + Toei subway lines to Tochomae Station with two short transfers, though you cannot reserve any seat, for 1180 yen if you utilize an IC transportation card of a major brand such as PASMO.
Then you can walk from Exit A1 to Keio Plaza Hotel.
http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/stations/tochomae/i/solid.gif
The whole way requires about 2 hours 15 minutes.

In Narita Airport Station / Airport Terminal 2 Station of Keisei, you can purchase a PASMO Card for 7000 yen (#). With this PASMO Card you will pass through both the entrance gate and the intermediate gate to take an Ueno-bound Ltd. Express train. A ride to (Keisei) Takasago Station lasts for about 1 hour.

The first transfer can be made at the same platform of (Keisei) Takasago Station. You can choose a train bound for a station other than Oshiage and (Keisei) Ueno.
The second transfer can be made inside gates of Daimon Station. Trains for Tochomae depart at Track 4.
http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/subway/stations/daimon/i/solid_e.gif

(#) It includes 6500 yen, which sounds enough for your three trips between the airport station and Tochomae Station, your trips in Tokyo on two days and your trip to Odawara Station by Toei subway and Odakyu. The remaining 500 yen is a deposit.

after 2 days in Tokyo, I plan to travel to an onsen at Gora for 2 nights, thence to Kyoto 3 nights before returning to Tokyo for 2 more nights & returning to Narita Airport.

Which places in Kyoto / Tokyo do you have in mind?
A 7-day Japan Rail Pass will not save much cost in your itinerary.

[Between Tokyo and Kyoto]

You might hope to get back from Hakone to Shinjuku and make a roundtrip by highway buses from Shinjuku to Kyoto. (Toei subway Shinjuku Station is close to Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal.) Personally I prefer Shinkansen to highway bus, though.
- japan-guide.com: How to travel between Kyoto and Tokyo
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html

A JR cost for you to travel from Odawara to Kyoto and back from Kyoto to via Shinagawa to Shinjuku will be 25480 yen if you take Shinkansen "Hikari" and/or "Kodama" trains to Kyoto and back to Shinagawa. (Paying 310 yen more, you can take a Shinkansen "Nozomi" train on the way back.)

[Hakone]

For a Hakone trip, you can choose a Hakone Freepass, which is available at a ticket vending machine of Odakyu.
- japan-guide.com: Hakone Free Pass
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html
- Odakyu Electric Railway: How to purchase tickets
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/traffic/howto/ticket/

For a transfer to Odakyu I recommend Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station rather than Shinjuku Station on Toei subway Oedo Line.
A Toei subway fare to get from Tochomae to Shinjuku-nishiguchi is 174 yen if you travel with a PASMO Card.
From Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station, you can proceed first for Tokyo Metro subway Marunouchi Line (Shinjuku Station) then for Odakyu.

You can use Odakyu to get from Shinjuku to Odawara for about 880 yen, taking a non-Ltd.-Express train.
When you take an Odakyu Ltd. Express train (known as Romancecar) between Shinjuku and Odawara, you should pay a charge of 890 yen per way, which can neither be covered by a Hakone Freepass nor be settled with a PASMO Card.

[Kyoto]

For a Kyoto trip, you can choose a Kyoto City Bus - Kyoto Bus One-day Pass (500 yen), which can cover bus rides to and from major tourist spots in Kyoto City.

[IC transportation card]

As of April 2014, IC transportation cards cannot be used on JR Tokaido Shinkansen (Tokyo -- Shinagawa -- Kyoto -- Shin-Osaka), on Kyoto City Bus lines, on Kyoto Bus lines or on Eizan Electric Railway lines in Kyoto.

An IC transportation card does not give you a discount but can save your time and trouble to purchase and handle paper tickets for every short-distance rides.
If you have never utilized an IC transportation card of a major brand such as PASMO or Suica, please check "Basic Use" in this article.
- japan-guide.com: IC Cards
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html