Narita to Nikko

Hello,

A rather practical question from a Japan first-timer :-)

We arrive at Narita airport by 16h10 in the afternoon. At first we wanted to start out 2 weeks Japan trip with a couple of days in Tokyo, but now I'm thinking it would be nicer / more relaxing maybe to start with....Nikko for a night or 2.

Arriving, as said, around 16h in the afternoon at Narita, does it seem still comfortably feasible to get to Nikko that same day?
And if so, what would be the most practicle, shortest/fastest way to do so? (using public transportation)

Thanking you in advance!

You'd have to go from Narita - Tokyo (about one hour), then take a Shinkansen to Utsunomiya (about one hour), then change to JR Nikko line to get to Nikko (40 minutes or so). So... supposed you got out of the airport before 18:00, you'd be in Nikko at earlist 21:00. So it's possible to get there within that day, yes.

But I don't know if you want to navigate through different train transfers upon arrival, and if you are thinking of arriving at a Japanese "ryokan" accommodation in Nikko, this would be too late for their dinner time... I would recommend staying in Tokyo first, as you'd need to go through Tokyo to get to Nikko anyways.

It's doable, though you'll probably be exhausted when you get there, and realize that it's an hour to Tokyo, then to Nikko about 2 hours. Realistically with connections you'll arrive around 8pm or possibly later, and if you want to stay in a ryokan, most stop serving dinner by that time.

For how to get there, check these pages:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2027.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3805.html

Personally, I would head to Tokyo and stay the night, then go to Nikko the next day, especially if you want to stay in a traditional ryokan there.

Oops! Sorry OP for rehashing guest's exact info! We posted about the same time :)

Assuming that it'll take about an hour to land and get through immigration, you could make the journey and arrive in Nikko between around 9pm and 10pm, depending on the trains you use.

Check hyperdia.com for examples: http://tinyurl.com/p6mxhgr

Thanks for your superfast replies guys!!!

I found this:
The direct bus from Narita Airport or Haneda Airport to the Nikko area is called the Airport Liner Marronnier.

http://www.chibakotsu.co.jp/kousoku/marronnier.htm

On the website of this Nikko guesthouse:
http://space.st/nikko-japan/airport-bus-direct-nikko-utsunomiya

Which seems interesting, however when I click on this Chibakotsu website (of a bus company I presume), it's another Japanese-only website :-) And there then ends my quest :-(

You guys happen to know anything about this option and how to book it???

Thx

The bus from the airport to Utsunomiya cannot be booked in advance. You can only buy on the day. And it takes about three hours only to Utsunomiya - from there to Nikko you have to take another train.

Thx!
Is there somehow I could check the schedule of that bus?
Does it go every...30 minutes? Every hour? Or less?

http://www.chibakotsu.co.jp/kousoku/pdf/kousoku_time.pdf

The schedule from Narita Airport to JR Utsunomiya station appears on page 3/5 of this schedule.

The first table on page 3 is "to Narita airport."
The second table on page 3 is the one "from Narita airport to JR Utsunomiya station."
You see:
NRT3PTB
NRT3PTB
NRT1PTB
... on the leftmost column, those are the terminals at Narita.
"JR‰F“s‹{ĵŒû" is JR Utsunomiya station.

So for example, there is a departure at 18:05 from NRT3PTB, arriving at JR Utsunomiya station at 21:00.

Thank you for the extremely helpful and accurate replies!
Wouldn't have made it without a crash course Japanese :-)
We have, however, decided to start off with 3 nights Tokyo anyway.
Thank again!