Three hours in Narita Airport

Hi,

My domestic flight lands abt 3pm in Narita (on a Sat); and my int'l flight is at 7pm on the same day. What can I do to pass the time? I was considering

1) Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Take a 10mins train to JR Narita Station or Keisei Narita Station & walk 20 mins.

i) may i know the est train fare? It seems to be 1000Yen/way on Keisei Cityliner and I cant seem to find the fare for JR.

ii) are there regular trains to and from Narita Airport? I was trying to search the timetable on Keisei website and it seems trains are at every hr?

iii) Is 3 hrs enough?

2) Stay in Narita Airport & do some shopping.

i) Is it true that I should shop before I enter immigration as there is very little and mostly expensive shops after immigration?

ii) is Terminal 1 or 2 a better place to shop and grab a bite?

Thanks so much for your help.

Haven't been to Narita town itself, but Searching on Hyperdia, the fare looks like 230 yen one way from Terminal 1 by JR rapid train (it's 190 yen from Terminal 2). You can take the Keisei line which goes to Keisei Narita station--this is 250 yen. Each option takes about 10 minutes.

As for shopping, there are some shops after immigration--whether you buy before or after security really depends on what you intend to buy. I wanted to bring some sake back and had to purchase this after immigration as there is an outside liquid restriction (up to 100mL). However, if you purchase liquids at duty free after security screening you are allowed to bring this on the plane.

Note: if you have a connecting flight after the international flight, you'll need to put the liquids into your checked baggage at the baggage claim.

You would be unwise to stress over missing your connection. Narita is a great town to spend a few hours. Ask at tourist info desk at airport how to get a bus to the big temple and fascinating market street that runs from this.You can sample sake , buy cheap used once wedding kimonos and have a great meal at a cafe opposite the temple before heading back to airport.

Well, you only have about 3 hours between your flights, which may not be enough time to consider leaving the airport. Assuming you arrive at 3 and immediately check in to your international flight then you'll have roughly an hour, 90 minutes tops, of free time before you need to be back at the airport and in the security line. That may be just enough time for a quick visit to Naritasan Temple or the Aviation Museum though if you rush it, in which case I would recommend taking a taxi to save time. Realistically you'll have about 30 minutes of sightseeing time.

Personally I'd go with option 2, and check out the shopping mall at the airport or maybe grab a bite to eat. The shopping area before the security check is a great place to do some last minute shopping as there is a good selection of souvenirs at reasonable prices. The shops after security are mostly brand goods and duty free shops.

How early do you have to check in for your international. Do you have to collect baggage and stow it somewhere ?
The JR service is pretty sparse and Keisei is good but have you considered the possibility of a service disruption to the trains.
In reality with collecting luggage and checking in again I don't think that you will get much time in Narita town.
Unfortunately Narita airport is not the most entertaining of places to spend a few hours. The shopping there is pretty ordinary.

thanks so much for all your input. My domestic lands abt 2.45pm at Narita. My int'l flight on Singapore Airlines depart at 7.10pm - I'm not sure how early I have to check-in. In Singapore, I do internet check-in so I only need to reach the airport 1hr before flight-time: not sure if it works the same way in Japan?

Yes I would need to deposit my luggage as I dont think I can check in my international flight 4 hrs before flighttime.

I guess I will play by ear on how much time I have after clearing immgration for my domestic flight. Thanks all again :)