narita to shinjuku

i was wondering what is the easiest and fastest way to go to shinjuku from narita airport. we have the japan rail pass and would like to maximize the use of it. somehow i cannot undestand the train route finders. hope someone can help me!

we have the japan rail pass and would like to maximize the use of it.
Then, the easiest is to take Narita Express from the airport to Shinjuku station.

okay! i probably will do that. is that a straight train going to shinjuku or do I still have to switch trains?

Some trains go to Shinjuku, others to Tokyo station. If the train is bound for Tokyo (or Ofuna to the south) then you will need to change to the Chuo line at Tokyo in order to get to Shinjuku.

Approximately every other train goes directly to Shinjuku. Check the timetables:
http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/...

For the other half of the trains, change at Tokyo for the Chuo line or Shinagawa for the Yamanote line to reach Shinjuku. It gets busy, so this can be difficult with lots of luggage at rush hour.

oh okay. i will probably find a train that can lead me directly to shinjuku then. do i need to make ticket reservations? can i get ticket reservations online and using my JR rail passes?

you cannot make reservation online from outside Japan. yo uwill have to wait until you are at the JR station in Narita AFTER you get the actual Jr pass. if you tell them you are going to shinjuku they will give you a ticket for the right train and right car.

oh okay! wow you guys have been very very helpful! At least now I kind of know what to do.

When going to Shinjuku, going all the way to Shinagawa (further south) and then changing to the slow Yamanote Line (heading back north again) makes no sense at all. The NEX for Shinjuku does follow that route, but it doesn't stop at all the stations the Yamanote Line does.

By far the most direct route with least back-tracking is to change at Tokyo to the Chuo Line.

The Shinagawa option would add at least 20 mins if not more to the trip, totally unnecessarily.

Of course a NEX for Shinjuku would be the easiest option.

you can make reservations on line for the Narita Express (and any other JR East trains) with their new reservation system which commenced on the 25th March
here's the website.
http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/...

can i make reservations for shinkansen from tokyo to kyoto online as well?

confused?,
No you cannot make online reservation for the Tokyo Kyoto shinkansen. And be aware of the JR East reservation online, you will have to collect your reservation the day before travel, so this is worthless for an arriving passenger at Narita airport.
But please do not get confused: Expect to get a reservation on a hikari shinkansen with your JR Rail Pass. Either do it the day before you travel or up to 15 min before you want to travel.

i know now that it is useless to do reservations online from narita airport then. Thanks for that!

so how do i make reservations for the shinkansen going to kyoto? do i have to go to a Japan Rail pass office? As I would be arriving Shinjuku Station around 8pm (my estimated time), can I reserve tickets for Kyoto there? If not, where?

You see, I am planning to take the earliest shinkansen from Tokyo or Shinagawa Station so I can arrive Kyoto at the earliest time. and it would lessen the hassle (and the fear of wasting time waiting for trains) to have reservations. Any suggestions?

after landing at Narita, going through immigration and customs,you will go to the JR airport station then exchange the JR pass voucher for an actual JR pass then you will do your reservations for 1-the Narita- Shinjuku trip for tonight and 2-the Shinjuku-Tokyo-Kyoto shinkansen trip tommorrow.

oh okay. so i can do all the reservations where i get my japan rail pass at narita then? thanks!