Time to clear Narita airport

I've never been to Japan and am trying to get an idea of how much time it will take to get baggage and clear customs at Narita?

Our international flight is scheduled to get in at 18:45 on a weekday and we're hoping to jump on a train to either Nikko or Nagoya that night (depending exactly how our plans work out). So assuming the flight is on time, we'd have two hours for baggage collection, customs, renting a phone sim card, swapping exchange order for rail pass at Narita JR station and boarding the last train to either of those places. No one in group speaks any Japanese either, so that might add a little time to the process.

Does this seem doable, or should we instead be looking at staying in either Narita itself or somewhere with later running train services, like Tokyo?

Thanks!

Two hours seems more than enough. Under normal circumstances, you can pass immigration, baggage claim and customs in within 30-60 minutes after arrival.

Immigration can be crowded during peak seasons/times. The following is a survey result by japan-guide.com for foreign travelers entering Narita Airport:

waiting time less than 10 minutes: 57%
waiting time 10-30 minutes: 30%
waiting time more than 30 minutes: 13%

If your plane reaches the gate on time...

You reach the immigration by 19:00+ even if your seats are in the bottom end. It may take 10 minutes if crowded. If not, 3 minutes to get through.

You baggage will meet you by 19:15 or 19:30 at the latest.

Cell phone stuff may take 15 minutes unless you are well organized to provide the reservation info and your ID etc. I guess the shop you are talking is very close from the gate exit or just right in front where you are out.

JR station is only one floor down by esclator, only three munites away from the phone shop. It make take 10 to 15 minutes to get the pass or something. (I never experienced this anyway, but should be no problem)

The funniest part of your try is tryinig to get to either Nikko or Nagoya in the same night.

You won't get either place before almost 23pm. In Nagoya, you will find some place to eat. But not sure in Nikko almost in the midnight. My recommendation is instead you stay in Ueno, a terminal city of mid Tokyo, that night. One train ride from Narita for an hour by Keisei Skyliner. You drink there until dawn. Next day you move to Nikko or Nagoya, whichever you like.

There is no way you could get to Nikko that evening by just using the JR Rail Pass, you would need to also pay out to travel on the Keisei Skyliner (an extra 1,200 Yen) and, as already pointed out, you would not arrive until around 23.30 and would then have to find your hotel (which you would need to pre-book, you don't want to be wandering the streets at midnight trying to find a hotel in a town you do not know).

You could get to Nagoya by just using the JR Rail Pass, but again not until nearly midnight. There are several hotels near the station, but I would again pre-book.

If you have not already booked your flight, I would suggest you check out an open-jaw ticket, flying into Nagoya and out of Tokyo. Failing that, stay in Tokyo that first evening.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. We're meeting up with a friend that arrives in Japan a few days before us, so he'd be waiting at the destination, already checked in to the pre-booked accommodation, but I think to keep things simple we might just spend the first night in Tokyo. I'll check out Ueno.

Thanks again!

As a resident of Japan, and someone who has made the US-Japan flight countless times.

The process of immigration and customs can take 30 mins, but I expect somewhere a little over an hour before you walk into the main departure lobby

The time on your ticket I think should be the LANDING time.
Taxiing to the gate: 10 minutes
Deboarding:5minutes
Walking to immigration line: 2 minutes
waiting in immigration line: 1~10 minutes (can be more, but this is my experience in the tourist and rentry permit line)
walking to your baggage collection spot:2~3minutes
waiting for your luggage:5~25 minutes
talking to customs (if you don't find something dangerous in your stuff of course):1~5minutes
walking to the lobby: 1 minutes
your likely few minutes of confusion: 5~10minutes
currency exchange: 5 minutes (depends on how many bills you have and such)
renting a cellphone ---never done this so I don't know.
Give yourself another 10~15 minutes to purchase a train ticket and get to the platform.

That's my rough estimate for the time it takes each part of the way. Crowds, your own distractions, confusion, lack of ability to communicate can change these times.

Ueno or similar is a good idea. Look as Asakusa as well. Nice place for an evening walk & meal and they are used to tourists like us :)

Personally I'd stay at a hotel near Narita. To use the JR Pass just to get into Tokyo is a bit of a waste of a day of the pass . If you exchange it at the airport and ask for it to be activated the next day, then go to a nearby hotel, you can start out fresh and early the next day.

Hi

I have two questions if I may add on here.

Do they have just one queue at the immigration or have they split it for countries not needing a visa and those who need one?

Are the shops and eateries on the landside or airside of the airport?

Thanks in advance.

Do they have just one queue at the immigration or have they split it for countries not needing a visa and those who need one?

There are three queues:
1) Japanese passport holders
2) Re-entry permit holders (re-entering foreign residents)
3) Non-Japanese passport holders

So, there is just one line for all foreign tourists regardless of whether they need a visa or not.

Are the shops and eateries on the landside or airside of the airport?

On both sides.

Can you post the rest of your itinerary and whether or not you have a JR Pass, and for how many days will it be valid? What exact date are you arriving in Narita?

Are you flying Jetstar from the Gold Coast?

I think you can make it to Nagoya on the first night if you wish. Depending on the date, you have to catch the Narita Express at 8:44pm, so assuming your plane departs on time in the morning, then you have enough time to clear customs and sort out tickets etc. You will know if you will be delayed before you leave Australia so I guess you can make alternate arrangements if needed. You won't get to Nagoya until around 11:50pm.

To be honest though it would be less stressful to stay the night in Tokyo and enjoy the night there, then meet up with your friend the following day.

Depending on whether or not you want to activate your railpass on the first day you may wish to consider the Suica + NEX package, depending on where you wish to stay in Tokyo.

Places in Tokyo to consider include Shinjuku, Shinagawa, and Ueno and Asakusa as mentioned. It depends a little on budget and where you plan on heading the following day.

My only other tip is to pre-purchase the Jetstar lounge for the Gold Coast Airport as you get unlimited drinks/coffee/breakfast/wifi and can relax in the lounges before you get called for departure.

Enjoy your trip!

Uji, Thank you.