I usually avoid flying into Tokyo via Narita Airport. I much prefer to fly via Haneda, which is much closer to Tokyo. But sometimes, the price of flight to Narita can be much cheaper than Haneda to the point that it justisfies the extra hassle of traveling from Narita to Tokyo.
If you’re in this situation, you probably would be aware that Narita Express, a fast train that will take you from Narita Airport to major train stations in Tokyo, is one of the best choices to make that trip. And if you’ve looked into Narita Express (also known as N’EX), you would also be aware that they have two types of train car: Ordinary car and Green car. Lastly, you’ve probably wondered whether the green car is worth it or not.
Well, this post will detail my experience taking the Narita Express green car, so you can make the decision yourself! At the end, I will also include tips on taking Narita Express, regardless whether or not you decided to take the green car.
Here are some topics we will cover:
- Green car vs ordinary car: What is the difference?
- Cost of N’EX green car vs ordinary car
- How to buy N’EX ticket
- Luggage storage on N’EX
- Toilet on N’EX
- Is the N’EX green car worth it?
- Tips for traveling on N’EX
Green car vs ordinary car: What is the difference?
When I first heard the term Green car, i thought it was something like an eco-friendly car. Turns out Green car is the first class equivalent of traveling on a JR train. It’s supposed to be more luxurious than the ordinary car and cost slightly more as well.
On N’EX, You can view a comparison of both cars here, but really, the only notable differences are that the green car boasts leather seats, carpeted cars and a wider seat pitch (1,160 mm on green car vs 1,020 mm on ordinary car).
Based on that description alone, to be honest, I was not convinced that the green car is worth the extra premium. The ordinary car seemed good enough for me. But I decided to try it anyway, because hey, that’s why you’re reading this blog, right? 😁
Cost of N’EX green car vs ordinary car
The cost of N’EX ticket depends on distance between the station you want to go to, from Narita Airport. In my case, I was going from Musashi-Kosugi station in Kawasaki to Narita Airport Terminal 1. Going from Shibuya, Shinjuku or Tokyo station would cost a little less, though not by much.
In general, green car costs about 770 yen more than ordinary car for a one way journey. Here is the price comparison for one-way from Kawasaki to Narita:
| Type | Ordinary Car | Green Car |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (>= 12 years old) | 3,420 yen | 4,190 yen |
| Children (6 to 11 years old) | 1,710 yen | 2,740 yen |
| Children (0 to 5 years old) | Free* | Free* |
* Children 5 years old and younger travels free on both cars, provided they will be sitting on the lap of an adult.
How to buy N’EX ticket
There are several options for purchasing N’EX ticket:
1. Via Klook (Easiest option)
I bought my ticket via Klook. Klook app is really easy to understand and they have good partnership with train companies in Japan. To book, simply select the Narita Airport terminal you’re going to, and the station closest to your accommodation. Then, choose the timing that you want – I recommend arriving at least 2 hours before your flight. 3 hours would be ideal.
What is Klook? Klook is the leading travel and experiences booking website in Asia. And yes, they are legit! I personally always book my activities through them whenever I am traveling. See my review of Klook here.
Klook has an instant confirmation feature for booking Narita Express tickets. After going through payment, there was a slight delay in confirming the ticket. But it was not long – when I refreshed my booking page a minute later, the seat was already assigned. I booked 4 tickets and our assigned ticket were the within the same 2 rows, which will allow us all to sit together.
You do still need to pick up the base ticket at the station, but Klook provided a really easy to follow instruction. Basically, you just need to find the machine that has the “Ekinet” symbol (えきねっと in hiragana) and the rest is pretty self-explanatory. It was pretty much instant for me since there was no queue at Musashi-Kosugi station, however if you’re going via the more popular station like Tokyo and Shibuya / Shinjuku, please dedicate some time to pick up your tickets.
2. Direct from JR East (For traveling with children)
If you’re traveling with children and want to go on the green car, check and compare with buying directly here from JR East. While I find that the cost of adult ticket between Klook and JR East is the same, you can book a cheaper green car children ticket through JR East. The cost of tickets will be the same for ordinary cars since Klook supports buying children ticket for ordinary cars.
PS: In my case, I still went with Klook despite traveling with one child as the Klook interface was easier for me to understand than the JR East website, which requires member registration.
3. N’EX Round Trip Pass (Ordinary car only)
If money is a concern, you can save more by purchasing a round trip pass for ordinary car, which can be as low as 5,000 yen per adult and 2,500 yen per child. Click here to find out more about the N’EX round trip pass.
Please note that this pass is not available for green car, and has the validity period within 14 days. The pass gets activated when you use it, so make sure you’re planning to fly out of Narita Airport within that time period.
Luggage storage on N’EX
We were traveling as a family and between us, we had a lot of luggages – 3 regular sized check-in luggage, 1 carry on luggage, a small box and a baby stroller. Turns out, it’s not an issue because N’EX has a dedicated luggage storage area for big suitcases.
You can even lock your luggage if you’re concerned about safety. Though on my train, most people did not bother to lock theirs.
And the stroller? For the first and last row of the train, there is an extra space where the stroller could fit just nicely.
There is also another storage you can use, which is the overhead storage on the top of your seats. I only put my backpack there, but it was large enough to fit a carry-on luggage.
Toilet on N’EX
Yes, you will be glad to know there is a toilet onboard Narita Express. And the toilets are not just any regular toilet. They are spacious, with all the bells and whistles that you can think of from a Japanese toilet (Yes, of course there is bidet!).
The restrooms are only available on certain cars. On the train I took, it was available on car 1, 6, 7 (ordinary cars) and 12 (green car).
Is the N’EX green car worth it?
To recap, the green car costs us 16,760 yen total for 3 adults and 1 child. For comparison, the ordinary car would have costed us only 11,970 yen due to the cheaper ticket and the price of child ticket.
So is the 4,790 yen difference worth it?
Well… if the trip was longer, I would say it’s a no-brainer to get the green car since the price difference is not too much. But given that a trip on N’EX is usually just a 1 to 1.5 hours ride for most people, I think the ordinary car would have been just fine.
For me personally, I did enjoy the fact that the toilet is just right next to our car. This was key for traveling with children since we do not want to be jumping from car to car just to go to the toilet. I also enjoyed the touch of exclusivity, no matter how small it was. For us, it was such a quiet and calm ride. There was hardly anyone else on the green car, we were the only group boarding the green car from Musashi-Kosugi station, and there was only one other passenger already in the car.
Like I said, I thought the price difference between green car and ordinary car was not too bad, so I wouldn’t be opposed to taking the green car again in the future. However, I can assure you that you’re really not missing out much if you decide to take the ordinary car.
Tips for traveling on N’EX
Having taken the Narita Express myself, here are some things that could have made the journey more seamless. These tips apply for both ordinary car and the green car, unless otherwise noted.
- Train departure time – Trains in Japan are very punctual, right to the minute, ESPECIALLY the long-haul limited express trains like Narita Express, so don’t be late! If they say they will depart at 3:39PM, they will depart at 3:39PM. The train will only hang around on the platform for a few short minutes before moving on.
- Allocate at least 30 minutes of extra time – If you can’t afford to miss the train, please arrive at the train station at least 30 minutes before your scheduled departure. This will allow you to do preparation stuff like pick up your tickets, find your train platform, buy snacks for the ride, etc.
- Find the right platform – Some train stations in Tokyo are massive. The Narita Express train might say they are leaving from Tokyo station, but the station will be catering to multiple other trains so you might need some time to just get to the right platform. In our case, we entered via the Musashi-Kosugi station, only to find that the platform for N’EX is still about 500m away. Since we were traveling with a stroller and a few luggages, it took us another 15 minutes to walk to the right platform, and in the end we got to the platform with only 5 minutes to spare…
- Find the car number on the platform – On your ticket, it would state which car number you need to board. You can find where you’re supposed to wait by looking at the ground at the platform and find the car number that matches your ticket.
- Make sure you’re boarding the right train – At Musashi-Kosugi station, N’EX shares platform with a local train. Our departure was scheduled at 3:39PM, but there was a local train arriving on the same platform at 3:36PM. I nearly boarded that train thinking the N’EX had just arrived early!
- Remember your combo lock for the luggage – If you decided to lock your luggage, make sure you remember the combo! Otherwise, you’ll need to pick up your luggage at the terminal station which is going to be stressful.
I hope that helps! As usual, please feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any questions. I love reading your comments and always try to reply.
And if you’re visiting Tokyo, please do check out my Tokyo itinerary, where I tell you my favorite ways to enjoy the city. I also have many Japan-related travel tips and itinerary here. I’ve written a lot about Japan, you can find all my Japan-related posts here.