Getting out! Best airport, method, etc?

[nikoneko]

I just went back home to the US in December and have of course done this many times. But I got curious.. let's talk what is your best way to travel out of Japan? As in I may be booking a flight and am coming from Hiroshima prefecture, usually we do shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, then get to Itami and fly to Narita or Haneda and go. But last flight that got kinda killer and I am thinking to do shinkansen all the way in to Tokyo this time. But I know the Narita train is a pain in the rear and I am not sure about getting to Haneda.

So yeah kind of bad overly general question... What is your best way to make the hop over the ocean to wherever you have to go including domestic travel here in Japan?

[wagyl]

It all depends where in the US you are headed but is KIX out of the question for you? It is often good to look into the option of buses from where you are to the airport terminal itself: no need to change trains repeatedly.

The options available to you will change a lot with where you are. I tend to keep my location here a mystery, but where I am there is a shared ride microbus service which picks you up from your door to go to your choice of Narita, Haneda or Nagoya Centrair. That opens up a lot more options because you are not restricted to flights which leave or get in to the airport at a time which doesn't require you to stay overnight nearby.

I do my flight choice research with http://www.kayak.com/flights good for US or http://www.momondo.com/ stronger in Europe. I especially like being able to filter out various transit airports or transit times.

Edited to add: Fukuoka might be a good option for you to think about as well: a very arrival-by-train friendly airport.

[nikoneko]

Yeah KIX would be ideal for me, as I can catch the shinkansen and then the express to it, my family when they come do that actually. For better or worse though we chose ANA a long time ago and always use them. I made the decision a long time ago to never fly an American airline again for the long flights over the ocean and we chose them over JAL. I've never had one problem with them and my miles are with them too. Problem is they only go out of Tokyo.

Anyway not specifically about me just kind of looking for ideas of how other people do it counting in all the travel involved my return trip last time was about 30 hours door to door, and over 24 going... I suppose other airlines are not out of the question either as I only have 5000 miles at the moment with ANA.

[wagyl]

Transitting in South Korea is another option. It might seem like you are taking the long route, but often regional airports in Japan are served and the overall time and total cost can be better.

Lucky travellers get an unforgettable entry into SFO too!

[matsuki]

Yeah KIX would be ideal for me, as I can catch the shinkansen and then the express to it, my family when they come do that actually. For better or worse though we chose ANA a long time ago and always use them. I made the decision a long time ago to never fly an American airline again for the long flights over the ocean and we chose them over JAL. I've never had one problem with them and my miles are with them too. Problem is they only go out of Tokyo.

Anyway not specifically about me just kind of looking for ideas of how other people do it counting in all the travel involved my return trip last time was about 30 hours door to door, and over 24 going... I suppose other airlines are not out of the question either as I only have 5000 miles at the moment with ANA.

Did I mention how much I hate ANA?

If you live within driving distance and have a car, my lemur found a service that meets you at Narita, takes the car from you and stores it while you're away. As soon as you arrive, they're waiting there with your car. Sooo convenient in and out!! I forget the rates for a day or two but anything over 5 days is 5,000yen. Less than taking the bus/train to Narita for me and faaaar less hassle!

[Russell]

Difficult to say what is best from Hiroshima.

I guess taking the Shinkansen comes with an added price tag, as compared to taking a flight from Fukuoka?

I usually fly out of KIX, but occasionally from Haneda or Narita, depending on the flight options and the available airports at the destination. For example, Washington D.C. has two airports, one near the city, and one far away. If you want to fly to the one near the city, you need to fly from Narita, via some other airport in the US.

BTW, you did know that you can have free parking near Kobe airport up to 3 weeks if you park at the Ferry terminal and take the Ferry to KIX, did you?

[legion]

Did I mention how much I hate ANA?

If you live within driving distance and have a car, my lemur found a service that meets you at Narita, takes the car from you and stores it while you're away. As soon as you arrive, they're waiting there with your car. Sooo convenient in and out!! I forget the rates for a day or two but anything over 5 days is 5,000yen. Less than taking the bus/train to Narita for me and faaaar less hassle!

yeah, the car parking services are great, we use one where you dump your car off and they ferry you to Narita in a mini bus, and pick you up when you get back. Guess those rice farmers that didn't object to the airfield found a better way to use their land.

[nikoneko]

Interesting on the car parking stuff, I suppose I never really think about driving places so much here. I think we have only ever driven and parked one time and that was about 6 years or so ago. The truth is on this one I can't drive as my wife needs the car for work and I will be going alone. And in a slight bombshell (not that anyone cares lmao) this will be a one-way ticket if you can guess what that means. I'll do another thread about that in the special place later as I have a bunch of questions/thoughts. My major reason for wanting to really get the process down right is in a few months I will be buying two more one-way tickets for my wife and son and she has never traveled alone with him so I want to make it as smooth as possible.

[yanpa]

But I got curious.. let's talk what is your best way to travel out of Japan?

Go back in time to when I was living 5 minutes walk from a Yamanote Line station, that and the new Skyliner and some giri-giri timing got me from home to Narita in 65 minutes. (Once at Narita I while away the inevitable wait by subverting the liquids carry-on regulations with some conbini beer which I smuggle through security in my bladder).

[Coligny]

On the return trips... There is no way i would be able to drive back home from the airport...
Usually we are barely functional enough to find the meitetsu train...

[Wage Slave]

On the return trips... There is no way i would be able to drive back home from the airport...
Usually we are barely functional enough to find the meitetsu train...

Likewise. I'm OK with picking up a car at Heathrow and driving off somewhere but not the return trip thanks. I vote for Centrair BTW. A seriously under stressed airport. Plenty of space, very little shopping, no queues - Bliss. Stroll down to the little port. Have a beer waiting for the next boat, 45 minutes to home port and 15 minute drive home courtesy of whatever family member has the honour this time. Couldn't be better - except no non stop flights to Heathrow and Air France + CDG but I have soooo given that up. Finnair every time now Helsinki being another little gem of an airport.

[yanpa]

On the return trips... There is no way i would be able to drive back home from the airport...
Usually we are barely functional enough to find the meitetsu train...

Which is how I paid my one and only visit to Toyohashi. I'm sure the train said it was going to Nagoya, and it kind of reached the outskirts and then reversed, which to be honest is an understandable thing to do when approaching Nagoya , and it was a surprisingly scenic ride to that place probably not referred to as the "Big T".

[Coligny]

Biggest city in Aichi with a harbour and a name starting with a T...

Did the opposite once... Nagoya Toyohashi... Ended up in Centrair instead... With Lanxade the insane cat packing some serious heat in the armored cat carrier (Is like an MRAP, but designed to avoid injuries to people outside in case of furrexplosion inside...)