Narita to Shinjuku takes about 60–90 minutes at the flat Tokyo fare. Nishi-Shinjuku, Kabukicho and Shin-Okubo drop-offs differ; here is what to put in your booking.
Plenty of travellers book a room "in Shinjuku" and only discover on arrival how big the area is. The railway runs straight through the middle, dividing east from west, and a car has to loop round to a crossing to get from one side to the other. For a transfer from Narita to Shinjuku (or from Haneda), "Shinjuku" is not an address: which side your hotel is on, and which street its entrance faces, decide where you get out.
Four places to stay, four different drop-offs
West exit / Nishi-Shinjuku. The high-rise district around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, home to many large hotels. Most have a covered driveway, so the car can pull up at the lobby — the easiest drop-off in Shinjuku.
East exit / Kabukicho / Shinjuku-sanchome. Dense with shops and restaurants, with many small and mid-sized hotels on side streets, some narrow or one-way. The car may not be able to stop at the door; the drop-off may be the nearest wider road. Mention it when booking and our team will confirm with the driver.
Around the south exit. Traffic is heavy on the south side of the station and there is not always room to stop at the kerb. If your hotel is near here, note which street the entrance is on.
Shin-Okubo / Okubo. In the north of Shinjuku ward, between Shin-Okubo Station on the JR Yamanote Line and Okubo Station on the Chuo-Sobu Line. The streets are packed with restaurants and shops and busy at weekends, and accommodation is mostly small hotels and serviced apartments, often down narrow lanes. Apartments usually have no front desk, so check the self check-in arrangements (keypad or key box) with your host before you fly.
For station exits and maps, see JR East's Shinjuku Station page.
Give the building and the entrance, not just the area
Hotel chains often have several Shinjuku branches whose names differ by a word or two. When booking, please include:
- The Japanese name and full address of your hotel or apartment, not only an English name.
- For apartments, the building name and room number, plus any map or entrance photo from your host.
- If you know which street the entrance faces, add that too.
Return trip: meet at the hotel, not the station
Shinjuku Station has so many exits that "meet at Shinjuku Station" rarely works. For your departure, set the pickup at your hotel entrance; if there is nowhere for a car to stop, say so when booking and our team will confirm a pickup point nearby. With heavy luggage, the shorter that walk, the better.
Narita to Shinjuku: price and drive time
Shinjuku is inside Tokyo, so it costs the same as any other ward: from Haneda, Alphard ¥15,000 or Hiace ¥17,000; from Narita, Alphard ¥22,000 or Hiace ¥27,000 (per vehicle, tax included). The drive takes about 30–45 minutes from Haneda and 60–90 minutes from Narita, depending on traffic. See Haneda to Tokyo and Narita to Tokyo; for trains and buses from Narita, see Narita Airport to Tokyo transport compared. Still comparing areas? See where to stay in Tokyo for easy airport transfers. For the trip back, see Tokyo hotel to Narita or Haneda.
Give us the Japanese name, address and entrance in one go and we can take you right to the door. Send your details on the booking page.
FAQ
- My booking just says "Shinjuku". Will the driver find the hotel?
- Shinjuku is large, and the same hotel chain often has several branches there. Please give the hotel's Japanese name, full address and phone number, ideally with a map pin, so the driver can go straight to the right entrance.
- Can I be picked up at Shinjuku Station for my return to the airport?
- We recommend your hotel entrance instead. Shinjuku Station has a great many exits and it is easy to miss each other there. If your hotel has nowhere for a car to stop, tell us when booking and our team will confirm a nearby pickup point.
- I'm staying in an apartment in Shin-Okubo. Can the car reach the door?
- It depends on the width of the street and conditions on the day. Describe the location and the street when booking; our team will confirm the drop-off point with the driver, which may be a wider corner nearby.
- How much is Narita to Shinjuku? Is it the same as the rest of Tokyo?
- Yes. Fares are the same across Tokyo, for example ¥15,000 from Haneda or ¥22,000 from Narita by Alphard (per vehicle, tax included). Final quotes are confirmed by our live support team.