Narita Airport to Naritasan is a short ride. The morning goma starts at 5:30 or 6:00 by season, no booking. Fit it around a late landing, early flight or layover.
Narita Airport sits in Narita City, Chiba, so from Narita Airport to Naritasan Shinshoji and the town centre is only a short way. Plenty of travellers use Narita as a first night after a late landing or a last night before an early flight. If you stay here, one thing is well worth fitting in: the temple's early-morning goma fire ritual.
Morning goma times
According to the Naritasan Shinshoji official site:
- Morning goma: 5:30 from April to September, 6:00 from October to March.
- Further goma sessions run during the day between 9:00 and 15:00, varying by month and by weekday or weekend.
- No reservation needed: apply on the day at the goma reception. The ritual lasts about 30 minutes, and reception takes time too, so arrive early.
- Exceptions: the 6:00 goma is cancelled on 13 December for the annual cleaning; Setsubun (the day before the start of spring) has different times; weddings can also change the schedule.
Narita Airport to Naritasan: three ways to use a night in Narita
1. Land late, join the morning goma, then head into Tokyo Go straight to your Narita accommodation after landing (transfers between 22:00 and 06:00 carry a ¥4,000 surcharge). Join the goma at dawn, have breakfast, then continue into Tokyo. Narita to Central Tokyo is ¥22,000 by Alphard or ¥27,000 by Hiace, per vehicle, tax included, and the same fare anywhere within Tokyo; see Narita to Tokyo and our Narita Airport to Tokyo transport guide.
2. Stay the night before, early airport run The morning goma and an early flight rarely fit together: a 6:00 ritual plus reception time ends close to, or after, an early check-in deadline. If you want to attend, go during the day before, or choose a flight after midday. Work your pickup time back from your airline's check-in cut-off, and tell us your flight and terminal when booking so our team can suggest a departure time. Departures before 06:00 also carry the ¥4,000 surcharge. For timing an early departure, see our early-morning flight transport guide.
3. A layover Whether you can leave the airport, need to clear immigration, and what happens to your bags are all questions for your airline first. There are plenty of daytime goma sessions, so a long enough layover can work. Tell us both flight times when booking and our team will confirm; on a short layover, catching your flight comes first. For other layover plans, see a Narita layover in Tokyo.
Accommodation and drop-off
If you are staying near the temple approach, give the full name and address of your accommodation, ideally in Japanese, and our team will confirm where the car can stop. Child seats and booster cushions are available for families. Narita town is not on our public price list, so please contact our team for a quote; all quotes are confirmed by our team.
For other routes, see Narita Airport routes. Once your flights and accommodation are set, head to the booking page.
FAQ
- What time is Naritasan's morning goma, and do I need to book?
- According to the temple's official site, the morning goma starts at 5:30 from April to September and 6:00 from October to March. No reservation is needed; apply on the day at the goma reception. The ritual lasts about 30 minutes and reception takes time too, so arrive early. The 6:00 goma is cancelled on 13 December for the annual cleaning, and Setsubun has different times.
- If we land late and stay in Narita, how do we get into Tokyo the next day?
- Book a transfer from Narita to Central Tokyo: ¥22,000 by Alphard or ¥27,000 by Hiace (per vehicle, tax included, tolls and parking included). The fare is the same anywhere within Tokyo.
- Is a layover long enough to go from Narita Airport to Naritasan?
- It depends on the gap, whether you need to clear immigration, and your airline's check-in time. Tell us both flight times when booking and our team will confirm whether it works; on a short layover, catching your flight comes first.
- How much is a private transfer from Narita Airport to Narita town?
- Narita town is not on our public price list, so send your accommodation name or address and our team will quote. Transfers between 22:00 and 06:00 carry a ¥4,000 surcharge, and all quotes are confirmed by our team.