What to do around Narita Airport | Visit Chiba Guide

Just eight kilometers (five miles) and one train station from the airport, you’ll find the historic Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple complex, also known as “Naritasan” for short. This venerable temple has over 1,080 years of history, and its hallowed grounds attract over ten-million visitors per year! The temple is easily accessible from the airport, just take the train to JR Narita Station or Keisei Narita Station.

The historic Omotesando Street leads visitors from JR or Keisei Narita stations through the old Monzenmachi temple town, and is lined with traditional shops and restaurants. Check out our Guide to Historic Narita HERE.

Various events held here draw crowds throughout the year, including the New Year’s festivities in January, the Taiko Drum Festival in April, the Gion Festival in July, and the Fall Foliage Festival in November. The vast Naritasan Park behind the temple makes for a lovely stroll during any season, as its grounds feature many elements of a classic Japanese garden.

Experience the charm of old Japan firsthand in this preserved “living townscape” of old wooden buildings and family-run shops with long, storied histories. If you’re coming from the airport, JR Sawara Station can be reached by train in about 30 minutes after transferring to the Narita Line at JR Narita Station. Including transfer time, it usually takes about an hour to get there from the airport. Come to simply stroll the quaint riverside streets, stop by a traditional cafe, take a boat ride down the Ono River, or if the timing is right, witness the spectacle of the semi-annual “Grand Festival.”

Sawara is part of Katori City, and one of Katori’s coordinators for international relations, Sam, was kind enough to create a guide to the area! If you’d like to learn about Sawara straight from a local source, please check the article below:

Sawara: Riverside Timeslip | Visit Chiba

Sakura is a city located about a 10-15 minute train ride from Narita Station, a train trip which usually takes about 30 minutes in total from the airport. Much of its history was defined during the days of the samurai, and parts of this warrior past can still be experienced today. The Old Samurai Houses of Sakura are a popular tourist destination, with the journey there itself taking you through an old samurai path, known as the Hiyodorizaka Slope, which runs through a preserved bamboo forest. The old samurai district is accessible by train, and then about a 15-20 minute walk, via JR Sakura Station or Keisei Sakura Station.

Learn more below:

Hiyodori-zaka Slope and Old Samurai Residences: Walk in the Footsteps of Samurai | Visit Chiba

The three locations introduced above are marked on this map as Narita, Sawara, and Sakura.

Narita Escapes is a newly launched tour service offering a variety of Japanese cultural experiences such as: a guided tour of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, a sushi lunch, cycling through the countryside, making onigiri, a matcha tea ceremony, sake tasting, and more. To browse their current lineup of tours, please check out:

https://omakase-japan.book.ntmg.com/

Getting from Narita Airport to Tokyo can be a bit of a trek, so many travelers choose to stay a night near the airport at the beginning or end of their Japan trip. This also gives you the option of exploring all the spots we introduced above. Another way to fight off the effects of jet lag, or simply take some time to relax in a quintessentially Japanese way, is to spend some time enjoying a hot spring bath. Please check out the links below to learn more about our recommended Narita-area hotels and hot springs:

Hotels near Narita: Make Narita your easy destination | Visit Chiba

Japan’s Best Hot Spring Experiences Near Narita, Chiba | Visit Chiba