At any rate, I want to go to Tokyo station by Narita Express!! How to buy a ticket with a ticket machine?

This article is for those who want to quickly go to Tokyo station from Narita Airport at any rate by using Narita Express.

When you arrive at Narita Airport, some passengers who get on board with you will go straight down to a railway station and Narita Express’s ticket purchase counter will be super crowded although automatic ticket machines are fully available.

As often as you come to Japan, too long queue in front of a ticket purchase counter makes you sick and if it’s possible, you just want to buy a ticket with a ticket machine quickly. But you don’t know how to handle it. Staff will kindly try to tell you how to buy a ticket with it but their English is not understandable. So you cannot help standing in queue annoyingly.

Let’s learn how you can simply buy a ticket of Narita Express to Tokyo from Narita Airport with a ticket machine, locking out other complicated options.

There are roughly 5 steps to get a ticket. I will explain the following steps with pictures.

How to buy a ticket to Tokyo with a ticket machine

Start screen

This is start screen of English version of ticketing procedure. Actually, the default screen is Japanese version. There are language option buttons on the right top of screen. You select English button and swith the screen.

NEX(Narita Express) only or transit from NEX to Shinkansen

In the next sreen, you just select above one.

Narita Airport station or other stations

Where do you get on a train? Of course, Narita. Don’t confuse but your choise is only above button.

Destination

Where are you going? Tokyo. Select Tokyo.

Number of people

How many people do you have?

Specifying time and selecting a seat type

Specifying the time and selecting a seat type. You just select a seat type from ordinary seat and Green seat (luxury seat). You don’t need to care about an unreserved seat. Basically, all the seats are reserved seats. An unreserved seat is bought in a very exceptional case like all seat are fully reserved but you want to get on by all means without seating and just stand around a deck.

Ticket fee between an unreserved seat and an ordinary seat is the same.

If you want to choose other options of departing time, you select “specify boarding time” on the left bottom of the screen.

Selecting seat position

Choose the position of seat from both sides of window or aisle. If you select “select from seat map”, you can directly choose a seat from a train map.

Selecting car number

Choose car number you want to get on. In accordance with seat availability, your seat is autmatically reserved with considration of your selected seat position.

Ticket type (only express ticket or a ticket including both express fee and reguar fare)

Just select “select”. When you select”purchase limited express ticket only”, you already have an effective JR ticket to get to Tokyo and you only need to buy an express ticket. If you have a SUICA or rechargeable contactless smart card with sufficient balance to get to Tokyo, you only buy an express ticket.

One way or return ticket

You just select the upper button.

Confirmation

Confirmation screen. You confirm again especially the number of people and the destination.

Payment

Payment screen. I selected wrong button. This is limited express ticket price. Acutally, the amount of price from Narita to Tokyo is 3020 yen inculding both express fee and regular fare.

Avoiding wrong operation, you just check how much it is to get to where you want to go beforehand.

Ticket coming out

A blue ticket comes out of a ticket machine. If you go to another JR station from Tokyo, you adjust the fare with this ticket at a ticket gate counter of the station you get off. You must not lose it because there is ticket inspection on a train. If you lose it, you end up buying another one.

All the arrival stations of NEX and ordinary seat price including both express fee and regular fare

Chiba prefecture

Tokyo

Saitama Prefecture

Kanagawa prefecture

If you want to use credit card for payment

Go to a ticket counter.