*Departure floor beflre dawn
ANA Tokyo - Mumbai direct flight departs Narita at 12:30 afternoon, and the tickets we booked included domestic flights to and from Fukuoka.
However, we were initially planning to fly from Fukuoka to Tokyo by ourselves and stay there for a few days before catching the flight to Mumbai; we picked the flight from Fukuoka to Narita without much consideration, and that created issues at the last moment. The flight we chose was from Fukuoka to Haneda arriving at 8:40 AM, and considering uncertain transportation from Haneda to Narita, we decided that instead we should move to Narita Airport the night before the flight and stay at the terminal itself.
As such, we booked Jetstar for the mode of transportation, and I realised that it was not possible for me to use them for an international trip. There was no comfort on the flight and even bearing the short domestic flight was somewhat hard.
We departed Fukuoka at 20:20, and arrived Narita at around 22:15. The flight was almost full; it looked like all those passengers were also preparing for the next morning international flights and to be staying at or nearby hotels of Narita.
Jetstar arrived at Terminal 3, which is dedicated to LCC and thus things were very simple and crisp.
According to my internet research, Terminal 2 looked the best option when you planned to stay overnight at Narita Airport, and so we proceeded from Terminal 3 via the connecting isle guided by arrows all the way available until we reached Terminal 2 entrance. If you arrive earlier, there is a shuttle bus service also available between the terminals.
Terminal 2 officially provides the places to stay for those backpackers or likewise whoever require a night stay before their flights. There are benches and “Tatami” style arrangement where we can take rest in full-flat. They close the AC in the late night as well.
24-hour 7-Eleven is on B1F (right to the Keisei Line entrance), and Yoshino-ya is on 2F, as well as security guards and police officers who all the time watch and check the things. I felt rather secure and could take sound sleep. It seems that sometimes there could be passport and boarding pass check from police officers or security guards. As of 6th July, we did not experience such ID checks.
However, if you have a limited budget but want to sleep tight, there is a “Capsule Hotel 9-Hours” in the parking area of the Terminal 2. When I checked the rate as we arrived at Narita, they had “Chokuzen-wari (booking immediate before staying discount)” available that day and showed less than 12,000 yen per night for three people.
We identified our space on 2F, where working desks with plugs also available, convenient for charging mobile devices. Many passengers from across the globe, except for Japanese, were already taking rest, relaxing, or chatting merrily.
They dimmed the light at around 1 AM, but the escalators to the 3F departure lobby start operating at around 3:30 AM, as the earliest flights depart from Narita at around 5:30 AM and people start coming into the terminal from outside.
Because of the presence of Siddharth and Radha-chan, I fully enjoyed this first time experience. If required, you can use the shower at “9-Hours” with 1,000 yen.
