Is Narita worth visiting on a layover?

Yes, if you have at least five hours between flights. Narita town is 8 minutes by train from the airport, and you can see Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, its park and the eel street in about two hours.

What is there to do in Narita with kids?

Watch planes from the airport observation decks or Sakura-no-Yama Park, visit the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences, feed the animals at Narita Yume Bokujo, and clap for the carp in Naritasan Park.

What food is Narita famous for?

Narita is known for unagi, grilled eel on rice. About 60 eel restaurants line the Omotesando and nearby streets. The street also has rice-cracker shops, yokan sweets and a local sake brewery.

How long does it take to walk the Omotesando?

The Omotesando is about 800 metres from Narita Station to the temple gate, about 10 minutes at an easy pace. With shopping and a meal, most families take an hour or more each way.

Top 12 Things to Do in Narita: Temple, Planes and Day Trips Near the Airport

08/18/202510/10/2026

Crowds of visitors in front of the Great Main Hall at Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

Quick answer

Narita town is 8 minutes by train from the airport, and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple is a 10-minute walk from the station.
With 5 to 6 hours between flights, see the temple, its park and the eel street, then head back.
For plane-loving children, Sakura-no-Yama Park is free and the aviation museum costs ¥300 for children aged 4 and up.

Contents

Narita Beyond the Airport

Narita is a temple town with a thousand-year history, and it sits 8 minutes by train from the airport. On a layover you can see a large working Buddhist temple, a street of eel restaurants and sweet shops and a park with carp ponds, and, closer to the runways, parks and a museum where children watch planes up close.

This list is in three groups, covering the temple town, the airport area and places a little farther out for a full day. Opening hours and fees are for October 2026.

Check each official site before you go, because some places close on Mondays.

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Private Tours in Tokyo with a Local Guide Your own guide for the day, on foot and by train, planned with you before you arrive. From US$550 per group.

How Much Time You Need

Five to six hours between flights is enough for the temple town. That allows about 2 hours in Narita, the train both ways, and the time to go back through security before an international departure.

With less than five hours, stay at the airport and use the observation decks.

Time you have	What fits	Getting there
Under 5 hours	Observation decks at the airport	Inside the terminals
5 to 8 hours	Naritasan, its park and the eel street	Train to Narita, 8 min
A full day	Add a farm, a museum or Sawara	Train and bus, or taxi
An overnight stay	Temple at dawn, then a day trip	Stay near Narita Station

Leave big bags at the baggage storage counters in the arrival lobby before you go. Our Narita Airport guide lists where they are and what else the terminals offer families.

Getting from the Airport to Narita Town

Take a Keisei or JR train from the airport to Narita. It takes about 8 minutes from Airport Terminal 2 Building Station (for Terminals 2 and 3), and a couple of minutes more from Narita Airport Station (Terminal 1).

Keisei trains stop at Keisei-Narita, and JR trains at JR Narita. The two stations are next to each other, and both are a 10-minute walk from the temple.

From central Tokyo, Keisei limited express trains from Ueno take about 65 minutes, and JR rapid trains from Tokyo Station about 75 minutes. Pay with an IC card such as Suica or PASMO, and note that children aged 6 to 11 pay half.

In Narita Town, Around the Temple

The first four are all within walking distance of Narita Station, and you can do them in one loop, down the eel street to the temple, through the park and back.

1. Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

Naritasan Shinshoji is a large Shingon Buddhist temple founded in 940 and devoted to Fudo Myoo. Entry to the grounds is free. Walk up through the Niomon Gate to the Great Main Hall, where the goma fire ceremony is held several times a day, and see the red Three-Storied Pagoda from 1712, a National Important Cultural Property.

The Three-Storied Pagoda and the Great Main Hall at Naritasan Shinshoji — The Three-Storied Pagoda, built in 1712, stands beside the Great Main Hall

Anyone may sit in on a goma ceremony inside the hall. It is a service of prayer, so keep children quiet and do not take photos of it.

Our full Naritasan Shinshoji guide explains the halls, ceremony times and etiquette.

2. Naritasan Omotesando, the Eel Street

The Omotesando is the 800-metre approach from Narita Station down to the temple. About 60 eel restaurants line it and the streets nearby, along with rice-cracker shops, yokan sweet shops, a sake brewery and old wooden shopfronts.

The street runs downhill to the temple, so the walk back is uphill. With a stroller, take a taxi back if the children are tired.

Old shopfronts along Naritasan Omotesando on the way to the temple — Naritasan Omotesando, lined with eel restaurants and sweet shops

Unagi (grilled eel on rice) is the local dish. The best-known restaurants have queues at lunchtime on weekends, so eat before noon or after 14:00.

For children who do not like eel, most places also serve other set meals.

3. Naritasan Park

Behind the temple's main halls is a 165,000-square-metre park of ponds, bridges, a waterfall and wooded paths. Plum blossom, cherry blossom, wisteria and autumn leaves come round in turn.

Children like the carp, which swim over when you clap your hands at the Ukimido pavilion on the pond.

Autumn colours along the paths of Naritasan Park — Naritasan Park in autumn

The Naritasan Calligraphy Museum stands in the park, open 9:00 to 16:00 and closed on Mondays. Children of primary and junior high school age go in free.

4. Narita Tourist Pavilion

The Narita Tourist Pavilion on the Omotesando is a free stop with a display of the decorated floats from the Narita Gion Festival, held every July, plus tourist information. It is open 9:00 to 17:00 (the exhibition space until 16:30) and closed on Mondays, or the next day after a holiday Monday.

You can also sit down here halfway along the street.

Planes, Parks and Animals Around the Airport

These four are close to the runways. They suit children who love planes or animals, and they need a short bus or taxi ride rather than a walk.

5. The Airport Observation Decks

The free observation decks are the easiest way to see the planes without leaving the airport. Terminal 1's deck on the 5th floor looks across the 4,000-metre runway.

Terminal 2 has two decks on the 4th floor close to the parked aircraft. From October to March they are open 7:00 to 21:00, and from April to September 6:30 to 21:00, weather permitting.

6. Sakura-no-Yama Park

Sakura-no-Yama is a small hill park at the north end of runway A, where planes pass low overhead on take-off and landing. Entry is free, and the park is open 6:00 to 23:00.

The Sora no Eki Sakura-kan shop and café next to it opens 9:00 to 17:00, with toilets and parking.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Sakura-no-Yama Park near Narita Airport — Sakura-no-Yama Park in cherry blossom season

From Terminal 2, a local bus (the Sakura-no-Yama line) stops at the park. In cherry blossom season, from late March, it is busy, so go early.

7. Museum of Aeronautical Sciences

The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences, next to the airport in Shibayama town, is a hands-on museum with real engines and cockpits, a large working model of a Boeing 747, and around 20 aircraft outside, some of which you can board. Flight simulators run on set days, and the observation floors look over the runway.

The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences building with a plane flying overhead — The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences sits beside the runway

Hours. 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed on Mondays (the next day after a holiday Monday)
Fees. Adults ¥900, junior and senior high school ¥400, children aged 4 and over ¥300
Closure. It closes for maintenance from 1 to 31 December 2026
Access. Local buses from Airport Terminal 2 Building Station or Narita Station run infrequently, so check the timetable or take a taxi

8. Narita Yume Bokujo Farm

Narita Yume Bokujo is a dairy farm park in the countryside north of Narita where children can feed and touch the animals, and a small steam train runs on some days. Admission is ¥1,600 for adults and ¥800 for children, higher during holiday periods.

A free shuttle bus runs from JR Narita Station.

Goats eating hay at Narita Yume Bokujo farm — Feeding the goats at Narita Yume Bokujo

Opening hours change with the season (in winter, December to February, 10:00 to 16:00 on weekdays), and the farm has a few closing days a year. Check the calendar before you go.

ONO

When a family has time to spare near Narita Airport, the place I suggest is Naritasan Shinshoji.

Farther Out for a Full Day or an Overnight Stay

These four take a bus or a train beyond Narita town. They suit a long layover with an overnight stay, or a first or last day of the trip spent near the airport.

9. Boso no Mura

Boso no Mura in Sakae town is a prefectural open-air museum that recreates streets, merchant houses and farmhouses from the Edo period, with hands-on crafts and old-style games. It is open 9:00 to 16:30 and closed on Mondays.

Admission is ¥300 for adults, and free for junior high school students and younger. Take a bus from the west exit of JR Narita Station (about 20 minutes), then walk about 10 minutes.

10. Sogo Reido

Sogo Reido (Tokoji Temple) honours Sakura Sogoro, a village headman of the 17th century remembered for petitioning on behalf of farmers. It is quieter than Naritasan and suits anyone interested in local history as a second stop.

It is about a 10-minute walk from Sogo-Sando Station, a few minutes from Keisei-Narita on the Keisei Main Line.

11. Shisui Premium Outlets

Shisui Premium Outlets is a large outlet mall of Japanese and international brands, with tax-free shopping for visitors. A direct bus leaves from Narita Airport Terminal 1 (stop 30) and Airport Terminal 2 Building Station (stop 3) and takes about 20 minutes for ¥500, paid on board.

Seats cannot be reserved. Many visitors shop here before an evening flight.

12. Sawara

Sawara in Katori city is an old merchant town on the Ono River, with wooden shophouses and willow-lined canals, protected as a historic townscape. Small boats take visitors along the canal.

Sawara Station is on the JR Narita Line from Narita, and the old town is a short walk from the station. Allow half a day including the train.

Willow trees and old buildings along the canal in Sawara — The canal through Sawara's old merchant quarter

Tips for Narita with Children

Narita town is compact, but the eel street slopes and the temple has many stone steps. A carrier is easier than a stroller inside the temple grounds.

Leave the stroller at the hotel or the airport if your child can walk.

Timing. The temple is calm early in the morning, and the goma ceremony at 6:00 (October to March) or 5:30 (April to September) is open to all.
Food. Eel is rich and has small bones. Order a child's portion or another set meal for young children.
Crowds. New Year, Setsubun in February and cherry blossom season bring large crowds.
Back to the airport. Allow at least an hour before your check-in deadline for the train and the walk to the terminal.

If Narita is your first or last stop in Japan, you can add a planned day in Tokyo. Our Tokyo private tour with kids starts at your hotel.

For other ideas beyond the city, see our guides to a Mt. Fuji day trip from Tokyo and Hakone, or the full list of day trips from Tokyo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Narita worth visiting on a layover?: Yes, if you have at least five hours between flights. Narita town is 8 minutes by train from the airport, and you can see Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, its park and the eel street in about two hours.
How do I get from Narita Airport to Naritasan Temple?: Take a Keisei or JR train to Keisei-Narita or JR Narita, about 8 minutes from Airport Terminal 2 Building Station. Then walk about 10 minutes down the Omotesando to the temple.
What is there to do in Narita with kids?: Watch planes from the airport observation decks or Sakura-no-Yama Park, visit the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences, feed the animals at Narita Yume Bokujo, and clap for the carp in Naritasan Park.
What food is Narita famous for?: Narita is known for unagi, grilled eel on rice. About 60 eel restaurants line the Omotesando and nearby streets. The street also has rice-cracker shops, yokan sweets and a local sake brewery.
How long does it take to walk the Omotesando?: The Omotesando is about 800 metres from Narita Station to the temple gate, about 10 minutes at an easy pace. With shopping and a meal, most families take an hour or more each way.

Plan a Private Day with a Local

Every tour is private, for your group only, and planned with you before you arrive. From US$550 per group for a day on foot in Tokyo or Yokohama, or from US$890 for a day trip by train to Kamakura, Hakone or Mt. Fuji. Travelling with children? See our Tokyo private tour with kids.

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