Dear fellow travelers,
I will land in Narita at 18:10 (hopefully without delays), and the last Tokyo-Kyoto shinkansen leaves at 21:24.
If I miss this train, what are my options to be in Kyoto by the next morning? I’ve being researching buses, but it’s all very confusing (and the related posts in this sub are quite ancient).
Could I please ask for your advice? Comfort is my priority (being a business trip, price is not a factor).
Thank you 🙂
2 comments
Your options would be:
* Flying from NRT -> KIX, and then getting from KIX to Kyoto. This might be the best option, and you might simply want to do this regardless, if you can find a late enough flight. Getting from NRT to Tokyo and then on a shinkansen to Kyoto is probably far more annoying than simply catching a connecting flight and taking a bus from KIX to Kyoto. (KIX, not ITM as I originally said.)
* Taking an overnight bus from a company like [Midnight Express](https://www.kanto-bus.co.jp/english/nightway/exp-kyoto.html) or [Willer](https://willerexpress.com/en/bus_search/tokyo/all/kyoto/all/). This is uncomfortable and long and probably annoying.
* The earliest shinkansen leaves Tokyo Station at 06:00 and gets in to Kyoto at 08:09. So you could also stay overnight somewhere close to Tokyo Station (or Shinagawa Station, a tiny bit farther south) and then catch an early train, depending on when you need to be in Kyoto. I would do this, personally, since it’s the most convenient of the options, assuming that getting to Kyoto around 08:00 is fine.
Taking a connecting flight to KIX and take the Haruka to Kyoto.
Take the 22:00pm last Shinkansen to Nagoya, spend the night in Nagoya, and take the first Shinkansen (6:20) to Kyoto. You will arrive by 6:54.
Spend the night in Tokyo and take the first Shinkansen (6:00) from Shinagawa. You will arrive by 8:02.
Night bus is not really recommended.