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It’s not Only the Airport; Narita is a Hot Place for Sightseeing
When you think of Narita in Chiba Prefecture, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is Narita International Airport. But as well as being home to the airport, Narita is becoming a hot sightseeing spot for foreign tourists. Approximately 13 million tourists visited Narita in 2007; many of them foreign tourists staying at hotels around the airport who stop by just before leaving Japan.
Shinshoji Temple in Naritasan near JR Narita Station is the area’s main attraction and can be reached by “Retro bus” from the airport. The temple enshrines Cetaka (a Buddha), and almost 3 million people visit Shinshoji in the first three days of the new year. It boasts the highest number of visitors for the occasion nationwide as a temple.
In the grounds of the temple are the beautifully sculptured Edo-period Three-storied Pagoda, Shakado Hall, and Niomon Gate (all nationally certified important cultural properties). Behind the Great Main Hall there is also Naritasan park where cherry blossom trees bloom in spring. The Great Pagoda of Peace and Shotokutaishido Hall cannot be missed there either.
The approach to Shinshoji begins in front of JR Narita Station and stretches all the way to the temple’s main gate. All sorts of shops line the way, including soba shops, souvenir shops, Japanese sweets shops, kimono shops, bars and sake shops, to name but a few. Stopping at some of them as you gently stroll toward the main gate will get you there in 20 to 30 minutes.
As you walk along the street, you will see a ramen shop called “Ramen Bayashi,” which is popular with foreign tourists. It is easy to spot since there is a sign that says “Noodle Shop.” It has an English menu and its hot and spicy “Shisen-men” comes with lots of vegetables. Other items on the menu include gyoza and fried rice.
For those of you who love sake, how about Takizawa Honten? The brewery has 130 years of history. As new sake is made from November and goes on sale in the middle of December, you can visit and see the brewing process from then until the end of February.
A 20-minute bus ride from Narita Station is a museum called Boso-no-Mura, located in a quiet suburb of Chiba where you can experience Chiba’s traditional lifestyles and skills. You can also see a reproduction of farmers’ houses, watch village kabuki performances, try on Japanese armor and make soba noodles or crafts as well.
Besides this, you can enjoy making amber beads, create draw on paper-mache, create “patterned paper candles,” and learn ukiyoe printing with the help of instructors. In its vast grounds, there is a tea house and benches scattered here and there, where you could enjoy a relaxing hot cup of green tea and Japanese sweets.
A 15-minute bus ride from Sakura Station, two stops toward Tokyo from JR Narita, is the National Museum of Japanese History. At the museum, you can learn how Japan and its people were shaped. It plays a critical role in historical, archaeological and ethnological research and as an educational and training institution for everyone from children to university students and researchers.
The museum has five exhibition halls with themes that include prehistoric and early Paleolithic Japan, great aristocratic culture and the everyday lives of the military families of Heian, the Kamakura period, the lives and culture of people in the Edo period, farmers’ lives, how metropolitan cities were created, the civilization of the country in the late 19th century, and the modern era of industrialization and pioneering.
Another museum, 15 minutes by bus from Narita Terminal 2, is the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences. You can learn about Japanese aeronautical history, see how big airplane engines work, experience flight views with the pilot training simulator and hear the different sounds of aircrafts.
Access from Tokyo
1) From Tokyo Station to Narita Station by JR Sobu Line rapid train bound for Narita Airport: approximately 75 minutes. 60 minutes by Narita Express.
2) From Ueno Station to Narita Station by JR Joban/Narita Line rapid train bound for Narita via Abiko: approximately 80 minutes.
3) From Keisei Ueno Station to Keisei Narita Station by Keisei Line limited express. Approximately 60 ~ 85 minutes.
Access from Narita Airport
Narita City Round Bus (Retro Bus) departs from Narita Airport Terminal 1 and Termina l 2 at 90 minutes intervals. It takes about 40 minutes to Shinshoji Temple and JR Narita station. One day pass 500 yen.
(From April Issue 2009)
