Overview: This instruction describes how to reach the National Institute of Genetics (NIG) from the Tokyo-Narita Airport (NRT). From the Japan Railway (JR) train station at the airport, you will be taking the Narita Express train (NEX) to the Tokyo area (Tokyo station or Shinagawa station), where you will transfer to the Tokaido Shinkansen (the bullet train) to get to Mishima. From the Mishima station, NIG is a ten-minute taxi ride. This instruction should be used with the attached document (Japanese_signs), which lists Japanese sentences that might become useful when you get lost or lose confidence. Please print it out and take it with you.
NARITA international airport official website:
http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/index.html



At the Airport
1. After going through the customs, follow the signs to the “JR Line”. If you cannot find the JR line station, ask someone the way to the “JR station”. If the person you found does not understand English, show the sentence #1 of Japanese signs, which says, ”How can I get to the JR station?” One thing to remember is that Narita Airport has stations of two railroad companies: JR and Keisei. Although they use adjacent platforms, their ticket booths are separate. Locate a ticket booth for the JR line.

2. At the ticket booth of the JR Narita Airport Station, tell the agent that you want to go to Mishima using Narita Express and Shinkansen (bullet train). Although the agent will understand English, it is better to show sentence #2, which explains your itinerary in a bit more detail. It will cost you approximately 7,200 yen. They will take cash as well as credit cards.
Most likely you will receive 3 tickets:

(1) a ticket for a ride from the Narita Airport to Mishima.
(2) a reserved seat ticket for the Narita Express (NEX).
(3) a reserved seat ticket for Shinkansen (bullet train) (Kodama or Hikari).

For tickets (2) and (3), the train name (ex. NEX21, Kodama653), car number, and your seat number is printed on the ticket.
Depending on the schedule of the next available Narita Express train, you will be transferring to the Shinkansen train either in Tokyo station or in Shinagawa station. Check with the agent where your transfer station is. Transferring in Shinagawa station is a bit easier than doing so in Tokyo station, but trains going through Shinagawa are less frequent.

3. Get on the Narita Express train for which you made a reservation. It will take about an hour to the Tokyo terminal. Shinagawa will be the next stop after the Tokyo terminal.
For transfer at Tokyo station go to “4a”; for transfer at Shinagawa station, go to 4b.

At the Tokyo terminal (for transfer in Tokyo terminal)

4a. Tokyo terminal is huge, with two dozen platforms, each dedicated to a specific line (direction/destination). The lines are color coded, and you would like to look for the "Tokaido Shinkansen", whose color code is dark blue, often accompanied by a "Shinkansen icon" (the front look of the Shinkansen train). The attached map (Tokyo_Station) should help, but when in trouble, show sentence #3, which says "Can you give me directions to the Tokaido Shinkansen?.

5a. What you'd like to do is to get one of the Tokaido Shinkansen platforms (tracks #14-19, ground level) starting from the Sobu underground platform located at the B5 level (5 floors below ground level), where Narita Express trains arrive. First, take several escalators or elevators up to the ground level. This is what the majority of the people from the Narita Express will be doing, so you could just follow the crowd. Then walk through the central corridor towards the other side of the Tokyo station. You will be seeing stairs leading to tracks #1, #2 etc. on your left and right. After passing the stairs that lead to track #10, you will find wide stairs (about 10 steps) on your left. Go up the steps and now you are in front of the entrance to the Shinkansen concourse. Go through a ticket gate, by inserting all tickets you bought in Narita. You have to insert all tickets stacked together, not individually (orientation/side insensitive). The ticket from Narita to Tokyo will be retrieved and the tickets to Mishima will pop out from the other end of the gate machine. Make sure you pick up those two tickets. You will need them when you exit the Mishima station.

6a. Once you are in the Shinkansen concourse, look for an electric schedule board that lists trains departing from the station. Identify the train for which you have a reservation, and find out the track number. If you have difficulty finding the right track, show someone your ticket and the sentence #4, which says "Which track does this train leave from?". Jump to 7.

At the Shinagawa Station (for transfer in Shinagawa station)

4b. The Shinagawa Station is big, with a dozen of platforms, each dedicated to a specific line (directions/destinations). The lines are color coded, and you would like to look for the "Tokaido Shinkansen", whose color code is dark blue, often accompanied by a "Shinkansen icon" (the front look of the Shinkansen train). When you are in trouble, show the sentence #3, which says "Can you give me directions to the Tokaido Shinkansen?.

5b. What you would like to do is to get to one of the Tokaido Shinkansen platforms (tracks #23-24, on the ground level) from the Sobu platform (tracks #14,15). Take an escalator up to the 2nd level. This is what the majority of the people from the Narita Express will be doing, so you could just follow the crowd. When you get off the escalator, you will see the entrance to the Shinkansen concourse. Go through a ticket gate, by inserting all tickets you bought in Narita. You have to insert all tickets stacked together, not individually (orientation/side insensitive). The ticket from Narita to Shinagawa will be retrieved and the tickets to Mishima will pop out from the other end of the ticket gate. Make sure you pick up those two tickets. You will need them when you exit at the Mishima station.

6b. West-bound Shinkansen trains leave from tracks #23 and #24. Go down to the platform 23/24 and look for an electric schedule board that lists trains departing from this platform. Identify the train for which you have a reservation, and find out the track number. Each tracks also has signs that shows the next arriving train. If you have difficulty finding the right platform, show someone your ticket, or the sentence #4, which says "Which track does this train leave from?". Go to 7

7. The arrival time in Mishima should be printed on your ticket. If your train is KODAMA # (# is a three digit number), it will be about an hour from Tokyo, or 50 minutes from Shinagawa. If your train is HIKARI #, your trip will be about 20 minutes shorter. There will be an announcement in English before the train arrives at each station.

You can find timetables of Narita Express and Tokaido Shinkansen in the following URLs:
http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation.eki-net.com/pc/english/common/timetable/e_nex_u/index.html
http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/timetable/index.html
(choose westbound timetable)

In Mishima
8. Get off at Mishima, go down to the ground level using stairs, escalator (located around car #11) or elevator (located around car #10). There will be two exit gates, one facing the outside of the building (north gate, and the other that leads to other platforms (south gate). Use the gate that faces the outside of the building (NORTH gate) by feeding all tickets stacked together, and exit the building. There will be a taxi stand to your left.

9. Show the taxi driver sentence #5, which says "Please take me to the National Institute of Genetics, Main Building". It will cost you about 1,500 yen. No tipping is required.

10. The taxi will take you to the entrance of the Main Building. Please call out a staff at the information desk.

Telephone calls within Japan
Because the majority of Japanese population has cell phones, the number of public pay phones is rapidly decreasing. However, Narita Express train and Shinkansen trains are equipped with several pay phones, for which you can use either coins (10, or 100 yen) or phone cards. Phone cards are sold at Kiosks in train stations or the airport, and there is a vending machine beside the phone on the Narita Express and Shinkansen trains. The sentence #6 says "I would like to purchase a 1,000 yen telephone card".
If you are making a phone call to Mishima from Narita, Tokyo, or inside the Shinkansen train, you need to press the area code (055, note the presence of "0") first (i.e., the director's office would be 055-981-6700). If you are calling from within Mishima (e.g. the Mishima station to the NIG), omit the area code.