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A guide for wrapping up everything between landing, immigration, baggage claim, and the exit door in under 30 minutes. Most tourists trip on the same three things at the airport: "exchange," "Wi-Fi," and "adding Suica/Pasmo." If you prepped in advance, all three are either unnecessary or take 1-2 minutes. This article maps out the ATMs, convenience stores, and Wi-Fi spots at the five major airports in the order you'll hit them on arrival.
TL;DR — the 30-minute timeline
Elapsed
What to do
0-5 min
Airplane mode OFF (eSIM auto-connects)
5-15 min
Immigration + baggage claim
15-20 min
Withdraw ¥10,000-20,000 at a Seven Bank ATM
20-25 min
Add Suica/Pasmo to Apple Wallet (¥1,500 charge)
25-30 min
Buy your train or bus ticket to the city
→ Skip the exchange counters (mid-market -7 to -10%), skip airport Wi-Fi (if you have eSIM).
1. Narita International Airport (NRT)
ATM locations
Terminal
Location
Hours
T1 Central Building 1F
Seven Bank ATM (arrival lobby)
24h
T1 North Wing B1
Seven / Lawson Bank (inside convenience store)
24h
T2 1F Central
Seven Bank (arrival lobby)
24h
T3 (LCC) 1F
Seven Bank
6:00-23:00
Convenience stores
T1 Central Building B1: 7-Eleven (24h)
T2 1F: FamilyMart / Lawson (24h)
T3: 7-Eleven (5:00-23:00)
Fares into the city
N'EX (Narita Express): ¥3,070 (tap through with Suica)
Keisei Skyliner: ¥2,580
Keisei Main Line (local): ¥1,050 (takes 1.5x as long)
Suica can't be added on non-Japan-market handsets (FeliCa restriction). Buy a physical Suica/Pasmo.
If you're buying a physical Suica/Pasmo
JR Midori-no-Madoguchi window or ticket machine
¥500 deposit required (refundable on return)
Initial charge ¥1,000-3,000
8. Airport gotchas
Gotcha 1: the exchange counter trap
T1/T2/T3 at every airport have exchange counters (Travelex etc.) advertising "Best rate" — but they're mid-market -7 to -10%. A ¥10,000 exchange costs you ¥700-1,000. An ATM withdrawal is -0.5%.
¥4,500-6,000 for a week. 2-3x what an eSIM (Airalo / Holafly) costs. Buying in advance is the move.
Gotcha 3: "no card reader" taxis
Especially on late-night flights heading to the suburbs, a ride-hail app (GO / Uber) is more reliable.
Gotcha 4: vending machines that won't take ¥10,000 notes
ATM only spits out ¥10,000 bills → you can't buy a drink from a vending machine. Pick the ¥1,000 bill option at the ATM, or break the note at a convenience store.
Q: Can I activate the eSIM later on the airport Wi-Fi?
A: Yes. But airport Wi-Fi is slow and flaky, so download the eSIM profile before departure, finish setup on the plane (in airplane mode), and turn airplane mode off after landing — that's the clean path.
Q: I forgot my bank card's PIN
A: Reissuing overseas takes time. Wise / Revolut virtual + Apple Wallet with a QR-scan ATM withdrawal needs no PIN.
Q: The ATM says "Card not accepted"
A: Three causes:
Magnetic stripe not reading → try a different ATM
Overseas use OFF → flip it on in your card issuer's app