Use of public transportation starts at Narita Airport. There are several options for getting to central Tokyo but I have only gone with Narita Express. Fares may be higher but it’s the only rail option that does not involve transfers. If you have a disability and require assistance, tickets need to be purchased with an actual staff at either the JR East Travel Service Center or Midori-no-madoguchi. Trains depart every 30 minutes and a trip to Tokyo and Shinjuku are 53 and 90 minutes, respectively. A review of the NRT Express (N’EX) website shows many upgrades so I’m not sure if the information and reference photos here still apply but the times I’ve used N’EX, this was the seating assignment for passengers with disabilities. [Ikebukuro Station is pictured to the right but NRT Express service to this station has been discontinued.]

The plus side is that 14A has an actual seat (where you can place your belongings) and a cut-out space.

In the past, there was a self-driving, no-step rail that took passengers from the gates to customs/immigrations but this convenient service has since been scrapped. [Without this service, the walk is unusually long.]

The train ride into Tokyo is a bit of a culture shock. There’s so much greenery (even rice fields) and every now and then, you see makeshift cemeteries on small plots. Sometimes you see figures and you are reminded of the humble lives of those outside of cosmopolitan Tokyo. It’s a somber ride on the train ride back to the airport.

But this is Japan so there’s a beverage and snack cart that passes through every so often. The service is also unique to the country and staff takes care to bow when they reach the end of each car, even when there’s an almost empty car.