Tokyo Summer Travel Review 2026: Weather & Flights

My June Summer Tokyo Travel Log: Part 1 |

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Summer in Tokyo actually wasn't as hot as I thought...

Can you guess how much a taxi from Narita Airport to downtown costs?

A Tokyo travel story from someone who had no idea Haneda Airport was so much closer

Bbam! ✨ Since I was flying on my birthday,

the flight attendants on Parata Air suddenly came looking for me

and handed me this card!

A handwritten birthday card

from the captain of Parata Air!

I was so touched 🩵

Thank youuu!

I had never heard of Parata Air before, so I looked it up.

It sounded like some airline from Paraguay, but turns out it's a domestic Korean carrier! lol

Haha

#ParataAir #ParataAirReview #ParataAirTokyo #ParataAirBirthday

Tokyo is slowly coming into view outside the window.

I was planning to have a beer and sleep like a baby,

but Tokyo is actually quite a long flight.

It took a whole 2.5 hours!

I woke up from my nap to find...

that Tokyo outside my window

was getting (heavy) rain.

Having absolutely no idea

just how far Narita Airport is,

we just booked our tickets

to fly right into Narita...

And here we are, landing at the airport!

Sorry, my dear friend who is visiting Tokyo for the first time! Haha.

To be honest, my friend will probably never know

whether Narita or Haneda Airport is further anyway.

Hehe

Everyone warned me that Tokyo in summer is insanely hot, so I was terrified,

but now that I'm here...

most people's outfits

are actually full-on long pants.

Maybe they're tourists at the airport who didn't get the memo?

#IsTokyoHotInSummer

I even saw someone wearing

a beanie in this summer heat!

Oh, by the way, Tokyo's airport in summer

isn't as freezing cold as Bangkok's. No need to worry!

You can relax!

Seriously, Bangkok Airport is somewhere between

a crazy refrigerator and a freezer. 🥶

#SummerTokyo #SummerTokyoTrip #TokyoSummerHeat #SummerBangkok #BangkokAirportCold #BangkokAirport #HanedaNaritaDifference #HanedavsNarita #HowtoGettoTokyoFromNarita

First of all, Narita Airport is much further from downtown than Haneda.

By at least an hour or so!

The fastest way to get to the city

is taking a taxi when there's no traffic.

But Japanese taxis are insanely expensive.

Taxi fare = Cost of flight to Tokyo + α

Pretty much the same. 💸

---

Honestly, the distance from Narita Airport

to our hotel was far enough to cost over ~$160.

Tokyo Taxi Fare = 72km distance, 1 hour travel time, ~$160 to ~$192

……!

Our hotel was located in Minato-ku, Tokyo...

But honestly, it would probably be similar for other areas of Tokyo... (cough)

In Tokyo, as the distance increases even a little bit,

the taxi fare goes ++++++ way, way higher.

Short distances are only slightly more expensive than back home, so that's actually fine.

So in Tokyo, as long as it's a ride

of under 10 minutes, you can probably take a taxi without breaking the bank...?

Tokyo taxis are pricey, but...

But it was so luxurious and spacious,

and with so much legroom, my knees didn't ache at all.

Seriously, it was pure comfort!

Shoutout and a huge thank you to my friend for this! 🌞

The rainy Tokyo vibes outside the window...

were absolutely immaculate.

Interestingly, Tokyo is filled with Toyota Alphard vans,

which you don't see as often back home.

They seem to be widely used as luxury taxis here!

Oh, by the way! If you want a ride that's slightly cheaper than a taxi

but still super comfortable ⤵️

↗️ Booking a private pickup service here makes it so much

cheaper!

I had a bunch of Trip.com discount coupons,

so after stacking them, it came out to almost half price!

What a steal.

When booking airport pickup

= Tokyo Narita Airport pickup is around ~$102

Of course, the absolute cheapest option is

the Tokyo Airport Limousine Bus,

which is around ~$38 to ~$45.

⤵️

Narita Airport - Tokyo Limousine Bus - Klook

This limousine bus departing from Narita Airport

is a direct route, takes care of all your heavy luggage,

and drops you off right at your hotel

or very close to it. Honestly, it's such a lifesaver!

Arrived at our Day 1 hotel in Tokyo! 🏨

It was a solid hour-long drive, and I slept like a baby the entire way.

We stayed at The Okura Tokyo. It might sound a bit unfamiliar to some,

but this 5-star hotel was absolutely incredible.