Center Hotel Narita

Taking Pride in their Shop & Outstanding Service

by Wild_Orchid

I noticed that the shop-keepers here took great pride in their shops and in their shop displays. Despite that the street outside was practically deserted and there were no customers inside the shop, the lady-owner came outside to re-arrange her display of wares and dusted and swept the pavement so that her storefront display looked bright and attractive. Due to her attentiveness, I decided to walk in to take a look.

Also a fond memory: Let me relate what happened at the souvenior shop where I had purchased a few items (see my shopping tips). The owner, an elderly Japanese gentleman, was in the midst of wrapping up my purchases with ordinary brown paper, when he stopped midway to ask me (in English) whether the mugs were for -gifts?- At my reply - Hei, Yes, the are- he immediately took greater care to wrap them up individually, and further marked them accordingly (each of them had a different design) and then he encased each with a piece of wrapping paper with a white background and red roses design. What can I say, I was totally taken in by his care and attention to detail.

The ceramic mugs not only survived the journey back home, but were received with great delight by my colleagues.

Swimming in Sandankyo Gorge

by nightlight_princess

A famous gorge designated as national special scenic beauty site. There are many fantastic sights that will take your breath away hidden deep in the primeval forest which stretches for a total of 16 km, beginning with the five famous grand sights of the jumping monkeys, Sandankyo gorge, Nidantaki Falls, Ryumon arch, and Mitsudaki Falls. It has been designated as a national special scenic beauty site because of its grand scale and the variety of its beauty. Numbered among the five famous gorges of Japan, nature's fabled panoramas unfold in succession along the length of this gorge.

"Got to go to Narita!"

by nightlight_princess

"Airport stay is the bomb! (Well, not really.)"

I didn't really get to stay in Narita for a very long time to actually experience it in a very adventurous way. We did the adventurous part already when we were on our way back to Manila. We were boarding the JAL plane from the Narita International Airport. And we definitely had a lot of time back then.We were even supposed to go to Tokyo that time but I think they elder ones were just too tired already. So then we had our chance to run around the airport and just trip around everything we saw. It was kinda boring but it also quite fun in a very Japanese way.

Gateway to Japan

by Rabbityama

"Narita International Airport"

Although Narita is an airport, it's definitely one of the most exciting points of a trip to Japan! Not because the airport is amazing, of course! It's just the excitement and wonder one has about what they will do and see and who they will meet once they leave the airport! At least, that's how I felt!

"Aleutian Islands of Alaska"

On the way to Narita from Seattle, we saw the Aleutian Islands from the plane!

"The Planes at the Airport"

I flew to and from Narita via United Airlines. Their flights offer a lot to keep a person busy during that long flight from Japan to the United States!

Guide to Narita Airport Terminal 1, Third Floor

by Confucius

"Everything you need to know for those three hours!"

Welcome to Narita Airport! For many of you this will be your only glimpse of Japan as you make a connection to some other destination in Asia. For example if you're flying with Northwest Airlines, then the 3rd floor may be all you get to see if there is not enough time to go through those long lines at customs and security.
Go to the Information desk and get the brochure seen in the photo. They frequently run out of the English edition so grab one quickly.

DINING TIPS:
There's really only one choice. You'll see 8 wonderful Japanese restaurants listed on the fourth and fifth floors but as a connecting passenger you're restricted to the 3rd unless you go through customs.
You're in Japan, right, so where's the sushi? FORGET ABOUT IT! The only things even resembling sushi on the 3rd floor are the long sardine and eel rolls at the Avion Cafe. ("Avion" is the French word for "airplane", n'est pas?) You'll see onigiri rice balls on the menu behind the counter at Avion but that item has been discontinued, probably due to the overwhelming demand from stranded travelers using their airline coupons for 500 yen. (I knew all along that "just in time" inventory concept was a farce.)
The Fa So La Restaurant is the only restaurant on the entire 3rd floor. The most popular items there are Chinese dim sum, which translate as "gyoza" and "shumai" in Japanese. For some strange reason the shumai are bigger and cheaper across the way at the Fa So La Cafe opposite the bookstore.
The only other option is Doutor Coffee Shop, which sells a small variety of sandwiches catering to western tastes.

SHOPPING TIPS:
Fa So La Tax Free Ten is a gift shop selling those T-shirts with all the different sushi depicted on them. For the best selection of "glow-in-the-dark" ninja and samurai shirts go to Fa So La Travel Kiosk, where I saw one remaining glow-in-the-dark shirt with Kyoto's Kinkakuji Temple on it.
Those delicious Honey Waffles are available at the Empire Convenience Store, but the price is somehow cheaper at the counter of Fa So La Cafe. Nevertheless, Empire Convenience Store is a good shop to buy other snacks to take on the airplane as well.
The North Wing is where you'll find the Hall Of Luxury Goods featuring Hermes scarves, Cartier watches, and other items that your remaining yen can not afford. Don't miss the Duty Free ladies giving out free samples though. Sometimes it's just a spray of perfume but on my last trip they were handing out free shots of sake to bemused gaijin. No free tissue packs though. "Zannen, ne!"

ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS:
The Fa So La Bookstore has manga and Japanese magazines where you can look at the pictures until it's time to go. Near the Information desk you can access the Internet for 15 minutes using a 100 yen coin. That's just enough time to check your VT e-mail and see who's online at this ungodly hour back in the USA. There is a children's play area with free video games. I didn't see any kids there but some young adults looked busy. You must register and give your flight information to the play room attendant. Perhaps this is so she can politely remind you when your flight is boarding. I asked her if a chess set was available and if I could play against Bobby Fischer. After entering the word "chess" in her pocket electronic dictionary we went over the pronunciation of "Bobi Fuishiya" several times before I determined she had no idea who I was talking about. "Sayonara" worked though, as "goodbye" seems to be the most familiar Japanese word known by all people outside Japan.