Hotels in Narita

Narita is built around two things sitting almost on top of each other: Narita International Airport, Tokyo's main gateway, and Naritasan Shinshoji, a Shingon Buddhist temple founded in 940 that draws over three million visitors at New Year alone, second only to Meiji Shrine. The temple's Omotesando approach street is Narita's other speciality, an Edo-era row of restaurants built around one dish, grilled unagi eel, with some houses over a century old.

The daily Goma fire ritual at the temple is worth timing a layover around, and the grounds' pagodas and gardens are a genuinely calm counterpoint to the airport minutes away by train. Be honest: outside the temple quarter, Narita is airport infrastructure and hotel chains, not a destination in its own right. Stay near JR Narita Station or Omotesando for easy airport access and a walkable evening among the eel restaurants.