Narita, Chiba · Things to do
Things to Do in Narita: 11 Places Around the Temple and the Airport
11 things to do · checked October 20, 2026
11 things to do in Narita, from the temple outward
Hours, prices and access checked against each place's own page on October 20, 2026. They change; check before you go.
1Naritasan Shinshoji Temple成田山新勝寺
Buddhist temple · Narita Omotesando
The head temple of the Chizan branch of Shingon Buddhism, founded in 940. The goma fire ritual in front of Fudo Myoo is held every day in the Great Main Hall, which anyone may enter. Its halls include two designated Important Cultural Properties, the Shakado and the Komyodo.
- Access
- About 10 minutes on foot from JR Narita Station or Keisei Narita Station. From Airport Terminal 2·3 Station it is about 8 minutes by Keisei or JR to Narita Station.
- Hours
- Goma ritual held daily; the times differ by month and by weekday or weekend (temple schedule page). Chrysanthemum exhibition around the Great Main Hall 20 October–15 November 2026.
2Narita Omotesando成田山表参道
Temple approach street · Narita Omotesando
The approach to the temple runs about 800 m from the front of Narita Station, and has been a temple town since the Edo period. More than 150 restaurants and souvenir shops line it, and the Soumon gate stands at the temple end. Kabuki-themed monuments and shop signs mark the link with the Ichikawa Danjuro family.
- Access
- Starts at the station front of JR Narita and Keisei Narita; the temple is at the other end.
3Eel restaurants on the approach成田のうなぎ
Eel (unagi) restaurants · Narita Omotesando
Narita has served eel to temple pilgrims since the Edo period, from the Inba marshes, and the restaurants cluster along the approach, with the older inns and eel shops around Nakamachi and Saiwaicho. In the weeks around the summer Doyo no Ushi day the town runs an Eel Festival, with about 100 shops in a stamp rally.
- Access
- Along Narita Omotesando, between the station and the temple gate.
4Naritasan Park成田山公園
Temple garden park · Narita Omotesando
A 165,000 m² park behind the main halls, with plum, cherry, wisteria and maple, three ponds, a floating hall, the Yuhi waterfall and a Western garden below the Great Pagoda of Peace. The 27th Autumn Leaves Festival runs 14–29 November 2026, with concerts and tea ceremonies on its Saturdays, Sundays and the 23 November holiday.
Autumn Leaves Festival 14–29 November 2026.
- Access
- Inside the temple precincts, behind the Great Main Hall; add the walk through the grounds to the 10 minutes on foot from JR or Keisei Narita Station.
- Hours
- Autumn Leaves Festival 14–29 November 2026. The leaves of about 250 trees usually colour from mid-November to early December.
5Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy成田山書道美術館
Art museum · Narita Omotesando
A calligraphy museum inside Naritasan Park. It holds more than 6,000 works, holds about seven exhibitions a year and shows a 13-metre rubbing of the Taishan inscription as a permanent display.
- Access
- Inside Naritasan Park, beside the water-sound jar (suikinkutsu) garden; reached through the temple grounds from JR or Keisei Narita Station.
- Hours
- 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30)
- Closed on
- Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday); also closed while exhibitions are being changed
- Price
- From 20 October 2026: general ¥800; high school age and under, and under 18, free
6Narita Airport observation decks成田空港 展望デッキ
Observation decks · Narita Airport
The Terminal 1 deck on the 5th floor looks along the whole 4,000 m runway. Terminal 2 has two decks on the 4th floor from which parked aircraft can be seen up close. Tripods and stepladders are not allowed on the raised section of the Terminal 1 deck.
- Access
- Inside Terminal 1 (5F) and Terminal 2 (4F); no need to leave the airport.
- Hours
- 1 October–31 March 7:00–21:00; 1 April–30 September 6:30–21:00. May close in bad weather.
7Narita City Sakura-no-Yama成田市さくらの山
Hill park and plane-spotting · Near Narita Airport
A hill park just north of the 4,000 m runway where aircraft take off and land close overhead, with about 500 cherry trees. On days with a north wind, planes take off toward the hill. The Sora-no-Eki Sakurakan shop in the park sells local vegetables and souvenirs.
- Access
- Community bus from Keisei Narita Station East Exit (Tomiura route), about 15 minutes, ¥200 adult; or Keisei Bus from Airport Terminal 2 (1F, stop 2), about 15 minutes, ¥210 adult. Parking and roads are very crowded from late March to mid-May.
8Museum of Aeronautical Sciences航空科学博物館
Aviation museum · Shibayama, beside Narita Airport
A hands-on aviation museum beside the airport: real engines and cockpits, a large Boeing 747 model to operate, a flight simulator, about 20 real aircraft on the outdoor display ground and a 5th-floor lookout over the runway.
Closed 1–31 December 2026.
- Access
- Route buses from Airport Terminal 2·3 Station, Narita Airport Station (Terminal 1) and JR or Keisei Narita Station; some times of day have few buses, so check the timetable first.
- Hours
- 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed on
- Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday); open daily in August; closed 1–31 December 2026 for maintenance
- Price
- Adults ¥900; junior high and high school ¥400; children from age 4 ¥300
9Shibayama Nioson (Kannon-kyoji)芝山仁王尊 観音教寺
Buddhist temple · Shibayama
A Tendai temple founded in 781 and known for its Nio guardian gate. The main hall holds an eleven-faced Kannon, and a three-storied pagoda stands in the precincts. Goma is held on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from February to November.
- Access
- About 30 minutes from JR Narita or Keisei Narita Station; about 20 minutes by community bus from Shibayama-Chiyoda Station or JR Matsuo Station. Free parking.
- Hours
- Main hall 8:30–16:00; may close earlier on event days or in storms
10Chiba Prefectural Boso no Mura千葉県立房総のむら
Open-air history museum · Sakae, north-west of Narita
A prefectural museum of Edo-period life, with a merchant-town street, a samurai residence, a farmhouse and a watermill, and craft and daily-life experience programmes. The outdoor displays and the cultural-property buildings on the Fudoki-no-Oka side can be viewed free of charge.
- Access
- From JR Narita Station West Exit, bus stop 4, Keisei Bus to Ryukakujidai 2-chome, about 20 minutes, then about 10 minutes on foot. From JR Agi Station, about 10 minutes by bus and 3 minutes on foot.
- Hours
- 9:00–16:30
- Closed on
- Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday); 26 December 2026–2 January 2027; also 5 and 6 January and 25 March 2027
- Price
- General ¥300; high school and university ¥150; free for junior high and under, age 65 and over, and holders of disability certificates with one carer
11AEON Mall Naritaイオンモール成田
Shopping mall · Wing Tsuchiya, Narita
A large shopping mall with a restaurant floor, a Food Forest food hall and a supermarket whose ground-floor food section opens early and closes late.
- Access
- Direct route bus from Keisei Narita Station (bus stop 6), about 10 minutes, about 60 a day and roughly every 15 minutes. The nearest stations are Keisei Narita and JR Narita.
- Hours
- Shops 10:00–21:00; restaurant floor 11:00–22:00; Food Forest 10:00–21:00; AEON STYLE ground-floor food 8:00–23:00. Hours can change by season.
Good to know
If you have a few hours, spend them at Naritasan Shinshoji and on the Omotesando approach. The temple is about 10 minutes on foot from JR Narita or Keisei Narita Station, and the station is about 8 minutes by train from Airport Terminal 2·3 Station. The approach is about 800 m long, with more than 150 restaurants and souvenir shops, and eel is the local speciality. The goma fire ritual is held every day, and anyone may go into the Great Main Hall.
The airport side of town has its own sights: the observation decks in Terminals 1 and 2 (7:00–21:00 from October to March), Sakura-no-Yama hill park with planes taking off overhead, and the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences. Shibayama Nioson and Boso no Mura lie further out, and AEON Mall Narita is a bus ride from Keisei Narita Station.
Dates to plan around: the chrysanthemum exhibition at the temple runs 20 October–15 November 2026 and the Naritasan Park Autumn Leaves Festival 14–29 November. The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences is closed 1–31 December 2026. The calligraphy museum's fee changes to ¥800 for adults from 20 October 2026.
In depth
On foot from the station, near the airport, or further out
Where each group sits, how you get there and what it costs. Adult prices; children's prices are on the cards above.
| Where | Getting there | Entry (adult) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple and Omotesando: Shinshoji, the approach, the eel restaurants | About 10 minutes on foot from JR or Keisei Narita Station; about 8 minutes by train from Airport Terminal 2·3 Station to Narita | Not stated on the temple pages | Goma held daily; times by month. Restaurants set their own hours |
| Naritasan Park and Calligraphy Museum | Through the temple grounds, behind the Great Main Hall | Museum ¥800 from 20 October 2026 | Museum 9:00–16:00, closed Mondays |
| Airport: observation decks in Terminals 1 and 2 | Inside the terminals | Not stated on the airport page | 7:00–21:00 (1 October–31 March) |
| Near the airport: Sakura-no-Yama, Museum of Aeronautical Sciences | Community bus from Keisei Narita about 15 minutes; Keisei Bus from Terminal 2 about 15 minutes; route buses to the museum | Museum ¥900 | Museum 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays and all of December 2026 |
| Further out: Shibayama Nioson, Boso no Mura | Nioson about 30 minutes from Narita Station; Boso no Mura about 20 minutes by bus then 10 minutes on foot | Boso no Mura ¥300 | Nioson main hall 8:30–16:00; Boso no Mura 9:00–16:30, closed Mondays |
| Shopping: AEON Mall Narita | Bus from Keisei Narita Station stop 6, about 10 minutes | — | Shops 10:00–21:00 |
By kind of trip
A few hours between flights
The temple is about 8 minutes by train from Airport Terminal 2·3 Station plus a 10-minute walk, and the Omotesando approach is on the way. Without leaving the airport, the Terminal 1 and 2 decks are open 7:00–21:00 from October to March.
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple · Narita Omotesando · Eel restaurants on the approach · Narita Airport observation decks
Planes and the airport
The decks look along the 4,000 m runway, Sakura-no-Yama sits just north of it, and the museum has about 20 real aircraft outdoors and a 5th-floor lookout.
Narita Airport observation decks · Narita City Sakura-no-Yama · Museum of Aeronautical Sciences
Rain or cold
The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences, the Calligraphy Museum and AEON Mall Narita are indoors; the restaurants on the approach are too.
Museum of Aeronautical Sciences · Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy · AEON Mall Narita · Eel restaurants on the approach
With children
Children from age 4 pay ¥300 at the aviation museum, junior high and under enter Boso no Mura free, and the decks and Sakura-no-Yama are for watching aircraft.
Museum of Aeronautical Sciences · Chiba Prefectural Boso no Mura · Narita City Sakura-no-Yama · Narita Airport observation decks
Autumn 2026
The temple's chrysanthemum exhibition runs 20 October–15 November, and the park's Autumn Leaves Festival 14–29 November, with concerts and tea ceremonies on its weekends and the 23 November holiday.
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple · Naritasan Park · Naritasan Museum of Calligraphy
Questions
Can I visit Naritasan Shinshoji from the airport?
The temple's own access page gives about 8 minutes from Airport Terminal 2·3 Station to Narita Station by Keisei or by JR, then about 10 minutes on foot. The approach, Omotesando, is about 800 m long and starts at the station front.
Is the goma ritual held every day?
Yes. The temple says the goma fire ritual is performed every day; the times differ by month and by weekday or weekend, so check the temple's schedule page. During goma anyone may go into the Great Main Hall.
What are the observation deck hours at Narita Airport?
The Terminal 1 deck (5th floor) and the Terminal 2 decks (4th floor) are open 7:00–21:00 from 1 October to 31 March and 6:30–21:00 from 1 April to 30 September. They may close in bad weather.
Is the Museum of Aeronautical Sciences open in December 2026?
No. The museum announces a maintenance closure from 1 to 31 December 2026. Otherwise it is open 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed on Mondays, and open daily in August.
What is on in Narita this autumn?
The chrysanthemum exhibition at Naritasan Shinshoji runs 20 October–15 November 2026. The 27th Autumn Leaves Festival in Naritasan Park runs 14–29 November, and the Narita City Industry Festival is on 7 and 8 November.