Narita revives transit tours with new local experiences

International travellers transiting through or staying near Narita International Airport are being encouraged to explore the local area through a fresh range of cultural tours.

The initiative marks the restart of the Narita Transit & Stay Program, a volunteer-guided and self-guided initiative that had been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside the introduction of new paid experiential tours.

Led by a committee comprising six local municipalities, the Narita International Airport Promotion Foundation and Narita International Airport Corporation, the scheme aims to generate more tourism activity in surrounding communities as international traffic at the airport increases.

A record 114.4 million passengers arrived or departed on international flights in Japan in 2025. Narita accounted for the largest share at 29.7 per cent, ahead of Kansai at 24.0 per cent, Haneda at 21.3 per cent and Fukuoka at eight per cent.

International passenger traffic at Narita is also rising alongside Japan’s inbound tourism growth, reaching 23.9 million in 2025, up from 18.2 million in 2019.

Beginning this month, the Narita Transit & Stay Program will offer sightseeing routes lasting three to five hours in towns and cities around Narita Airport. Options include visits to Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple and a sake brewery, as well as wearing yukata and learning about traditional crafts. Participants are required to cover only their own expenses.

The new paid half-day and full-day tours, meanwhile, provide more time for local cultural experiences. Options range from textile dyeing and food harvesting to taking part in a festival and a ninja experience.