How to get from Narita to Bashamichi

HI everyone.

I'll be landing in Narita and want to find the best way to get to our hotel which is between Bashamichi and Kannai.

I've done some research already and the best 2 options (least transfers) looks like:
Narita Express - Yokohama - Bashamichi or Kannai
or
Skyliner Express - Nippori - Kannai

I usually take the Narita Express to Shinjuku so have experience there, but don't know much about Nippori or Yokohama or the other stations.

Would you recommend I transfer at Nippori or Yokohama? Which is easier to navigate with large suitcases? Are the platforms close? Which would be busier at 8pm Thursday?

And same, which is easier to navigate, Kannai or Bashamichi Statation? Our hotel is a bit closer to Kannai so would prefer Kannai unless theres a good reason to use Bashamichi.

Or is there a better option I haven't come across?

The Narita Express - Yokohama - Kannai route will be the easiest.

Kannai and Bashamichi Stations are more or less equal in terms of size and ease of navigation. They're both relatively small stations inside a major metropolitan neighborhood. If your hotel is between the two, you won't see much difference in terms of convenience no matter which you use, since the two stations are less than a 10-minute walk apart (for many years, I commuted to Bashamichi Station and walked to my office that was across the street from Kannai Station).

Yokohama Station is big and gets crowded at rush hour, as Yokohama is the second most populous city in Japan, after Tokyo. That said, there's ample signage, the walkways are wide, and there are plenty of escalators and elevators, so I don't think navigating it with suitcases will be a major issue. I go through Yokohama Station on my way to/from international flights and have never had any luggage-related problems.

All of the JR lines at Yokohama Station are connected by a pair of central passageways on the floor beneath the platform level, so transferring from one line to another is easy. However, if you're going from Yokohama Station to Bashamichi Station, you'll need to go outside the ticket gates and go down to the Minato Mirai Line subway It's not a long walk, but if you're transferring at Yokohama Station it will be easier to take the JR Negishi Line to Kannai Station.

Probably the biggest advantage to the Narita Express - Yokohama - Kannai route, though, is that you'll be on the Narita Express, with a reserved seat, for almost all of it, and the non-reserved-seat ride from Yokohama to Kannai is very short (5 minutes, 2 stops, no transfer).

On the other hand, for the Skyliner Express-Nippori-Kannai route you'll spend a much longer time on the non-reserved-seat train from Nippori to Kannai, ay need to transfer, and will be passing through downtown Tokyo, where the trains are likely to be crowded.

That's awesome information, thanks for taking the time to reply!

Just as I pressed 'submit' I was thinking about the commute on the local train from Nippori and exactly what you said.

I feel more confident about transferring at Yokohama Station now.

As a resident of Yokohama, I'd definitely recommend the Narita Express over the Skyliner, but if you're not on a very tight budget, my personal favorite is the Limousine Bus to YCAT (Yokohama City Air Terminal), because it's the least stressful route.

While the JR station at Narita is far away from customs, the buses and its ticket counters would be right in front of it. Just stroll your luggage on the airport cart, and the bus crew will take care of it for you, while with trains, you need to take care of your own luggage all the way.

Once you arrive at YCAT, take a taxi. It's right outside through the bus waiting room. No steps or stairs, of course, and most if not all taxis there would take credit cards (but ask like "Visa Card okay?" before you board the taxi). You can also choose to transfer to a commuter train, but the Bashamichi/Kannai area is so close to YCAT/Yokohama Station. Whenever I come home from abroad, I take a taxi from YCAT to travel twice as much.

Thanks Uco. We agree the limo buses are more convenient, there's a bus that goes directly to the hotel we usually stay in Shinjuku but we prefer the trains. They feel more spacious and comfortable to us and I think we had an issue when we tired the airport limo bus once and they would only allow 1 suitcase per passenger, or something like that that put us off.

Thought I'd post an update.

We took the Narita Express from Narita to Yokohama then transfered to Kannai then a 5min walk to Richmond Hotel Bashamichi.

Yokohama wasn't TOO crowded and finding the platform wasn't hard. We did have to stand with our luggage for the 2min trip to Kannai or we might have decided to stand so we were close to the doors.

We got a *little* lost at Kannai Station. I wanted to come out Exit 9 but I think we got out at the main exit but it didn't take us long to find our bearings (google maps also helped).

We also took the direct train from Bashamichi to Shinjuku-Sanchome Station which was super convenient. There's an exit almost directly underneath the main Shinjuku South Exit which is our normal exit.

Thanks again for all your assistance planing our trip, it went super smoothly.

Thanks for your feedback. Good to know!