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I will arrive at Haneda Airport at 19:00PM and depart from Narita Airport at 17:25PM the day after. Can I stay the night at Narita Airport without any problem with the airport officers? The time spent staying at the airport will probably be around 20 hours.

As check-in does not take place until about 3 hours before my connecting flight commences, I fear that it is prohibited to stay at the airport for that long.

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    Why not stay in a hotel and see something in Tokyo? You are lucky to have such opportunity, no?
    – AKS
    Commented Mar 19, 2014 at 6:21
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    If you don't want to fork out for a pricey Japanese hotel, there is very probably a very comfortable quiet internet cafe or manga cafe in Narita that has "night packs". They're in most cities of a certain size.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Mar 19, 2014 at 15:14
  • About two years ago my flight arrived to Haneda about 1am but the subway was closed so I had no choice(yeah, a cab maybe, but not for my budget) but to sleep in the airport until the subway opened again and I had no problems. I think the same policy should apply in Narita
    – Alter Lagos
    Commented Mar 21, 2014 at 21:43

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From SleepingInAirports:

Sleeping in airports is generally frowned upon in all Japanese airports. While the terminal is open, you will likely be approached by a security officer who will ask to see your travel documents

It also links to a quote from the Narita website, although I can't find the quote on that page.

Aircraft operating hours is between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.. Customers are not permitted to remain in the passenger terminals outside aircraft operating hours. However, under special circumstances, for example when an aircraft arrives after public transport stops operating, customers may be allowed to sleep in designated areas. Moreover, customers catching early morning flights are advised to use nearby hotels and accommodations around the airport.

It does however say that sleeping facilities can be reserved in advance in the day rooms.

From some of the comments, however, on sleepinginairports, some had no problems and even had the police show them comfy places to nap. So it looks like officially, no, you can't, but in reality depending on your luck, you may be able to.

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  • The quote in question was deleted from the website sometime between July 4 and August 7, 2013. Moreover, as of now (Feb 2016), it makes no mention of operating hours whatsoever.
    – fkraiem
    Commented Feb 27, 2016 at 21:18
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Haneda unlike Narita, is almost at the heart of Tokyo.
In less than 40 minutes you can get to Shibuya a sleepless city. And 19:00 is still too early.Trains usually run until after midnight
In case you are tired and want to catch some sleep there are always the "Manga Kisha" (cyber cafes with internet, Mangas, movies) with reclining sofa, showers, free drinks and cost almost nothing.
Here is shibuya zebra crossing . You will find many foreigners wandering around there.
enter image description here

From shibuya, you can get to Shinjuku in less 10 minutes, another sleepless city with a lots of skycrappers.

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  • I actually found Shibuya to be the most difficult place to find a "night pack" in an internet/manga cafe. I walked around for hours after midnight one night when I arrived and couldn't contact my local friend there. I think because rent is so high and those places are pretty large. I'd recommend knowing the exact location of one in advance, or picking any other part of Tokyo.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 10:06
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    A second observation: If you want to crash in one of these places for a half night, they might have a five or six hour pack that will be cheaper than a hostel or guesthouse, but I found the price for a full night to be more than the price of a hostel. Also set your alarm and do not overstay as the price for extra time can be shocking! In good weather I might get a half night pack then nap on the grass in a park.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 10:09
  • Lastly: 19:00 is too early for what?? \-:
    – hippietrail
    Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 10:09
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    I meant 19:00 is too early to crash in the airport. Still lots of time to get inside tokyo. You could be right, staying a full night can be more expensive.
    – Lazy Ninja
    Commented Mar 22, 2014 at 10:14
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Just in case you haven't checked a map, Narita Airport is about 2 hours from central Tokyo. Haneda is 30 minutes. Yes, Shinjuku and Shibuya are 24-hour places of interest, but do you really want to overnight there between long-haul flights, with your baggage in tow?

There are many hotels in Hamamatsucho ( one train from Haneda ). You can explore a bit in the morning and leave for Narita about noon (no later). Larger hotels have direct bus service to Narita - slower but rather easier than the train.

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