Detroit to Tokyo Narita Flights (DTW to NRT): Connections, Flight Time and the Haneda Question

Detroit's Tokyo nonstop goes to Haneda, not Narita

This is the first thing to understand about the route. Detroit was a Narita hub for decades under Northwest and then Delta, but Delta moved its Detroit to Tokyo nonstop to Haneda Airport several years ago. As of recent schedules there is no nonstop between Detroit Metropolitan and Narita, while Delta flies nonstop from Detroit to Haneda most days.

If Tokyo is your destination, the Haneda nonstop is usually the better choice: Haneda is far closer to central Tokyo and the flight is the same length. This guide is about Narita, which still makes sense if you are connecting onward within Asia on a carrier that uses Narita, if your fare to Narita is clearly better, or if you are heading to Chiba, Narita city or the Disney resort area.

To reach Narita from Detroit you connect once. United and ANA connect through Chicago O'Hare or Washington Dulles, both of which have Narita nonstops. American and Japan Airlines connect through Chicago or Dallas/Fort Worth. Air Canada connects through Toronto, which has a Narita nonstop and is a short hop from Detroit. West Coast connections through San Francisco or Los Angeles also work but add distance.

Flight time and distance in each direction

The great-circle distance between DTW and NRT is roughly 6,400 miles, about 10,300 km. There is no nonstop to time, but the transpacific legs from Chicago, Toronto or Washington take about 13 to 13.5 hours westbound and 12 to 12.5 hours eastbound. With the connection, plan on 16 to 19 hours in total from Detroit to Narita.

You cross the International Date Line going west. Leave Detroit on a Monday and you land at Narita on Tuesday afternoon or evening local time. Coming home, you leave Tokyo in the afternoon and arrive in Detroit on the same calendar day, which confuses hotel and car rental bookings more than anything else.

Departing from Detroit Metropolitan

DTW has two terminals. The McNamara Terminal is Delta's and is also used by SkyTeam partners such as Air France and KLM. The Evans Terminal, formerly the North Terminal, handles everyone else: United, American, Air Canada, Southwest and the other carriers. The terminals are separate buildings linked by a shuttle bus, not by an airside walkway, so a change between them means re-clearing security.

For a Narita itinerary on United, ANA, American or Air Canada you will depart from the Evans Terminal. For a Delta ticket that connects to Narita through a partner, you start in McNamara. Security lines are longest in the early morning; two hours ahead is enough for a domestic first leg, but check your bags through to Tokyo and confirm at check-in that they are tagged NRT.

There is no rail link to DTW. The airport is about 20 miles from downtown Detroit, 25 to 40 minutes by car outside rush hour, and the SMART FAST Michigan bus runs from downtown to both terminals in roughly an hour.

Arriving at Narita and getting into Tokyo

Narita has three terminals. Terminal 1 handles ANA, United, Air Canada and most Star Alliance partners; Terminal 2 handles Japan Airlines, American and other oneworld carriers; Terminal 3 is the low-cost terminal. Terminals 2 and 3 are linked by a walkway and a free shuttle bus connects all three. Confirm your terminal the day before, because assignments change.

Narita is about 60 km from central Tokyo, so decide on the last leg before you land:

• Narita Express (N'EX): the JR train to Tokyo Station in roughly an hour, continuing to Shinjuku, Shibuya and Yokohama. Reserved seats, luggage racks, and covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
• Keisei Skyliner: about 40 minutes to Nippori and Ueno, the fastest option if you are staying in the north or east of the city.
• Limousine bus: direct to many major hotels in 75 to 120 minutes depending on traffic, the easiest choice with heavy bags.
• Taxi: comfortable but very expensive for the distance; the trains are quicker for most of the day.

Complete the Visit Japan Web registration before you fly. It produces QR codes for immigration and customs and replaces the paper forms, which matters when several transpacific flights land at Narita in the same hour.

When to fly and when to book

Japan's holiday calendar drives fares on this route more than the weather. Late March to early April for cherry blossom, Golden Week in late April and early May, Obon in mid-August and the New Year period are the busiest and most expensive times to fly from Detroit. Late October and November bring clear autumn weather and softer demand; January and February are cold, dry and the cheapest.

June is Tokyo's rainy season and late August to October is typhoon season, when a storm can delay flights for a day or two. If you are connecting onward in Asia, build in a buffer night. For the peak periods, book three to five months ahead; otherwise six to ten weeks is usually enough.

Entry requirements and documents

As of recent rules, US passport holders can visit Japan for short tourist stays without a visa, but rules change and other nationalities differ, so check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan before you book. Your passport should be valid for the whole stay, and airlines may ask for proof of onward or return travel at check-in in Detroit.

Japan restricts several medications that are routine in the US, including some decongestants and stimulant prescriptions. Check the Japanese rules for anything you take regularly and carry a doctor's letter where required.

Time zones and jet lag

Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Detroit during Eastern Daylight Time and 14 hours ahead in winter, because Japan does not change its clocks. The gap is close to a full inversion of your day. Westbound you typically land in the Japanese afternoon or evening, which helps: stay up until a normal local bedtime and you are mostly adjusted within two or three days.

The return is harder. You land in Detroit in the late afternoon or evening after what feels like a very long day, and most people wake early for three or four days. Daylight, light meals and no long nap on the first day make the biggest difference.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The most common mistake is searching for Detroit to Narita without noticing that the nonstop goes to Haneda, then paying for a connection they did not need. The second is booking a Delta flight and a United or ANA onward flight separately and finding they leave from different Detroit terminals with no airside link. The third is landing at Narita too late for the last trains, which stop around midnight, and discovering the bus and taxi options are slower and dearer. Each is avoidable with a quick check before you book.