We are traveling from Vancouver to Sapporo in January with air canada. The transit time in Narita is only 1 hour 25 minutes, the connecting flight to Sapporo is with ANA (code share with AC). We'll have to clear immigration, get our baggage, clear custom and re-check in.
Was wondering if anyone has a similar experience of transiting through Narita between international and domestic flights? Thanks in advance for sharing

Exceedingly easy. Great airport.

Imo it's going to be tight. It took us at Narita 1 hr from deplaning air canada to getting our luggage. Also AC delays all the time. I really think you're running the risk of missing your second leg.

If its code share, you’ll be ok. You may miss it but they’ll accommodate you.

Pam is it thought? If not I would definitely change my plans.

Are you booked on one ticket? If separate bookings, you are on your own.

ANA is amazing. Narita is very organized.

I thought the baggage automatically gets sent to your next flight.

Sue You need to clear customs when you first enter the country. NRT to CTS is a domestic flight so they won't check you at CTS.

I didn’t have a problem YVR NRT FUK. Clear custom, picked up luggage and drop off luggage. It was a breeze

Plenty of time. NRT is a fantastic airport. They will help you get through very easily. It’s a very streamlined process. We had 55mins to connect. Had time to browse duty free even.

I often prefer more time than the bare minimum required so frequently choose to cool my heels in an airport rather than feel stressed. It might - might - be an option to change your ticket if that’s your preference.

Make sure to pre fill the emigration and custom form here. https://vjw-lp.digital.go.jp/en/
VJW-LP.DIGITAL.GO.JP
Visit Japan Web | Digital Agency

Namit
Is this website free? Do they charge for their service?

Cheryl it’s a government website. It helps speed up you getting through customs and immigration. No charge.

Namit - Awesome! Thank you! We have a long layover at Narita. Getting out of the airport to roam around

If you bought these two flights together, they will do whatever to help you get the second flight for sure. If you are worried, when you check in at AC, you can tell your concern to the handler. They may communicate inside their system.
ANA’s service has been outstanding. One time, we left our iPad on the floor of the plane, and the air hostess personally brought it to us while waiting to pick up our checked-in luggage.

Just being honest from the last few times I've flown AC, count on your AC flight to leave yvr about 20-30 minutes late, so it will be close. Narita is a decent airport so that helps but plan on missing your connection and have a backup plan.

As a person with disabilities who also has to go through a medical check entering Japan (yes it is a thing) I had no problem transiting the time we flew to Naha or back - also on AC to ANA. We also only had 90 minutes which ended up being 60 once we got mobility equipment up to the AC plane after everyone got off. Easy to pick and drop luggage just like is done in YVR if transiting the other way.

Thank you all for your comments! Really appreciate them

Hey I live in Sapporo. Let me know if you need anything.
You'll have more than enough time to transit. My parents just did this flight last month and they had zero issues despite the AC flight being 30 mins late for take off.

Andrew thank you so much! Would appreciate recommendations on good local restaurants for dinner and breakfast! We'll probably stay near Tanukikoji and will only be in Sapporo for one night after our trip to Niseko

Stella Hey, apologies for the late reply, I've been on business trips every week this week and it's been crazy.
A few of my favorites are Daruma for Jinghis Khan (BBQ Mutton). Their main location has the best atmosphere but it also has the most brutal lines. Other locations are pretty much as good, with shorter lines, but it's less intimate.
Location here:
https://goo.gl/maps/YzJqSKmDmUJCdsiGA
My next pick would be sushi from Hanamaru. There's a few locations around Sapporo as well, but I tend to find the one here
https://goo.gl/maps/8ztG282zU9JMW1Qj7
is consistently the most delicious. They used to have a pre corona atmosphere of a market, with chefs shouting orders at each other and trying to sell dishes they made to customers, but that's been neutered post corona and post rennovation. Sad.
For kind of fine dining with local ingredients, though entirely in Japanese, my rugby teammate runs a small bar which recently changed its name to meat man. He's pretty damn good. It's here, think around 1500 yen for a plate however.
https://goo.gl/maps/TMkQT7vmJ6ja6bdx8
For ramen, Sapporo is Miso Ramen, and in my opinion a lot of it is pretty damn good, but for the dictionary definition of Sapporo Miso, Junren can't be beat. It's a bit away from the downtown core, and I think they have locations there? But I live near the original store and tend to go there. It's by a park with a Japanese garden so there's that too.
https://goo.gl/maps/YTn3rXaeiSbTMUAM6
Best burger joint by far is jacksonville, though there's a place in niseko that makes a decent burger (Jojos, decent coffee too) so maybe skip this place for something more local?
https://goo.gl/maps/zh9RRX3DwJ985Z2V8
For Tsukemen there isn't a lot available in Hokkaido, but a friend of ours has his own place and he is an absolute genius. He opened up across from ichigen, a ramen place famous for shrimp based ramen, and picked up the leftovers from there and has pretty much overtaken them in popularity. It's great. He was open late at night but sold out all his soups daily and couldnt keep up with demand, he's only open for lunch now.
https://goo.gl/maps/ZPtkT295q7y5b1yd9
Not dinner, but ice cream and cheese tarts. The ice cream is amazing. My buddy visited and has said that every ice cream he has had since has paled in comparison and he feels like he's chasing the dragon trying to find the original high he got here. The cheese tarts are also probably the best cheese tarts I've ever had. Kinotoya is legend.
https://goo.gl/maps/FKsRDK14CmZbJ3rs8
I'm not a fan of Unagi, but my buddy and wife are. You can get up to like 50 bucks or so for one dinner here if you're into it. My wife adores it and my buddy also said he's never had Unagi anywhere near the level of this place.
Kadoya - https://goo.gl/maps/oVe29enndG9A5H73A
for bbq, a small chain, but mikakuen is alright. There's lots of good Yakiniku places but Mikakuen has Japanese beef on their all you can eat menu.
https://goo.gl/maps/FwABU6wcQBywt2BEA
Parfait. Good Parfaits.
https://goo.gl/maps/nwt7tSjS3cdEQydF7
As for breakfast.... I'm sorry I don't really eat breakfast and if I do it's always too small to justify eating out. Usually just an onigiri from the convenience store. There are lots of cafes though, and they're probably your best bet, along with bakeries.
I can't think of much more right now. A lot of bars I liked didn't survive corona or the owners reopened under a different menu and name etc.... and combined with having a small baby, we just haven't gotten out much lately. I'll ask the wife and see if she can come up with anything more and update later.
GOOGLE.CA
Daruma Main Shop · Japan, 〒064-0805 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Minami 5 Jonishi, 4 クリスタルビル 1F

Andrew thank you so much!!

We went through nearly this exact same situation but it wasn’t a codeshare / we booked separately and we were still fine! The airport is extremely organized and efficient. Also, assuming your flight doesn’t land in Narita late in the day, there will be lots of flights into Sapporo so even if you miss it they’ll have a way to accommodate you. Have a great trip!

Exactly