So I have some family coming at the end of the week and i'm trying to figure out if it is best to drive or take the train to Narita?  i know the train would be cheaper but is it easier?  And how long does it take to drive?  Is it an easy drive?

It's a very easy drive. You can go to MWR/ITT office for directions. You could also rent a car/van from MWR and you get passes for the tolls and with a van plenty of room for luggage. Then all you have to pay for is gas and parking.

I'm not sure where you're starting at but here is some information about Yokosuka to Narita.

From Yokosuka to Narita by car will cost about 3600 Yen each direction. As Nekoluvr stated a car/van rental from will come with toll passes. At Yokosuka car rentals are $50 per day and vans are $70 per day.
Narita / Haneda By Car:
http://cnic.navy.mil/Yokosuka/Fleet...CP_A233216

From Yokosuka to Narita by train will cost about 2600 Yen per person each direction.
Narita By Train:
http://cnic.navy.mil/Yokosuka/Fleet...CP_A233217

Can't you sign up for the shuttle or is that only for people who are stationed here and their families? I was told that when my family arrives, I can sign up for the shuttle (the free one) and actually take it there to meet them too.

Also, you can schedule a paid shuttle van that is 90 dollars and if you want to go there to meet them with the van then it is 120. I am doing that when my husband and children arrive at Haneda. I am told they also go to Narita.

Just for info, if family members do not have military ID then you are REQUIRED to meet them at Narita if you wanna bring them back on the shuttle. You need to run a visit request IN ADVANCE to get them in the gate otherwise some weird security thing happens and they may not get on that day. Get started on this early!

Personally, if it was me & I had family flying in, I'd rent a car or van & go meet them. The drive isn't that bad, you can get good directions from ITT, and it makes for a lot more comfortable arrival on the drive back to base. You're not waiting 2 hours for a bus, with crying babies all the way back and you can go directly to your home without going through the whole debark thing at PSD.

Renting a car is definitely the way to go. It is such an easy drive and you save the mileage on your own car.

Thanks everyone for the advice!! I will be driving. I'm going to look into renting a car too. Can you get a rental with short notice?

Yes. For me, the whole point of renting is the free toll tickets. It ends up cheaper than driving your own car, plus you save wear & tear.

Now what about parking at the ariport.

I'll have family coming over in Spring and had planned on renting a van and picking them up - but my OCD will make me show up at the airport at least an hour before they are scheduled to arrive.

Is there plenty of parking at the airport and is it "ample" parking?

Keep in mind that parking "Japanese" usually takes me about 3 to 5 minutes of backing up - moving forward, rinse, repeat. until I'm in. Because of this, I like to park either at a roof level or far enough away so as not to tie up others trying to park.

Parking is fine. You may not be on the front row but it's not Disney World.

The taxi service to Narita is around $150, much more than to Haneda.

It is a bit of a drive but cheaper than the train if it is not a solo trip.

My recommendation is to use USA PARKING at Narita.

Its a great service and very very affordable, if you have to park your vehicle for a long period of time.

A few weeks ago, I used this service for the first time, and I was very impressed.

http://www.usa-parking.com/english/

If you imagine or break it down....

1 WAY TRAIN TICKET TO NARITA 2800 YEN - 3000 YEN

So for me and my wife, x 2. 3000 yen x 2, then returning 3000 yen x 2 = 12,000 in just train costs for going and coming back.

Tolls cost about 3400 yen each way to drive. So 6800 yen total to drive in tolls. Then I paid about 3450 in parking fee for 7 days.
Total was 10250 yen total to park my vehicle, and for us to be comfortable driving, with our luggage in the vehicle..

Granted we also had my daughter in her child seat, so it was much better not having her sit on a train for 2 - 3 hours..

It took under 2 hours to drive from Yokosuka. There was not much traffic.

When you get to Narita, you will see signs all over that state 500 yen a day parking. USA parking, is the same, but they have some additional add-ons, and they wash your car for free each week.. They shuttle you to the airport, and you just call them when you arrive to Narita on your return and they will tell you what gate / exit they will pick you up. We were picked up at I think #17 stop.

If you need any help, just let me know. I can have my wife call if you need any assistance.