Kansai Airport (関西空港, Kansai Kūkō, KIX), is Japan's most important international airport after Tokyo airports, and was inaugurated in 1994 on an artificial island in the Bay of Osaka. If you go to Osaka from abroad, you will surely land at this airport, while for domestic traffic the airport of Itami is also widely used. Kansai Airport has two terminals. Terminal 1 is the main terminal and the only one served by the railway station. Terminal 2 is located in a very distant building, built many years later and now used by low cost airlines. The latter is connected to Terminal 1 and the train station by a free shuttle bus. By train, you can easily get to the center of Osaka and Kyoto. Numerous buses directly connect Terminal 1 (and in some cases also Terminal 2), as well as with Osaka and Kyoto, also with other cities in the region such as Kobe, Wakayama and Nara.
Our tips in brief
Of all the means that connect Kansai airport, if there are no special needs we recommend the train.
The JR Haruka train is the most recommended solution if your final destination is Kyoto, Kobe or Nara, thanks to the great promotion Icoca&Haruka only available to foreign tourists. In the case of Kyoto you will also have the unparalleled convenience of a direct train without changes.
If your final destination is within Osaka, then it depends. In formulating our advice we take into consideration not only travel times and price, but also the possibility of reaching the destination without changes. In fact, we think that, if you have never been to Japan and you are not familiar with the means, and maybe you also have large luggage, changing trains after many hours of plane is not the best of life.
For those traveling to the Umeda and Osaka Station area we recommend the JR Kansai Airport Rapid service (1210¥). It is a few minutes slower than the Haruka train, but there are more frequencies and above all it is the only way to reach Osaka Station without making train changes.
For those traveling to the Namba area it is recommended to use one of the two services of the Nankai company instead. Rapi:t (1450¥) has reserved seats and takes a few minutes less, but costs more. The Airport Express costs less (930¥) but is slower and you may not get a seat.
For those traveling to the Tennoji area, you can choose between the Haruka train with the Icoca&Haruka promotion (1200¥) and the JR Kansai Airport Rapid (1080¥) which takes 15 minutes longer.
For those traveling to the Shinsekai area, Nankai trains make a stop (Shin Imamiya) in the area. You can also this time choose between the Rapi:t (1450¥) and the Airport Express (930¥).
Last but not least, if your number one priority is to save as much as possible, in any case we recommend the Nankai Airport Express. Thanks to the Kanku Chikatoku Ticket package you can reach any place in Osaka with only 1020¥ changing to the metro at Namba station.
By train
Kansai airport is perfectly connected to both Osaka and Kyoto by JR (Japan railways), while the private company Nankai offers an interesting and convenient connection directly with Namba, a very central district of Osaka.
Summary table
JR Haruka - reserved seats
Main destinations
Journey time
Fare
Other
Tennoji Station
35 minutes
2470¥
With the Icoca&Haruka package it costs only 1200¥
Shin Osaka Station
50 minutes
3110¥
With the Icoca&Haruka package it costs only 1600¥
Kyoto Station
80 minutes
3630¥
With the Icoca&Haruka package it costs only 1800¥
JR Kansai Airport Rapid - unreserved seats
Main destinations
Journey time
Fare
Other
Tennoji Station
50 minutes
1080¥
Osaka Station (Umeda)
70 minutes
1210¥
Nankai Rapi:t - reserved seats
Main destinations
Journey time
Fare
Other
Shin Imamiya Station (Shinsekai)
30 minutes
1450¥
Namba Station
35 minutes
1450¥
Nankai Airport Express - unreserved seats
Main destinations
Journey time
Fare
Other
Shin Imamiya Station (Shinsekai)
42 minutes
930¥
With the Kanku Chikatoku Ticket package you can reach any Osaka subway station with 1020¥
Namba Station
47 minutes
930¥
With the Kanku Chikatoku Ticket package you can reach any Osaka subway station with 1020¥
Details
JR Haruka
The fastest service offered by JR is the "Haruka" train, which stops respectively at Osaka Tennoji (35 minutes, 2470¥), Shin-Osaka (50 minutes, 3110¥), and finally Kyoto Station (80 minutes, 3630¥). Seats are reserved, there is a departure every 30 minutes, and there is free wifi on board. The prices at first glance may seem too high, but if you are a foreign tourist you can take advantage of a great discount package called Icoca&Haruka which makes this service very affordable.
Icoca&Haruka
Icoca&Haruka is a discounted package, only available for short-term foreign tourists (not for Japanese citizens and not even for foreigners with long-term visas such as student or business visas). It provides a train ticket between the airport and the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe or Nara (one way or even round trip), plus an ICOCA prepaid card. The ICOCA prepaid card will be very useful for taking public transport throughout Japan without having to buy a ticket every time, so it is not an unnecessary expense. The card will also cost you 2000¥, but it is not a real cost: of these, 1500¥ will be immediately available as credit on the card, and 500¥ are a deposit that will be returned if you return the card to the JR counters before leaving. If you already have an ICOCA card, just show it and you can still access the promotion without having to buy a second card. In the table below you can see the discounted prices of the Haruka train thanks to this promotion.
Discounted rates with the Icoca&Haruka package
Destination
Full price
Price with Icoca&Haruka*
Journey time
Tennoji
2470 ¥
1200 ¥
35 minutes
Shin-Osaka
3110 ¥
1600 ¥
50 minutes
Kyoto
3630 ¥
1800 ¥
80 minutes
Kobe (Sannomiya)**
3460 ¥
1700 ¥
80 minutes
Nara***
3130 ¥
1600 ¥
80 minutes
*To these prices it is necessary to add, in case you do not already have one, 2000¥ for an ICOCA card. As explained above, however, this is not a real cost.
**It requires a change in Shin-Osaka with the JR Tokaido-Sanyo Line
***It requires a change in Tennoji with the JR Yamatoji Line
JR Kansai Airport Rapid
This line is a slower and cheaper alternative to the JR, but more frequent, with departures approximately every 15 minutes. The line makes various stops within Osaka city, including Tennoji Station (50 minutes, 1080¥) and Osaka Station (70 minutes, 1210¥). Seats are not reserved and the train could get crowded along the way. When is this line convenient? In our opinion only in case your final destination is the Umeda area (Osaka Station). With the Haruka service it takes a few minutes less, but you will necessarily have to change trains at Tennoji, while with the JR Kansai Airport Rapid line go directly to Osaka station and save a few yen as well. From the airport, the last JR trains leave around 11pm, and resume at 6am the next morning. From the city, the first trains leave Osaka station at 6 and the last trains at 10 in the evening (all the detailed timetables on the official website).
Nankai Rapi:t
Private company Nankai offers a convenient alternative for anyone traveling to the Namba area, the most popular area of Osaka and where many tourists choose their hotel. The train called "Rap:t" takes you directly to Namba Station in 35 minutes for the price of 1450¥. Before Namba the train also makes a convenient stop at Shin Imamiya, a low-cost hotel zone near the Shinsekai neighborhood. Reserved seats.
Nankai Airport Express
Nankai also offers a slower and cheaper alternative. This is the cheapest option ever to reach the city of Osaka from Kansai airport, therefore recommended for budget-conscious travelers. The Nankai Airport Express line (frequencies every 30 minutes) makes several stops in the southern suburbs of Osaka, and finally stops at Shin Imamiya (40 minutes) and Namba (45 minutes). Seats are not reserved and the trainc could get crowded along the way. The cost of this train is 930¥. By adding 90¥ you can purchase the Kanku Chikatoku Ticket package which allows you to reach any Osaka metro station by changing at Namba. From the airport, the last Nankai trains depart around midnight, and resume at 5:45 the next morning. From the city, the first trains leave Namba at 5am and the last trains at 11pm (all the detailed timetables on the official website).
Kanku Chikatoku Ticket
The Kanku Chikatoku ticket is a one-way ticket that takes you from Kansai Airport to any Osaka subway station, paying a flat rate of 1020¥. With this ticket you can use the Nankai Airport Express service to Namba station, and change to the subway there to reach any destination on the Osaka subway network. This ticket is very convenient because it can be purchased by anyone in any ticket vending machine, there are no special requirements. It is recommended for budget-conscious travelers, as it combines the cheapest airport-city service of all with an additional discount on the price of the metro that with this ticket you pay only 90¥, but which actually costs from a minimum of 180¥ up to over 300¥ for longer routes.
By bus
Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise (KATE) operates bus connections from Osaka Kansai Airport to various locations in Osaka and other cities in the region, including:
Osaka, Namba and Umeda area (50-60 minutes, 1600¥)
Osaka, Universal Studios Japan (70 minutes, 1600¥)
Kobe, Sannomiya Station (70 minutes, 2000¥)
ù
Kyoto, Kyoto Station (100 minutes, 2000¥)
The main convenience of this service is that, upon request, several stops are available near some large hotels in Osaka. More information on the official website of the company. If you are not staying in any of the hotels where the stops are made, we recommend the train in any case.
By taxi
Kansai Airport is located on a man-made island approximately 50 kilometers from the city center, and a taxi ride costs approximately 15000-20000¥. Hardly anyone among tourists uses this option. Definitely not recommended, unless you are forced out of necessity, such as a flight delay that causes you to arrive late at night after the last train and bus departures.
Guided tours, activities and other things to do
If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use Rakuten Travel Experiences.
How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences
Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.
You can reserve your table in a lot of cafes and restaurants, for example one of the legendary 3-star Michelin restaurants in Japan, or crazy cafes like a unique Owl Cafe in Tokyo or one of the many and nowadays worldwide famous maid cafes
