Kansai International Airport is a major gateway to Japan for international tourists. It’s typically my choice of destination when flying to Japan from Australia. The airport is located in Osaka Bay just south of the city. At the airport is Kansai Airport train station, just a short walk from the arrival terminal.
In Japanese the airport is called Kansai Kokusai Kūkō 「関西国際空港」 and in the typical Japanese form of shortening words is known simply as Kankū 「関空」 which uses the kan from kansai (the name of the region) and the kū from kūkō (Japanese for airport). The airport code is KIX, and I’ve met some English speaking Japanese people who work at the airport and call it KIX.
How to get to Osaka from Kansai International Airport
There are two main options for getting to and from the airport: train and bus. The train is my preferred option. When traveling to and from Japan I always stay at a hotel close to a train station. On my last trip I stayed at Hotel New Hankyu Osaka, next to Osaka Station where the airport trains stop.
Train services from Kansai International Airport to:
- Namba station: 34 – 43 minutes on the Nankai line. This is one of the quickest trips and takes you to the downtown area of Osaka, near Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi.
- Shin-Osaka station: 50 minutes on the JR line using the Airport Express Haruka.
- Osaka station: 65 minutes on the JR line using the Kansai Airport Rapid Service.
- Kyoto station: 75 minutes on the JR line using the Airport Express Haruka.
- Nara station: Approximately 60-80 minutes on JR lines with a change of trains at Tennoji station.
The Airport Express Haruka tickets are purchased from the green booth in the photo above. In this photo you can see a man wearing a blue short sleeve shirt. If you are having trouble using the machines, just ask this staff member to help you out, they generally speak enough English to get you to your destination.
More information about trains and other transport options to and from Kansai International Airport is available at Kansai Airport’s Access Information page.
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