Kansai International Airport (KIX; 関西国際空港 Kansai-kokusai-kūkō) [1] is the main international airport of Japan's Kansai region, including the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.

Understand

Built on an artificial island at exorbitant cost, the airport is somewhat underutilized and thus possibly a better entry point than perennially crowded Narita in Tokyo. Note that most domestic flights in the Kansai region leave from Osaka's Itami Airport (ITM), not Kansai. For convenient domestic connections onward, Nagoya's Chubu Airport is your best bet.

The airport has a single terminal, reputedly the longest building in the world at 1.7 kilometers from end to end. Arrivals are on the 1st floor, while departures are from the 4th floor. On arrival, note that not all ATMs accept foreign cards, but the Citibank and post office ATMs do.

Get in

By train

The most practical means of getting to Osaka and Kyoto is by train. All trains leave from the Kansai Airport station across the road from the arrivals hall; there is a clearly marked walkway on the 2nd floor. You have a choice of two companies operating a total of four services:

JR Haruka

The JR West Haruka limited expresses run from the airport to Tennoji (29 min, ¥1,760), Shin-Osaka (45 min, ¥2,470) and Kyoto (73 min, ¥2,980). The fares listed are for non-reserved ordinary seats. Trains run every 30 minutes, some services make additional stops and/or continue onward to Maibara.

The Haruka is the easiest and fastest way to reach Kyoto, and you can connect to the Shinkansen (bullet train) at Shin-Osaka.

JR Rapid Service

The JR Rapid Service runs along the same tracks to Tennoji (43 min, ¥1,030), but then diverge along the Osaka Loop Line to Osaka station (63 min) and terminus Kyobashi (72 min, ¥1,160). All seats are non-reserved and trains depart every 20 minutes; the trains can get crowded at rush hour.

The Rapid Service is convenient for connections onward towards Kobe or Kyoto; change trains at Osaka station. Note that the Rapid Service does not go to any Shinkansen stations; to get to Shin-Osaka, you must transfer at Osaka to a local or rapid train bound for Kyoto.

Nankai rapi:t

The Nankai rapi:t trains run to Namba station in Osaka. rapi:t α, taking 29 minutes from Kansai to Namba, stops at Shin-Imamiya, Tengachaya, Izumisano, and Rinku Town, while rapi:t β takes 34 minutes with stops at Sakai and Kishiwada. Both trains cost ¥1,390 to Namba, including a ¥500 reservation surcharge, and one or the other runs every 30 minutes.

The rapi:t and Rapid Service are the recommended means of going to central Osaka.

Nankai Rapid Service

Nankai Rapid Service trains run along the same tracks to the same destination, but like their JR counterparts stop more often and may get crowded. The trip to Namba takes 42 min and costs ¥890, making this the cheapest of the four options.

By bus

Airport Limousine buses leave for various destinations throughout Kansai from the 1st floor directly outside the arrivals hall. The cost is comparable to or slightly higher than the train, but the buses go directly to some major hotels (service to Umeda-area hotels is approximately 60 minutes; ¥1,300) and can be faster than the train for some destinations such as Kobe (60 minutes, ¥1,800) in good traffic.

The bus is also the only practical option for connecting to domestic flights from Osaka's Itami Airport (70 minutes, ¥1,700).

By ferry

After a prolonged hiatus, Kaijo Access [2] high-speed ferries restarted their service in 2006 and now run directly to Kobe's airport. Ferries run roughly every 45 minutes and take 29 minutes one way (¥1500). Via the ferry, shuttle bus and the Port Liner AGT line, Sannomiya (central Kobe) can be reached in one hour.

Ferries also run to Sumoto on Awaji Island (48 min, ¥2,500).

By taxi

Taxis are very expensive. Going to Osaka will cost you a minimum of ¥16,000, while reaching Kyoto will rack up closer to ¥32,000.

By shuttle van

Shared shuttle van services are provided by taxi companies at much more reasonable rates than private taxis. MK Taxi charges only ¥2,300 per person to Kobe or ¥3,000 to Kyoto, including one suitcase and carry-on luggage (there's a 1,000 yen additional charge if you have more than one large item). Convenient as it's a door-to-door service, but since the driver has 9 people to deliver, it may not be a fast arrival. Reservation at least two days beforehand is necessary, either online or by phone (tel. +81-75-702-5489, open 8 AM to 9 PM).

Sleep

The only hotel on the artificial island itself the Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport, which charges corresponding prices. Although there are hotels across the bridge it hardly seems worth using them since once you have got on the train you might as well go to your final destination.

Eat

There is a convenience store at the north end in the second level of the Passenger Terminal building.

Cafeterias and other eateries on departures' level are more expensive. For slightly cheaper eats, try the shops on the main floor of the hotel building. (This area is also a good place for gift shopping, and has several other amenities such as a video arcade.)