Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport (関西空港, Kansai Kūkō, KIX) is one of Japan's most important international airports. Located on a man-made island about 40 kilometers south of central Osaka, Kansai Airport was opened in 1994, taking over all international and some of the domestic air traffic formerly handled by Osaka's Itami Airport.

Kansai Airport has two terminals. Terminal 1, the main terminal, is housed in a long, modern building and serves both domestic and international flights by regular airlines. The railway station is located directly adjacent to it. Added in 2012 in a more remote, spartan building, terminal 2 serves low-cost airlines (LCCs). It has fewer bus connections and no train service, and is connected to terminal 1 and the railway station by a free shuttle bus.

Getting to Kansai Airport

From/To:

Central OsakaKyotoKobeNaraItami Airport

By bus

• Direct
• 75 min
• ¥2,200
• 1-3 buses/hour

Direct airport limousine buses from Kansai Airport to Sannomiya Station in central Kobe take about 75 minutes and cost 2200 yen.

By JR trains using a discount ticket

• 1 transfer
• 80 min
• ¥2,000
• 2 connections/hour

Covered by: Japan Rail Pass

Available exclusively to foreign tourists, the Haruka 1-Way Ticket is a discount offer that allows you to make the trip between Kansai Airport and Kobe on the Haruka limited express and the JR Kobe Line via Osaka Station for only 2000 yen. The one way fare without discount ticket would be around 2400 yen.

By JR trains using the shinkansen

• 1 transfer
• 75 min
• ¥3,500
• 2 connections/hour

Covered by: Japan Rail Pass

Take the JR Haruka limited express from the airport to Shin-Osaka (50 minutes) and transfer to the Sanyo Shinkansen for Shin-Kobe (15 minutes). The journey is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass if using a Hikari, Sakura or Kodama train between Shin-Osaka and Shin-Kobe.

By non-JR trains

• 1 transfer
• 110 min
• ¥1,390 - 1,910
• 4 connections/hour

Take the Nankai Railway from the airport to Namba Station (45 minutes, 970 yen by express; or 35 minutes, 1490 by limited express) and transfer to the Hanshin Railway to Kobe-Sannomiya Station in central Kobe (45 minutes, 420 yen). The transfer at Namba Station involves a 5-10 minute walk.

By ferry

• 2 transfers
• 60 min
• ¥1,880 - 2,220
• every 1-2 hours

The Bay Shuttle, a high-speed ferry, operates between Kansai Airport and Kobe Airport. The one way journey takes 30 minutes, costs 1880 yen and includes a short shuttle bus ride between the Kansai Airport terminal building and the ferry pier. On the Kobe side, the Port Liner connects Kobe Airport with Sannomiya Station in central Kobe in 20 minutes for 340 yen. A Port Liner set ticket, which includes both the ferry ride and the Port Liner, is available for 1880 yen and can be purchased only at the Kansai International Airport ticket counter or the Port Liner Sannomiya Station information counter.

Above fees and schedules are subject to change. Be sure to check current yen exchange rates.

Means of access to/from Kansai Airport

Late night and early morning flights

Travelers with flights departing in the early morning (before 8:00) or arriving in the late evening (after 22:00) should take note that all trains and most buses do not operate overnight. Taxis remain available, but are an expensive option with fares to Osaka starting around 18,000 yen. Affected travelers are advised to stay at a hotel in the vicinity of the airport, instead.

Late night transportation

The last train out of Kansai Airport to Osaka's Namba area departs just before midnight, while the last trains with connections to Osaka Station and Kyoto depart already around 11pm. Likewise, most last buses depart the airport around 23:00 or midnight.

Early morning transportation

The first train connections in the morning from Osaka reach the airport around 6:00, while those from Kyoto do so about an hour later. Early morning buses generally also start arriving around 6:00.

Hotels around the airport

Kansai Airport is open 24 hours, and it is possible for budget travelers to spend their first or last night there. Both terminals offer a variety of 24 hour facilities such as convenience stores, fast food and restaurants, while terminal 1 additionally offers showers, a paid airport lounge and an internet cafe.

There are a couple of hotels located in the immediate vicinity of the airport:

• Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport (regular hotel, adjacent to terminal 1)
• First Cabin Kansai Airport (capsule hotel, adjacent to terminal 1)

Several more accommodation options are available around Rinku Town Station, a short train (5 minutes, 370 yen) or taxi ride (about 2500-3500 yen) away. Some hotels offer free shuttle bus services to/from the airport:

• OMO Kansai Airport (regular hotel)
• Kansai Airport Washington Hotel (regular hotel, free shuttle bus 5:20 to 23:35)
• Henn na Hotel Kansai Airport (robot-run hotel)
• Hatago Inn Kansai Airport (regular hotel)

Sightseeing attractions around the airport