Kansai International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Japan and is the primary
access point when flying into the Kansai Region.
Located on a man made island in Osaka Bay about 40km south of central Osaka
Kansai Airport has two terminal buildings.
Terminal 1 handles international and domestic flights by major airlines and is also where
all transportation options to the surrounding areas are located.
Terminal 2, which is on the other side of the island, services low-cost airlines and
can be reached via free shuttle bus.
For many visitors these terminals are the first places in Japan they must navigate.
So here is a brief overview of how to maneuver through Kansai International Airport and get
to the surrounding cities when arriving on an international flight.
After de-planing, the first stop is immigration.
To expedite the process, each passenger should have their disembarkation form filled out
before approaching the counter.
Here, an officer will ask a few questions about your trip, scan the fingerprints of
your index fingers and take your photo.
Assuming everything goes well, you can move on to the baggage claim.
Everyone arriving on an international flight
except for those connecting to another international flight
must collect their checked luggage here
this includes passengers connecting to domestic flights.
With baggage in hand, Customs is next.
Each family will need to hand in a Customs Declaration Form which should be filled out ahead of time.
Passengers with items to declare should use the red lanes, while those with nothing to
declare should go through the green ones.
Finally, after clearing Customs, you will enter the public area of the terminal where
there are many useful services you may want to take advantage of before leaving the airport such as
Currency exchange & ATMs
WIFI and SIM card rentals
Information counters
Baggage delivery and storage
Showers, Nap rooms, and lounges
Rental car pick-up and many more
Also, if you purchased a Japan Rail Pass,
this can be picked-up at the JR Ticket Office in Kansai-Airport Station which is connected
to Terminal 1 on the second floor.
This is also where all trains arrive and depart.
When you’re ready to leave the airport there are many options to consider.
The most popular train routes are: The JR Limited Express “Haruka” which
is a fast option that goes directly to Tennoji Station in southern Osaka , as well as Shin-Osaka
and Kyoto stations
both of which are also shinkansen stops.
The Haruka has nice seats, luggage storage
as well as both non-reserved and reserved seating options.
Although it is the most expensive train option, using the “Icoca & Haruka” discount ticket
which can be purchased at the airport's JR ticket office
makes it similar in price to the other options.
Another fast option is the Nankai “Rap:t” which goes directly to Namba station located
in the middle Osaka’s southern downtown center.
From Namba it’s also possible to transfer to trains which go directly to Kobe and Nara.
Like the Haruka, the Rap:t trains also have nice seats and luggage storage.
However, one main difference is that the Rap:t on has reserved seating options.
This means that passengers need to have a reserved seat ticket in order to ride.
And finally, there are two types of slower but cheaper commuter trains.
The JR Kansai Airport Rapid goes to several major stations on the Osaka Loop Line including
Tennoji where you can transfer to Nara and Osaka where you can transfer to Kyoto or Kobe.
And the Nankai Airport Express which goes to Namba.
It’s important to note that these two trains make more frequent stops than their
faster alternatives and can become somewhat crowded during rush hours.
Apart from trains, the other transportation options are
the Airport Limousine buses which go to a wide variety of destinations around the Kansai region
including Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and more.
And of course taxis which cost between 15,000 to 20,000 yen to get to central Osaka.
Both buses and taxis depart just outside the Terminal 1 on the first floor.
We hope this video helps you know what to expect
when navigating through Kansai International Airport
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