Serving over 24 million visitors per year (2018), Kansai International Airport (KIX) is where your journey to discover west Japan begins. The airport is located on the artificial island in Osaka Bay and links to the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and many other must-see destinations in Kansai.
Access To/From Kansai International Airport
KIX can be accessed by road, rail and sea. By rail, the Nankai and JR lines both have special services which run into Osaka. The Nankai line is best if you are heading into the Namba area of Osaka while the JR line is better for Osaka and Shin-Osaka Stations.
I’ve always found the airport limousine bus service to be the easiest when traveling to/from Kobe. Just outside the airport arrival hall is 12 bus stops which take you to 7 prefectures in Kansai (Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, Okayama, Tokushima, Kagawa). If you are arriving and departing from the same destination within a month definitely get a return ticket as this can save you about ¥1000.
The Kobe Bay Shuttle is a high speed boat which operates hourly between KIX and Kobe Airport. At only ¥500 for foreign tourists, the 30 minute trip is an exciting alternative to start your adventure in Japan.
The best site to get all the details on travel to/from Kansai Airport is KIX ACCESSMOOTHIE.
Why I have a Love-hate Relationship with KIX
Living in Kobe since 2004 I’ve flown in and out of KIX somewhere around 30 times, both for international flights from terminal 1 and domestic flights from terminal 2. This isn’t unique to KIX but any place where you are seeing family and friends come and go you tend to get mixed emotions and part of the reason I have a love-hate relationship with the place. I guess this is one aspect of living abroad.
Anyway, let’s get into the physical parts of the airport which I dislike. The main reason I don’t like KIX is the lack of dining options and cafe spaces, especially after you go through the international security check point. There are no pubs or proper dining spaces, just a few counter and stool cafes. The duty free and shopping options are also subpar.
KIX international area, to me, has always just felt empty and lacking the facilities of what most other airports have. There are areas at the airport where it has just been completely empty, and this can be a good thing if you like space but for me, the lack of nothingness takes the excitement of your adventure away.
Now onto the main thing I love about the airport, and that’s speed at arrival. The speed at which you can pass through immigration, collect your bags, get though customs and be in the arrival hall has always been above average.
The record for me, from plane to bus was 18 minutes. This was after landing from an international flight from Cairns. The doors opened on the plane, I cleared immigration, went to baggage claim, collected my suitcase, cleared customs and was on the bus back to Kobe all in under 20 minutes. Admittedly, this was about 10 years ago when the number of visitors was approx. 10 million less, as a resident of Japan there is a special line we can enter at immigration, I already had a return bus ticket and the bus arrived perfectly as I exited the terminal.
Even recently, arriving back from my Christmas/New Year holiday (Jan 2020) the airport was busy but the suitcases came much quicker than my previous destination of Singapore and Melbourne.
Baggage delivery, WiFi and Useful Services at KIX
Here are a couple of handy features at KIX that will make your stay in Kansai convenient.
Currency Exchange
There are multiple currency exchange places throughout KIX including a handful in the arrival hall. Many places in Japan, including, restaurants, taxis and ticket machines still only accept cash so it’s better to carry Yen with you when traveling. Here is a list of Currency Exchange counters at KIX.
Future Developments at KIX
In December 2019 KIX announced a major upgrade to the Terminal 1 building. I’m looking forward to these changes as they address my major dislike.
Kansai Airports’ press release admitted the design of the terminal 1 was to handle 12 million international and 13 million domestic passengers per year. However, in 2018 they served 20 million international and only 4 million domestic. The revamp will address this by increasing the international area.
The redesign will happen over the next 5 years and will hopefully be completed by 2025 in time for the Osaka Expo. Smart lanes, more shopping and dining options and an overall better experience for travelers.
View all the development plans for KIX here.
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