Kansai International Airport Tips

If you are flying to the Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto or any part of the Kansai region, you may find yourself passing through KIX or Kansai International Airport.

There is a lot of debate about the practicality of Kansai’s main international airport built on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, and constantly fighting erosion. Simply put, Kansai International Airport is made of three mountains that were cut down to provide landfill for the island.

In Japanese it is often referred to as Kanku (the last u being a long vowel) which is a shortened version of Kansai Kuko (literally Kansai Airport).

There are several ways to get from the airport to other destination including trains, ferries, and buses. In my experience the buses that go directly to major train stations such as Osaka Station or Sannomiya Station in Kobe are the most convenient ways to get into the city, although the Nankai Railway and JR lines are also convenient depending on where you want to go.

When you are in the airport with time to kill, there are several options including convenience stores and coffee shops. There’s a Subway sandwich shop, rice omelet shop, Japanese curry, four Starbucks coffee shops, Haagen-Dazs, noodle shops, cake shops, and Chinese food (including the 551 Horai shop which is famous for its meatballs and “manju”). If you are in the airport during normal operating hours, there are tons of places you can eat and get your last taste of Japanese food or reaquaint your taste buds with American fast food or coffee.

If you are using KIX for your flight home and thinking of some last minute Starbucks, you should take note that there are four Starbucks in the airport and you can choose to get your caffeine fix before going through customs or after.

There are also plenty of souvenir shops there so you can pick up some last minute presents when flying back. There are also plenty of cell phone shops with mobile phone rentals available as well.

There are three Lawson convenience stores, including one in the basement (B1 level) that tends to be frequented by pilots and flight attendants. The ones on the first and second floors are open 24 hours, and a good place to grab a bento or something else before flying out, or before jumping on the bus to Osaka or Kobe.

If you are traveling with children, you can make use of small nurseries on all four floors of the airport. There are also three play areas for children up to six years old. One is near international gates 13 and 14 in the North Wing, another is near gates in the South Wing, and the third is near Domestic gates 21 and 22.

If you are waiting and need to check your email or, um, check out my blog here, there are internet enabled computers available on the first, second, and fourth floors called “@station”. They charge 100 yen for 10 minutes at the time of this writing.

There are also computers available with travel information, internet access, and internet for free. They are located near the international departure gates, and in the transit area.

There is also wireless internet service provided by Buffalo Inc with the ESS-ID “kixmbl” (short for kix mobile). There is no WEP key. For details about connecting, feel free to ask at information desks for an explanation or information sheet.

I hope I’ve provided some useful information for travelers passing through Kansai International Airport, especially those brave souls who are traveling the world with kids in tow… I hope the childrens play areas and variety of shops come in handy and make your pre-flight or post-flight time a little more fun.

As always, if anyone has a question or comment, please don’t hesitate to write something.