If you want to fly out from Kansai area such as Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, etc, Kansai Airport is the only international airport for that.
The airport is located in the south end of Osaka prefecture and it’s not very close to the center of Osaka.
From Namba, the south center of Osaka city, you can access to the airport by train, bus or taxi.
①Train
From Nankai Namba station, there is a train called “Rapi:t ” going every 30 minutes with a reserved seat.
The platform is on the third floor of the station.
Train fare : 1,490 yen at vending machine, but 1,350 yen at a station counter (So definitely buy it at the station ticket counter. Credit card is also available).
Duration : 35 minutes (Rapi:t α), 39 minutes (Rapi:t β)
The train leaves from Platform 9 basically.
Airport Express “Kuko Kyuko (空港急行)” goes every 15 minutes.
Duration 45 minutes.
Train fare : 970 yen
Tickets are sold at vending machines.
The train service starts around 5:15 am (Kuko Kyuko) and the last train leaves Namba station at 10:53 pm.
Kuko Kyuko leaves from platform 6 usually.
Limited Express Rapi:t is a little faster.
You don’t need to wait for Rapi:t but just take Kuko Kyuko if the train is just gone, but it’s worth taking Rapi:t by adding 300 yen to reserve a seat. Around the rush hour (7:30 – 9 am), Airport Express Kuko Kyuko gets more than full and with a big suitcase it’s really stressful to ride on such a train.
From Namba, there are JR trains going to Kansai Airport, but you have to transfer at Tennoji station, and JR Namba station is not in the center of Namba and has bad access to the other railways, so JR is not really recommended unless you insist on using Japan Rail Pass.
②Bus
Shuttle buses leave from OCAT (Osaka City Airport Terminal) near JR Namba station.
When you enter the building, don’t take the first escalator but go straight to the central escalator to go up to the second floor.
And the bus gate No. is 5, just beside the escalator.
You’ll find a ticket vending machine just in front of the gate.
Note that there are 2 airports in Osaka, “Kansai”and “Itami” and the airport called OSAKA Airport is basically Itami Airport which is for domestic flights. So choose the “KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT” and check the bus when you get on it !
From OCAT to the Terminal 1, it takes 48 minutes,
and you need 11 minutes more to reach Terminal 2.
Bus fare : 1,300 yen (Return : 2,300 yen)
The first bus starts at 5:15 am and the last bus is 9:10 pm from OCAT.
③Taxi
There are some taxi companies offering airport taxi service and MK Taxi offers fixed price for transportation between Kansai Airport and Osaka city
From Namba to Kansai Airport :13,400 yen~
The fare doesn’t include highway toll fee because sometimes they want to change the route.
The highway fare is 1,300 yen ~.
And the taxi above is for a basic one which can accommodate 4 passengers but the size of the trunk is not so big and if you have a huge suitcase, 2 or 3 people are max. MK taxi have different size of vehicles and you can request different type of car by the number of travelers and luggage.
It costs much more than buses and trains but you don’t need any effort to carry your luggage to the airport.
Summary
Train : Relatively the most reasonable and punctual.
Taxi : The most costly but easiest by door-to-door.
I don’t really recommend bus from Namba to the airport unless Nankai railway has any trouble or your hotel is just beside your hotel. Trains are basically more reliable than buses, and between Namba and Kansai airport, trains go more frequently and until late at night.
The problem of the transportation between Namba and Kansai Airport is that there is no bus and train but only taxi which can reach the airport before 6 am, so if you want to catch a really early flight, either you take a bus from Umeda station (catch a taxi to Umeda or stay around Umeda the day before), catch a taxi from Namba directly to Kansai Airport (it cost a lot though) or stay near the airport the day before.
Hope this helps you to find your best transportation by your budget and schedule !
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