Hi,
Currently I am in progress of planning a trip to Osaka sometime towards the end of may. This will be the first time flying internationally to visit one of my friends who will be attending Osaka university. So far, the cheapest flights to osaka and tokyo are through Air china. Yet, the layover times for the cheaper flights are either slightly over an hour to being +12 hrs long. This concerns me because I rather take the shorter layover but Im not too sure whether I will have enough time to make the transfer from one air china flight to the next at PEK Beijing airport if I have to go through customs and claim my checked baggage. I read that if i dont check baggage, I can make it, but others say that PEK customs can be slow. So what is the transfer process like at PEK from one flight to the next if I book on the same airline? Can I make a 1.5hr layover for this flight?
Also, the flights seem to be cheaper going to tokyo, is it better to fly to tokyo and buy a Japenese Rail pass and take a train to osaka?
Any advice on what to do in Osaka? I might buy a Japenese rail pass which enables me to travel throughout most of japan.
Thanks guys