Originally Posted by unagi1
Option 1: You can take the "Rapit" train of Nankai line to Namba Station (south part of Osaka), about 30 mins from KIX. Great nightlife area, lots (hundreds if not thousands) of shops, restaurants, pubs (japanese style as well as english style, noodle shops, etc. Just to the east of Namba is the Den Den town (similar to Tokyo Akihabara) for lots of consumer electronics and computer goods.
Option 2: Take the Nankai line Airport Express train 2 stops to Izumisano. Small town of between 100-200K, but several Japanese restaurants and pubs. Shops stay open until around 8pm.
Option 3: Take a JR line train to central Osaka. Similar to Option 1, but I find Option 1 more user friendly, esp. for non-Japanese speakers.
I can provide more detail on these if you want, and I could probably come up with a couple more.
My recommendation is Option 1, unless you don't want to travel too far afield. Then either stay within KIX or consider Option 2.
Thank you. Option #1 looks like it makes sense for me -- I don't speak Japanese. After reading a number of posts about immigration lines at KIX I'm mildly concerned about how long it will take to clear the airport and how much time I should allow to check-in for my onward flight? I used the link provided by JR, but cannot makes heads nor tails of the train schedule.
Any advice?