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 1 is a clear winner. You will find many young Japanese hanging out there so English is not a problem. The others are a bit further away and the stations are much more complicated. For example, I got lost in the Umeda area during my sixth visit there.
Immigration has never been a problem for me at KIX.
At Namba, there is a famous "food street" (Dotonbori) flanked by bars on the side streets. Do try the Fugu (puffa fish), the delicacy of Osaka. You cannot miss the restaurants with the fish on top of their signs. Prices here are about half of that of Tokyo. A lot of cheap (Japanese) fast food in the area too!
Den Den town is not as interesting as Akihabara in Tokyo.
Nagoya is known for chicken (Shashimi if you can handle that).