bumpme

I have a long layover in Osaka. What can I do instead of staying at the airport?

francophile

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/fp/e/english.html

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/engl...our/3htour.htm

mosburger

Would you have arrival/departure times and month available? Have you been to Kansai ( Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto etc. ) before?

bumpme

Arrival in the morning during May of next year. I haven't been to Kansai but I have transited KIX many times. This time I can't avoid a long layover.

bumpme

The 3 hour tour looks promising. I'm wondering have you francophile taken those tours before?

mosburger

If the weather is nice you could head for Kobe and Mt.Rokko. I'm slowly falling under the questionable influence of jpatokal and referring to Wikitravel pages, so here's the Kobe one: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kobe . Easy hike which you can skip entirely by using the cable car. Up there you've got a splendid view over Kobe and the ocean and fair winds. Very good for recovering from jetlag as are the trendy, easy going restaurants that Kobe is famous for in Japan.

MrAOK

I had the same layover. (i was coming back from bangkok and going to the states)

You can and should go to kyoto. the japan tourist office has a publication about how to do it, but basically there are two trains from the airport, one is express and one forces you to switch.

the info is on the airport site and there is a train tourist office at the airport, but here is the link:

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/fp/e/pdf/e_16.pdf

or

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/fp/e/pdf/e_15.pdf

mcg1000

I'm not sure how much you would accomplish in Kyoto with the immigration queues, train travel and jetlag. You may want to consider taking the Nankai express to Namba and just wandering around soaking in the atmosphere.

You can visit the nearby electronics district (Den-Den Town) which is interesting and eat at the famous Kani Doraku restaurant in Dotonbori (http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...rty_id=417467). There's also a restaurant called Chibo (http://www.chibo.com/eindex2.html) that serves the special Osaka savoury pancake called Okonomiyaki.

It's not the splendour of ancient Kyoto, I realise, but it will give you a taste of modern Japan.

You could also pick up a copy of Kansai Time Out at the airport bookshop: http://kto.co.jp/new/modules/tinyd0/. It may give you a better idea of what's on.

jpatokal

While I like both Kobe and Wikitravel , I'm not sure it's the best place to go for a layover -- it's relatively poorly connected to KIX, as there are no direct trains, and buses both chew up around an hour each way and may get stuck in traffic.
In the OP's shoes I'd probably just hop the rap:it to Namba and potter around the shopping hysteria/feeding frenzy there for a few hours, but this isn't exactly a soft landing to Japan.

mosburger

It's a shame the boat service from KIX to Kobe was discontinued. On the other hand, there is supposed to be a new boat connection between KIX and the new Kobe airport. Wouldn't it make sense to have it call at the city as well?

A day room at the KIX Nikko Hotel ( http://www.nikkokix.com/e/top.html ), a few laps in the pool and sauna/shower afterwards. Then a teishoku lunch of choice either at the hotel or one of the 100+ restaurants at KIX. How about that?

bumpme

Sounds promising but don't you need to go thru customs to get to the hotel? And how much do those day rooms run?

francophile

Sorry, bumpme. I've never been to Kansai.

I'm going to Kansai this May when I will be taking AAdvantage of my VIPs (I just became new, first-time Executive PlAAtinum today!!!!) and my $3 per night reservation at the Osaka Hilton!!!!

Anyway, enough about me. Here's the link with info on room rates of the Nikko at Kansai airport:

http://www.nikkokix.com/cgi-bin/webm...iff_e_2004.cgi

Scroll all the way to the bottom for rates for a day room. If you are just going by yourself, you will notice that the rate for single room for one night is cheaper than the rate for a day room.

But if I had 9 hours to kill at KIX, I would first take a shower upon arrival. The shower facility is located landside:

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/english/map/ter2f.htm

Then head into Namba or Umeda for some shopping and eating.

The three hour transit tour does sound interesting.

mosburger

bumpme: Most of the fun stuff at Kansai is beyond customs, I'm afraid. I normally use the Nikko as "arrivals lounge" for shaving, taking a shower and some exercise after longhauls. But francophile is on spot: The day room rates look a tad on the expensive side.

If you have any interest, I will ask local friends for nice lunch spots as close as possible to the airport. Any particular food preferences or aversions? The bridge to the mainland is an attraction in itself so it's worth the trip. BUT if the boat service to Kobe will be resurrected after Kobe Airport comes to life that's where I would go. Osaka is like a Japanese version of NYC, great if you know where to go, hectic and busy if you don't.

MrAOK

again, you have time to spend the day in kyoto. the direct train is like 75 minutes. and it's interesting. I wouldn't stay anywhere near the airport if you have the opportunity to get out

mosburger

Some BUTs: The Haruka ends at Kyoto Station that, while interesting for us architecture enthusiasts, is in an area many in Kyoto consider not that far from a slum. Second, maybe this is just me but the thought of looking at widely dispersed sights with the minutes ticking away in my head is not really that appealing.

That said, I would skip most of the sightseeing, take a cab from the station to the kawaramachi/oike intersection ( Kyoto Okura Hotel ) and walk down pontocho for a while to soak in the atmosphere. Then head into one of the scenic Izakaya for a leisurely lunch without hassle and spend rest of my time in along the Kamo river banks looking at the beautiful mountain scenery.

The Haruka does get held up by other traffic and late at times so it's advisable to leave enough buffer if the OP decides to hop over to Kyoto.

On the other hand, you could have a scenic lunch at or near the airport as well. Did ask and waiting for recs.