Oops. Then he is definitely out of luck. 99% sure that there are no showers in KIX among *G.

KIX has this white elephant, bubble era atmosphere. It is not used much for connections, or at least intended that way.

Also ANA does not have F service from KIX.

I suggest then that you spend your night before at the Nikko (~10k per night when demand is low) in the airport. There are also budget hotels one stop away on the train from the island. Check a site like booking.com.

You do realize that KIX is only 75 minutes away from Kyoto Station by JR Haruka? It is anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes from various places in Osaka.

I've never understood the rationale of moving hotel to Osaka from Kyoto just to spend the night before departing from KIX. Even morning flights are easily reachable from Kyoto on the morning of, and you can shower in your own hotel room before leaving. Shoot, for afternoon flights I've departed to KIX from Okayama and even Fukuoka before flying out.

:confused:

What lounge is best for Oneworld at KIX? (BA*Gold (ie OneWorld top tier / Emerald) departing on Japan Airlines in business)

Based on your business class onward flight, it seems you might be eligible for the JAL Sakura Lounge. http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/s...index.html#_02

I know KIX is only 75 minutes from Kyoto via that fast train, but I just like to stay on the cautious side. What if I miss the train and have the catch the next one, and then got off at the wrong stop and have the catch the one after that? Anyway, how much in advance would you leave to allow some room for error?

http://www.kyotojp.com/haruka-time.html

The train leaves every 30 mins ! Expect on-time departure ! If you want leave 30 minutes before and if you miss it you can take the next ! Also announcements are in multiple languages and Kansai airport is the final stop .

If you're taking the Haruka airport express train, you're unlikely to get off at the wrong stop. The airport is the last stop.

If I were you, I would choose a train that's scheduled to reach the airport at least 2 hours before departure time. That means leaving Kyoto station about 3.5 hours before flight departure time. You might want to check the timetable to verify the next train in case you miss the one you wanted -
http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/tr...ion/timetable/

Even if you want to throw in an extra 30-60 minutes safety cushion, you should still be able to stay in Kyoto the night before your flight.

When I first started traveling to Japan, and particularly via KIX, I usually worked backwards from my desired arrival at the airport to figure my train times. Some folks like to get to the airport a couple of hours before flight time, others cut it closer or allow even more time. When I have lounge access, I like to get there at least 2 hours before flight time and spend a little while decompressing in the lounge. From there, I work back 75 minutes for the Haruka and find the nearest departure time that gets me there at those times. That is my last possible departure. Then, for safety's sake, I'd plan on the Haruka just prior to that. In that way, I'd have a fall-back if something happened and I missed the earlier one. If I didn't miss it, I just had some extra time in the lounge. If I missed TWO departures, I'd still get to the airport over an hour before my flight and be able to make my flight if I hurried.

Using Hyperdia, you can look up all the train departures, travel times and arrival times at the airport station to get a very accurate plan, including fall-back options. Just start with the arrival time that leaves you a couple of hours before your flight and work backwards to find the best departure time(s.) Use Kyoto to Kansai International Airport and choose "Arrival" instead of the default "Departure." When you have a listing for the JR Haruka, you can select "Interval Time Table" (under the train number) to see all the other options for that train.

From Kyoto Station, once you get on the Haruka, there is no way to get off at the wrong station as the line terminates at the KIX station. The train makes a couple of stops along the way to pick up passengers in Osaka. Just don't get off before you get to the airport. The announcements are in English.

As an example, my United flights usually departed about 4:45 pm. Two hours means arriving at the airport by 2:45. The 1:15 pm Haruka arrives at 2:34, so that is my primary train. If I want to be extra safe, I plan on taking the 12:15 train, which puts me at the airport 3 hours in advance. If I miss that train, the 1:15 gets me in over 2 hours before my flight. If I miss THAT, I still have the 2:15 that will get me there over an hour before my flight, which means hurrying and skipping the lounge.

The Haruka starts running at 5:46 am and runs twice per hour in the early morning and once per hour after 10:15 am. If that is not enough, there are plenty of other train connections to the airport but most of those require a change somewhere like Shin-Osaka. If you are nervous about connections, I'd recommend just staying with the Haruka as you can't miss your stop. :)

That was a VERY long-winded way to say that Kyoto to KIX is very stress free and easy to make almost any international departure.

EDIT: I see we were all typing at the same time, said approximately the same thing and gave the same advice - some just a lot more concisely.

I'd have written a shorter post but I didn't have time.

Ironically I used JAL Sakura lounge for my SQ flight - it's their contract lounge due to gate location. It is better than Asuka lounge (UA) or lounge Pacific (CX) - they serve curry rice!!

My flight out of KIX is around 2pm on CA J. So figure I'll aim to board the train from Kyoto at 10am? That will give me enough time to get to KIX, even if I miss the first train. If I don't miss the train I will be able to grab some lunch landside, and then go through security and such, and then have about an hour to spare.

And why is it that HyperDia does not show the direct route from Kyoto to Osaka Airport? It gives me 3 options, and they all involve switching to a bus after the train.

I know there's this Icoca Haruka pass thing that will allow train/subway/bus. I will most likely end up getting one of these. Use the Kansai airport express for KIX-Kyoto and back, and buses between places to tour. How much money should I deposit onto the Icoca card / how much do buses cost in Kyoto? Is it a flat 230 yen no matter the distance traveled?

http://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/tr.../icoca-haruka/

Sounds like a plan.
In the timetable for today, there's a Haruka at 10:15. Arrives at KIX at 11:34
The next Haruka after that is at 11:15. Arrives at KIX at 12:34
Yes. That's a 1 hour gap. Not the 30 mins that you would find at other times of day. I'd be OK with it (but I'd probably take a route via Shin Osaka if I missed the 10:15 train)

Now you're talking!

On what date?

Within central Kyoto the flat fare is 230.
For what you're likely to visit as a tourist, that's probably all you need http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html

My flight is on July 10

Is KIX every busy? I have flown from there in the late morning (LH) and the late afternoon UA flight and it seemed like a ghost town compared to NRT.

One could easily arrive 1 hour before departure.

I like KIX for shopping airside. It has a shop with a wide selection of nihon-shu and there is also Minamoto Kitchoan store for sweets. You won't find this at NRT.