That's a great suggestion, jib71, thank you very much for it. I just hope to find something reasonable around Kansai airport, but a brief look on hotels.com earlier was not very encouraging. I thought that Osaka, being marginally better known than Kobe (in my brain anyway), was probably more deserving of a visit than Kobe. I have always associated Kobe with earthquakes and beef, quite an odd combination. Reading various threads here it seems that Osaka is not a place to get that excited about. But people say the same about Milan, and I love it there! Given the time frame, I think your suggestion represents a very intelligent use of time and less time wasted sitting in buses or trains.

Many thanks to nishimark above, too, it's very good to have that information, especially about the bus.

because we didn't want to bother with the ticket machines, what we did was use pasmo/suica for getting through the gates and then buying the Ltd. Express supplement ON the train from the conductor directly. There were multiple people doing the same thing so I assume it's fairly common and doesn't cost any time.

From what I see, price and time-wise, the bus is a no-brainer.

You get picked up right at your hotel, the price is ¥1550, and it takes about 1hr.

Easy peasy

The train isn't much better on price and sometimes worse, involves one or more transfers (both depending on the lines), and isn't much better on time.

Easy one.

​​​​​​​http://www.kate.co.jp/en/timetable/detail/UH

For sightseeing and having a nice leisurely lunch or whatever, I'd take Kobe over Osaka any day. Kobe is also well known for its bakeries (betcha you didn't know that, huh?) and some of the best bread in Japan can be found in Kobe. Kobeya and Freundlieb are two that come to mind, but there are many others.

Why would Kobe have good Western bakeries? Kobe (together with Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Hakodate) were the only ports open to foreigners in the Meiji Era, and they brought their Western ways with them. The Kitano area has some great old Western houses worth visiting. If time allows, a ride up to Mt Rokko will give you some great views, and you can visit some interesting structures up there. Osaka to me is just a giant concrete jungle with pushy people and great food.

It depends on what you want to do during the day. Kobe is indeed a great place for walking around and getting a nice lunch. Osaka, especially Dontonbori, is energy packed and full of things to see and do, especially if you're willing to just wander through the warren of shops and streets between Shinsaibashi and Namba.

Having previously been to Bangkok on this upcoming trip (October) I am very much leaning towards the Kobe idea. It sounds a great place and it will be fun crossing to UKB airport by ferry the next day and I had no idea they had wonderful bakeries. That will please everybody in my small group!
Now all I have to do is snag a hotel near to KIX airport that is reasonable in price.

Last Kobe high-speed ferry (Bay Shuttle) departs at 23:50. Very possible for you to catch that.
https://www.kobe-access.jp/eng/time.php
Last limo bus to Kobe is midnight. Even easier to catch that.
Kobe Sannomiya/Rokko Island | Time table/Fares | [Official] Kansai International Airport Limousine Bus/ Time Table/ Bus Stop/ Fare/ Route List (Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise)

https://matcha-jp.com/en/1240

https://setouchifinder.com/en/detail/3755

https://100travelstories.com/blog/bread-freak-kobe/

Q. What did you use to pay the seat fee/supplement - Suica, card or cash? Does the conductor accept anything other than cash?

the conductor only accepts cash, unfortunately (but he has change!)

Thanks! I figured that was probably going to be the answer. We've never been in a position of needing to pay on the train but it will probably happen / be to our advantage one of these days on a Japan trip, so good to know.

I am seeing a special offer for visitors to Japan for using that ferry to Kobe! It really is an interesting discount:

https://www.kobe-access.jp/eng/info_visitors.php

Also, I see that there is a Crowne Plaza in Kobe (even recommended by Lonely Planet). With a flight arriving from Singapore at 21h35, would it be plausible to already take the ferry the same evening to Kobe and probably a taxi from the other side to the Crowne Plaza? Not sure how long immigration and baggage reclaim is going to take, but I reckon we could be ready to roll at 22h30. But there seems to be a ferry departure at 22h00 and a last one at 00h00, midnight.

See post 15 above. Hahahaha
Yes. Taxi from Kobe airport to the Crowne Plaza would be expensive, though. Better to take the train. (Port Liner to Sannomiya. Then Seishin Yamate line to Shin Kobe). Staying at the Crowne Plaza puts you at the foot of Mt. Rokko, which has a cable car ride and a view over the city. Not a bad place to start the day.

CP Shin-Kobe is fantastic. Hotel itself is nothing special, but the location, the view, the nearby gondola/garden, it is fabulous.
I've stayed there many times going back to when it was called Oriental something. The mall underneath the hotel (Oriental Avenue... hope it's still there, as I have not been there in a few years) is completely dead but has actually got some quality restaurants. Lobster restaurant Chunagon (my favorite), Kobe beef place, tonkatsu place, bakery/pasta place, on and on.

The real bakery/pastry/sweets district is the area called Okamoto. But even if you don't trek out there, the Sannomiya Station area has all kinds of great desserts and pastries along with everything else. From CP you can walk to the Kitano neighborhood, which I love to walk around although I think some western visitors may not find it all that exciting. I love Kobe, one of my favorite cities in Jpn. Might be my favorite.

Osaka is a vast city which has multiple train stations. You can take a train from Kansai Airport to Osaka Station, Namba Station, Tennoji Station or Shin-Osaka Station: https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/kansa...rport_by_Train

Limousine bus services run frequently between Kansai Airport and a wide range of stops in Osaka including Osaka Station, Namba Station, Shin-Osaka Station, and Universal Studios. There are also night buses which run once an hour from the bus station between 12am and 5am. The journey takes one hour and the price is 1.550 yen.