Osaka

Introduction

Puffer fish eatery

© All Rights Reserved Peter

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Osaka has a subtropical humid climate with warm, wet summers and drier but mild winters. Summers last from June to September when average highs are mostly between 28 and 34 °C and nights are between 20 and 25 °C. Winters from December to February see highs of 9-13 °C and lows of 2-5 °C. Almost all of the annual rain falls between March and October, while winters are relatively dry and chances of snow are almost zero (unlike Tokyo for example).

Getting There

By Plane

1. International flights in Osaka arrive at the Kansai International Airport (KIX), about 38 kilometres from Osaka. After Narita Airport it's the busiest airport in Japan regarding international passengers. Airlines flying from Europe to Osaka include KLM (Amsterdam) and Finnair (Helsinki).

To/from Osaka-Kansai Airport

• Rail: The lower railroad level of the Sky Gate Bridge R leading to Osaka is used by two railroad operators: West Japan Railway (JR West) and Nankai Electric Railway. JR West operates Haruka, the limited express train services for Kansai Airport Station from Tennōji, Shin-Ōsaka and Kyoto Station. JR West also offers "Kansai Airport Rapid" services for Kansai Airport Station from Ōsaka and Kyōbashi Station, as well as several stations on the way. Nankai operates a limited express train service to Namba Station on the southern edge of downtown Osaka.
• Bus: Kansai Airport Transportation Enterprise and other bus operators offer scheduled express bus services, called "Airport Limousines", for Kansai International Airport.
• Car: The airport is only accessible from the Sky Gate Bridge R, a part of Kansai Airport Expressway. The expressway immediately connects to Hanshin Expressways Route 5, "Wangan Route", and Hanwa Expressway. Taxis and rental cars are available at the airport and there are thousands of parking places as well.
• Ferry: A high-speed ferry service operates between Kobe Airport and KIX. The journey takes about thirty minutes.

2. Despite it's name, Osaka International Airport (ITM) serves only domestic destinations, but in total does handle more passengers than Osaka-Kansai!

To/from Osaka International Airport

• Rail: The only direct rail connection to the airport is the Osaka Monorail, which stops in the northern suburbs of Osaka.
• Bus: A number of scheduled buses run to and from the airport daily, forming connections to Osaka and Kyoto.

By Train

Osaka can be reached by train from a number of cities, including Tokyo, Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. For more details about schedules and prices, check the Japan Rail website.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

China:
There are weekly ferries crossing the sea between Shanghai and Kobe and Osaka in Japan. The ferry's destination alternates each week between Osaka and Kobe and the journey takes two days. Another line travels weekly as well between Shanghai and Osaka only.
Russia:
FESCO runs a service from Vostochny Port/Nakhodka in Far Eastern Russia to Osaka.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Work

Learn

• Osaka University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

The Japanese postal service is excellent! Domestic and international mail service is very quick and reliable. The prices for sending letters, postcards and parcels vary depending on where you send if from and to which country you send it too, and of course depends on weight as well, so check this calculation page of Japan Post for more details. Post offices generally are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays, closing at weekends and also on national holidays, though a few open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Central post offices are sometimes open until 7:00pm, open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Another thing to remember is that the post office is one of the few places in Japan that is guaranteed to have ATMs that take international cards.