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TaiKoen Yodogawa-tei, Osaka

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Travel to Osaka

Flying to Osaka

Kansai International Airport is located on a man-made island south of Osaka and is the main airport in the Kansai region. Major airlines offering flights to Osaka from the UK include ANA, JAL, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France, Emirates, KLM, Thai, Finnair and Lufthansa. Cheap flights to Osaka from the UK can be tricky to find but travelling out of season and booking early always help.

Flight times: 

From London - 11 hours 50 minutes; New York - 13 hours 50 minutes; Los Angeles - 11 hours 27 minutes; Toronto - 13 hours 13 minutes; Sydney - 9 hours 39 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Osaka is extremely well connected by expressways from the eastern and western regions of Honshu. Traffic drives on the left and the minimum driving age is 18 years old. Speed limits vary considerably so pay attention to speed limit signs. Foreign drivers can use an international license for up to one year and it is advisable to take out car insurance.

The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) (tel: (03) 3578 4910; www.jaf.or.jp/e/index_e.htm) provides an English-language ‘Rules of the Road' booklet and JAF Road Service offers 24-hour breakdown assistance for both members and non-members. In the case of an accident, the police must be informed (tel: 110).

Emergency breakdown service:

JAF (tel: 8139).

Routes:

The Sanyo and Chugoku Expressways both run from the west towards Osaka. The Meishin Expressway from Kyoto (and, ultimately, Tokyo and Nagoya) is to the northeast of the city. The Kinki, Hanwa and Nishimaihan Expressways emanate from the south.

Driving times:

From Tokyo - 8 hours; Kyoto – 1 hour 30 minutes; Nagoya - 3 hours.

Coaches:

There are regular highway bus services running between Osaka and Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo to the east, and Hiroshima and Fukuoka to the west. The trip from Tokyo to Osaka by highway bus takes eight to nine hours. Both daytime and overnight buses are available. JR Bus Kanto (tel: (03) 3844 1950; www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_route_e) operates regular coach services between Osaka and Tokyo. JR Tokai (tel: (052) 563 0489; www.jrtbinm.co.jp) runs coach services between Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya and several other cities.

JR Chugoku (tel: (082) 261 5489; www.chugoku-jrbus.co.jp) operates services from Hiroshima and Okayama to Osaka. Willer Express (tel: (050) 5805 0383; http://travel.willer.co.jp/index.html) has direct coaches from Osaka to Sendai in northern Japan, as well as Hiroshima in the west and Nagasaki in the south.

Travel by rail

Services:

Osaka is well connected to national and regional rail networks.
The main hub for JR lines is Osaka Station in the city’s north. The shinkansen trains stop at Shin-Osaka Station, which is located one station north of Osaka Station on the JR line. Private rail lines run through the north and south of the city.

The JR Tokaido Shinkansen line connects Osaka with Tokyo, in the east, as well as Hiroshima in the west and Fukuoka in the south. The fastest of the Shinkansen trains, the nozomi, takes 155 minutes to reach Shin-Osaka Station from Tokyo (note that the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on nozomi trains). With hikari trains, the journey takes 20 minutes more, and the kodama trains take about four hours.

Operators:

West Japan Railway Company (tel: (06) 375 8981; www.westjr.co.jp/english/global.html) runs the Shinkansen services as well as local trains between Osaka and Kobe, Kyoto, Nara and Kansai Airport.

The Hankyu line (tel: 0570 089 500; http://rail.hankyu.co.jp/en) and Keihan line (tel: (06) 6945 4590; www.keihan.co.jp) also offer services to Kyoto and Kobe. The Hanshin line (tel: (06) 6457 2258; www.hanshin.co.jp/global/en) runs between Kobe and Namba, as well as Nara, while the Kintetsu line (tel: (06) 6775 3636; www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/index.html) runs to Kyoto, Nara and Nagoya.

Journey times:

From Tokyo – 2 hours 35 minutes (with fastest Shinkansen); Nara – 57 minutes; Kyoto – 28 minutes; Kobe – 24 minutes.

Travel over water

Summary:

Osaka is a major ferry port for both national and international services. The Osaka International Ferry Terminal is located at Nanko, which is west of the city centre.

Ferry services:

International ferries connect Osaka with Pusan in South Korea and Shanghai in China. National services connect Osaka with Okinawa, Kyushu and Shikoku.

Nearest port:

Osaka.

Transport to the city:

The Cosmosquare subway station on the Chuo subway line is a short walk from the International Ferry Terminal.

Transfer distance:

6km (3.7 miles).

Transfer time:

15 minutes.

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