Kansai
Discover Kansai
Kansai (関西) is the western region of the main Japanese island of Honshu, second only to Kanto region of Eastern Japan in population. The area is also known as Kinki (近畿) District, literally "near the capital" (referring to ancient capital Nara and Kyoto), and its three big cities - Kyoto (京都), Osaka (大阪), and Kobe (神戸) - as Keihanshin (京阪神). Kansai is the cradle of the Japanese civilization, with former capital cities Asuka, Nara, and Kyoto.
What to Experience in Kansai
Taste of Kansai...
Kansai cooking is subtly different from the Kanto style, although the average short-term visitor is unlikely to spot many differences. Perhaps the most visible differences are a tendency to use light-colored soy instead of dark, especially in soups, and a preference for thick white udon noodles over the thin buckwheat soba noodles of eastern Japan. Kansai is sake country, with Nada (in Kobe) and Fushimi (in Kyoto) alone accounting for 45% of the country's production. Kobe in particular is a good place to tour sake breweries, many of which are open to visitors. Yamazaki, in Takatsuki southwest of Kyoto, is known for Japan's oldest commercial whisky distillery owned by Suntory. Visitors to Kansai often face a conundrum: which town should they base themselves in? Conventional wisdom says you should go to Kyoto for culture and Osaka for the food and nightlife, and many end up splitting their nights so they can sample both. However, given that the cities are just 30 minutes apart, this is an unnecessary hassle and you're better off picking just one. If you're visiting mostly for the culture and history, Kyoto is the obvious choice. Not only does it have Japan's highest concentration of tourist sites, but as a city of 1.5 million it also has countless eating and drinking options for all tastes and price brackets. Unlike Osaka, it also has many ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) if you'd like to sample one.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsKansai forms one end of the Golden Route between Tokyo and Kyoto. Many visitors choose to fly into Tokyo, travel the Route via bullet train, and fly out of Kansai. There are three major airports in the Kansai Metropolitan Area. The main international hub is Kansai International Airport (KIX), on an artificial island south of Osaka. The primary domestic airport is Osaka's Itami Airport (ITM). Kobe Airport (UKB), on another artificial island to the south of Kobe, also serves most major Japanese cities and a limited selection of international flights to greater China and Korea. The Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) line from Tokyo serves Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. The San'yo Shinkansen connects to Okayama, Hiroshima and Hakata. The three major cities of Kansai - Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe - are connected by a myriad of train routes. When traveling between two of these cities, it helps to determine what method of transportation fits your travel needs, and fits your budget......
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The three major cities of Kansai - Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe - are connected by a myriad of train routes. When traveling between two of these cities, it helps to determine what method of transportation fits your travel needs, and fits your budget... unless you have a Japan Rail Pass, of course. Besides the Shinkansen, Japan Railways operates the main trunk line - the Tokaido Line - between Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. The Kyoto-Osaka segment is known as the JR Kyoto Line, while the segment from Osaka to Kobe is the JR Kobe Line. The Special Rapid, or Shin-Kaisoku (新快速), generally leaves every 15 minutes with very fast transit times. If you do not have a Japan Rail Pass, however, JR can be more expensive compared to private railways. If you do travel via the Keihan, an interesting thing to listen out for are the departure melodies - songs that are played before the train departs a station.
Where to Stay
Visitors to Kansai often face a conundrum: which town should they base themselves in? Conventional wisdom says you should go to Kyoto for culture and Osaka for the food and nightlife, and many end up splitting their nights so they can sample both. However, given that the cities are just 30 minutes apart, this is an unnecessary hassle and you're better off picking just one. If you're visiting mostly for the culture and history, Kyoto is the obvious choice. Not only does it have Japan's highest concentration of tourist sites, but as a city of 1.5 million it also has countless eating and drinking options for all tastes and price brackets. Unlike Osaka, it also has many ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) if you'd like to sample one. There is, however, one downside: Kyoto also has more tourists than anywhere else in Japan. If you're more interested in shopping, nightlife and neon, flip the script and stay in Osaka.
Language & Talk
The Kansai dialect (関西弁 Kansai-ben) is Japan's largest dialect group after Tokyo's dialect group collectively. There are many subdialects, ranging from the elegant and euphemistic Kyo-kotoba (京言葉) of Kyoto's courtiers to the gruff but imaginative merchant slang of Osaka, much favored by Japanese comedians. Some notable features include the copula ya instead of da (including yatta/yarou for datta/darou), the negative ending -hen instead of -nai, the use of akan (あかん, アカン) instead of dame for "No way!", aho (あほ, アホ) instead of baka for "idiot", and ōki-ni (おおきに) instead of arigatō gozaimasu for "Thanks". Everybody understands standard Japanese too, but it is common for locals to reply in the local dialect even when spoken to in standard Japanese.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Kansai
Revisit of Fushimi Inari Shrine
a tall white building with a tree in front of it
white and black pagoda house
a tall building with a clock on the top of it
brown wooden sticks
A patch of grass with red flowers growing on it
opened white and green train door
a field full of red flowers and green grass
a group of people walking down a street next to tall buildings
a field full of red flowers and green grass
Revisit of Fushimi Inari Shrine
a tall white building with a tree in front of it
white and black pagoda house