In celebration of the upcoming Chuseok holiday, I planned to explore cities in the Kansai region of Japan, such as Osaka and Kyoto. Concerned about potential high airfare during the Chuseok holiday season, I was pleasantly surprised to find reasonably priced tickets, possibly influenced by the temporary closure of Osaka Kansai Airport due to Typhoon Jebi.
Although the airfare was affordable, the decision for a sudden trip to the Kansai region, exploring Osaka and Kyoto, was made hastily. I hastily planned and executed the trip.
“Traveling to the Kansai Region in Japan”
The region containing Osaka and Kyoto is known as the Kansai region in Japan, referred to as “関西” in Kanji. This name comes from its location to the west of the capital, where the term “Kan” means west.
The primary gateway to this region is Kansai International Airport, commonly used for traveling to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. In Korea, Incheon International Airport serves as the major departure point for Kansai, and despite other airports offering flights to the region, Incheon Airport is commonly chosen for its convenience. As someone residing in Gyeonggi Province, I departed from Incheon Airport.
Especially, the route from Incheon Airport to Kansai Airport is one of the most popular routes. Statistics show that among the foreign passengers using Kansai Airport, Koreans constitute the largest group. The Kansai region seems to be a highly favored destination for South Koreans.
“Departure from Incheon Airport”
The departure process from Incheon Airport is the same as when traveling to other destinations.
- Incheon Airport Departure Process:
Despite that, I experienced several steps during my departure from Incheon Airport for this trip to the Kansai region, summarized as follows:
- Finding the exchange amount for Japanese Yen at Shinhan Bank.
- Collecting WiFi for use in Japan (utilizing WorldRoaming this time).
- Issuing the airline ticket (without checking in luggage).
- Security check and departure inspection.
- Handing over items at the duty-free shop (purchased duty-free items, but since this was a flight without checked luggage, I decided to refund).
- Boarding the flight.
Since I used an economical airfare for this trip, I purchased a ticket without checked luggage, enabling me to travel at a lower cost.
However, I had to forgo the items I had pre-purchased at the duty-free shop and decided to refund them. The purchased items were liquid goods with a volume exceeding 100ml, and although these were specially packaged and allowed for carriage on the flight to Japan, I couldn’t be certain if they would be allowed on the return flight.
Therefore, regretfully, I had to abandon the items purchased at the duty-free shop and ultimately opted for a refund.
“Approximately 2 hours from Incheon Airport to Kansai Airport”
If you depart from Incheon Airport, it takes about 2 hours to reach Kansai Airport. Although the actual pure flight time is approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes, considering the boarding process, the time to load and unload luggage, and the time to move on the ground after landing, it’s advisable to budget just over 2 hours.
Nevertheless, despite the overall travel time, the pure flight experience is relatively brief, making the journey not overly tedious.
“Incheon International Airport Terminal 1”
- Visit Date: September 28, 2018
- Address: 272 Gonghang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon
- Phone Number: 1577-2600
- Website: Incheon International Airport