By plane
The main international gateway to Osaka is Kansai International Airport (IATA: KIX). The airport has two railway connections to the city: JR West's Kansai Airport Line and the private Nankai Electric Railway.
Most domestic flights arrive at Osaka International Airport, also known as Itami Airport (IATA: ITM). Itami is connected to the Osaka Monorail, but the monorail is expensive and traces an arc around the northern suburbs, so to get to the centre of the city you will need to transfer to a suburban Hankyu railway line. A more convenient option for most are the Airport Limousine Buses, which run frequently from Itami to various locations within Osaka and elsewhere in the region (including Kansai Airport), with fares starting around �500-600. Taxi from Itami airport to Osaka castle area costs �4000 plus �700 for toll road.
By train
Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen trains arrive at Shin-Osaka station, to the north of the city center. From Shin-Osaka, you can connect to the city center by using the Midosuji subway line, or connect to the local JR network for other destinations.
� From Tokyo, Nozomi trains cover the one way ride in about 2 1/4 hours (�14,050); Hikari trains take 3 hours and all-stopping Kodama trains take 4 hours (both �13750). With the Japan Rail Pass, there is no charge to take the Shinkansen if you use the Hikari or Kodama service.
� From points west of Osaka, Nozomi trains run from Okayama (�6060, 45 mins), Hiroshima (�10,150, 80 mins) and Hakata station in Fukuoka (�14,890, 2 1/4 hours). Japan Rail Pass holders can use the Hikari Rail Star service instead, which runs at a comparable speed to the Nozomi and makes a few more stops, but its trains are shorter (8 car trains, compared to 16 cars on the Nozomi). Slower Kodama trains connect the rest of the stations on the route.
If travelling from the east without a rail pass, you can take advantage
