Since I have been to Osaka several times, it was high time I reviewed the Kansai International Airport here. Anyone visiting Osaka will be coming in here, and I will share some general information about what is available here at the Osaka Airport.

Kansai Osaka Airport Review

On a trip here with mainstream journalists from Malaysia and working with the Osaka Government Tourism Board (OGTB) and Tourism Malaysia Osaka (TM Osaka), our group was taken on a tour around the airport. Anyone planning to visit here should note that flights to Osaka depart from Kuala Lumpur at midnight and arrive in Japan early in the morning.

Therefore, we flew via Malaysia Airlines on this trip, and on our arrival, we were greeted by the head of the Malaysia Airlines Osaka office, together with the representatives of TM Osaka and OGTB. The seven-hour flight was decent, but my important tip is to get a window seat or one by the door or bathroom if you want a comfortable flight here.

Anyway, arriving at Osaka’s KIX brought back memories from my previous trips in 2012 and 2013, when I noticed that some renovations had been done to accommodate the growing number of passengers here. You should also know that there has been a steep rise in the number of Malaysians visiting Osaka, namely Muslim tourists who seek the Japanese experience here.

Our media group was given a semi-tour of the shopping facilities in the departure area. On a first impression, sections here resembled more of a shopping mall rather than a common airport shopping area.

They tried to ensure that travellers felt comfortable here, and I was very comfortable. Popular Japanese brands caught my eye as we walked through the main shopping areas in the airport departure area.

Muji to Go, Uniqlo and even Daiso are some of the common names I am used to, and they are also more familiar to Malaysian travellers. Other shops were more general and straightforward, offering travellers what they needed before and after a trip. Souvenir shops were abundant, with all sorts of Japanese names, while speciality stores were also available.

On a side note, the Daiso store here is selling items at ¥100 and at the time of my visit, the conversion to Ringgit Malaysia was 3, so everything was RM3, and that was a steal if you ask me, compared to the Daiso in Malaysia which is RM5 per item.So, if you are a shopping fanatic, bring that famous bag-in-bag and book that extra luggage for the flight back. (Bag-in-bag is how travellers put a medium bag inside a giant luggage bag and pack the clothes in the medium bag)

The Kit-Kat HunterFor chocolate lovers, if you are hunting for that fantastic Japanese Kit Kat selection, one store here sells the entire collection. As I was walking through, I noticed the specialized Kit Kat display with at least eight different flavours. Eight! Can you imagine that? Not one, not two, but eight!

Definitely, a paradise for Japanese KitKat lovers, and the prices are quite reasonable too, priced at ¥600 to ¥800 per box, which works out to be around RM18 to RM24 (US$6 to $8). Flavours include Kit Kat Wasabi, Green Tea, Red Bean, Strawberry Cheesecake and other unique stuff.

Do you know how friends and relatives always ask for Japanese Kit Kat when anyone goes to Japan? Well, this is your solution here in Osaka.

Below are some general photos taken during my walk around with the Kansai Airport officials. Most photos were taken in the airport’s common departure area, which is also open to the public.

The list goes on and on for food and beverage. Japanese restaurants mainly offer the usual sushi, Bento, soba, and ramen, and they always have beautiful fake food displays in front of them, which amazes me, too. Others include Japanese fusion restaurants offering hamburgers, steaks and several Western choices.

For those arriving in Osaka, you would be exhausted from the flight and will head straight to the city. Therefore, these places are best visited before you depart Osaka, so give extra time before you check in for your flight. Generally, you can come here early for breakfast and explore Japanese food one last time before leaving Osaka.

Muslim travellers are in for a deal as one Japanese restaurant was certified Halal by a Malaysian certification board, and the sign clearly stated this in front of the restaurant. So, Muslims can now enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine, which is halal here at Osaka airport. Just take a look at the menu photos below.

Inside is a men’s and women’s section for prayers, complete with the ‘kiblat’ direction and an area to wash up before prayers.To use the facility, you need to inquire from the main information counter for them to open the prayer room for you. In total, there are three prayer rooms found around Kansai Airport which are;

1. Third Floor

2. International Gate Area North Wing

3. International Gate Area South Wing

Kansai Tourist Information Center.

When you exit immigration and customs, you will see the main arrival hall. This is usually where pick-ups are done, and in most cases, Free Independent Travelers, or FIT, as they are commonly called, will take the bus or train to head into Osaka city. Travelling to the city from the airport generally takes about one hour.

Kansai Tourist Information Center

Before one does that, you should check out the Kansai Tourist Information Center for all your information. Do not worry, as the staff here speak English. They also have a dedicated area where free information booklets on Kansai and Osaka are displayed, and some are available in multiple languages. Look out for the English ones; at the time of writing this, there was none in Bahasa Malaysia. Most general information about places to go, shops, festivals and so on is available here.

The most popular stop for travellers is the SIM card booth. Here, you will get a SIM card for your smartphone or, the easiest of them all, rent a portable WiFi unit, which is practical for WiFi.I am still unsure about the Japanese SIM card and if it works well with Malaysian or Southeast Asian mobile phones, but you should double check this.

Osaka Free WiFi services.

I just used my hotel WiFi whenever I got the chance. Several places around Osaka offer free WiFi, and WiFiso the Osaka Free WiFi, which is easy to log into. Connect to it. A browser will automatically pop up. Enter your email, and you can use the service for 15 minutes. When it disconnects, repeat the same steps. All hotels in Osaka have free Wi-Fi.

Some companies in Malaysia even offer portable WiFi before you leave the country. You can even rent Japanese smartphones in English at the Mobile Kiosk Centre.

The Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia X check-in counters are located at Counter A, the first counter and the leftmost as you enter the departure hall of Kansai Airport. The staff here are all Japanese and speak English, so there should be no problems with the language unless you do not speak any English at all. I suggest you ask them for the Malaysian manager or staff to talk to.

You should know that Japan is en route to becoming a no-smoking country. However, for smokers, fear not, as designated areas and rooms are available. Smoking rooms are available on all levels at Osaka Airport. In the departure hall, the smoking room is next to Counter A, where the MAS and AirAsia X check-in counters are located.

On the arrival hall, the smoking room is to the right of the building before you exit the arrival. Please note that you cannot smoke anywhere you like, even outside the airport.

While some travellers like to wrap their bags for extra security, this service is offered just next to the smoking room at Kansai Airport. There is a fee charged according to size. The company is called Your Wrap.

1. Small Luggage Bag is ¥500

2. Medium Luggage Bag is ¥700

3. Large Luggage Bag is ¥900

4. Extra Large Luggage Bag is ¥1000

Next to ‘Your Wrap’ is a baggage or luggage storage service. Fees range from ¥360 to ¥1030, depending on how long you store your luggage there. These are very trustworthy services but please do not put valuables in your check-in luggage, never do that.

Fear not for anyone who overshopped in Osaka—you can buy boxes from the Baggage Service Area. A medium-sized box will cost around ¥800, and you can check in these boxes on your flight. Note that, depending on your airline, any excess baggage will be charged.

There are a few counters at the arrival and departure levels, so look for the word ‘Currency Exchange’. Money Changer is a Malaysian or Southeast Asian term, so you will not see it all over Japan. Rates are based on the banks and are usually decent. However, changing your Japanese yen in Malaysia or your home country is always better before visiting Osaka, Japan.

You will be surprised that they even have a vending machine area in the arrival section of the airport here.Inside, you will find machines that sell popular Japanese coffee brands such as Suntory, Boss, UCC, and many others.

They also sell them in hot or cold, and prices are always around ¥100 to ¥130 per can. Other items found here include soft drinks and cigarettes.

For those leaving Osaka, I recommend you come 3-4 hours before your flight departs. Why? All because of the security checks, which can take quite a long. As Malaysian Airlines and AirAsia X flights depart late in the morning, many other international flights depart around the same time.Therefore, give the security checking line at least 30 to 45 minutes. (Where you need to remove everything for the airport scanners). There is also a post office, clinic, dental clinic, police station, battery charging points (chargeable ¥100 for 30 minutes) and even a pet hotel. Several airport lounges and the KIX Airport Lounge are also open 24 hours.

And more importantly, it is the ‘last-minute shopping’ where you can visit the many shops outside the main departure area before going into the duty-free area. Why am I saying this? Many travellers like to finish their small change or get those last-minute goodies and souvenirs from local convenience stores like 7-11, Lawson and Family Mart.

Also, the standard Japanese restaurants, Halal restaurants, and other fast foods are usually outside the main areas. Once you go inside after immigration, you can only choose duty-free shops. Again, there are a ton of items to buy here, too.If you are looking for traditional Japanese food souvenirs or Kit Kats, the duty-free shops have them all there. The best part is that many of them display the contents of the snacks for you to see, while some English explanations are also available for some Japanese snacks.

Kansai Airport Map.

Universal Studios Japan is one of the most popular attractions in Osaka.