Please notice that July
19 (mon) is a national holiday in Japan.
When you check your schedule of transportation, please choose one for holidays.
Train and bus schedules on holidays are different from those of work days.
For the newcomer to Japan
From Kansai airport:
Since it takes rather long time from Kansai airport(about three hours)
to get to spring-8, we ask you to check your travel schedule with the arrival
time and transportations from Kansai airport to SPring-8. You can check
general information at
http://www.spring8.or.jp/e/index.html
and train connections at
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html
The latter one is very convenient; Type the From and To stations ("Kansai-airpot"
and "Aioi(Hyogo)"), choose the day and time if you want to specify the departure
or arraival time, then click "search" button. It will show several options
of connections.
Briefly, if you can take a train from Kansai airport before 6pm, you can
get to SPring-8 on the day you arrive. An example of schedule is as follows:
Kansai-Airport, 05:48pm -- JR Haruka 44 --> Shin-Osaka, 06:39pm
Shin-Osaka, 06:59pm -- JR Hikari 379 --> Himeji, 07:29pm
Himeji, 07:39pm -- JR San-Yo Line --> Aioi, 07:58pm
Aioi, 20:20 -- Bus --> SPring-8, 20:53
If you arrive later than this, it would be better to stay one night either
in the airport or downtown area. If you need a hotel booked by us, please
let us know as soon as your schedule will be fixed. The rate of a hotel
will be around 7,000 yen.
For the newcomer to Japan:
Transportation within Japan is very easy once you understand the system.
This document will help to guide you through the trip from Kansai airport
to the SPring-8 facility.
1. At the airport:
- After passing through immigration and customs, there is
a single exit to the main terminal. At this exit, you will find an information
counter and also a window for money exchange. You will need to change approximately
$100 US for the train and bus fares. (Note that money exchange outside of
the airport is not so easy to find, so you may want to exchange all the
money you will need at the airport.)
- The attendents at the information
counter speak English, and they can direct you to the train station, which
is the building directly across the street from the main terminal.
- Go to the ticket windows marked
for "JR" (Japan Railways), not the counter for the Nankai line. Ask (in English)
for a ticket to Aioi (pronounced ah-ee-oh-ee).
This is a 2-step process: first you go from the airport to Shin-Osaka (main
train station) and then you switch to the high-speed train to Aioi. You
should indicate whether you want a reserved-seat ticket or a non-researved
seat on the Shinkansen (the high-speed train--note that the ticket for the
Shinkansen is separate). Also be sure to ask for the track number and the
time when the first train leaves from the airport.
- At the gates, put your ticket into the slot on the gate, and
be careful to retreave your ticket as you pass through the gate. You will
need this ticket at the other end. If you have any question, there is always
a uniformed official who speaks some English at the gates.
- At the platform, there are digital signs that alternate between
showing the destination of the train in Japanese and then English. Note
that the trains always leave exactly on-time.
2. At Shin-Osaka:
- It will take about 50 minutes to reach Shin-Osaka. Exit the train
and follow the crowd to the exit gates. Use the same ticket you used at
the airport, putting it in the slot at the exit gate. Retrieve the ticket
as you pass through.
- Follow the signs to the Shinkansen. At the entrance, you will need
to put both tickets (together at once) into the slot at the gates. If you
have trouble, just go over to the uniformed official, and hand the tickets
to him.
- Printed on the ticket is the gate and time of the train. Note that
the digital signs will not say "Aioi" but instead will give the final destination,
usually "Okayama". The key is to know when the train leaves, as they are
always on-time.
- Note that all stops are announced clearly in both Japanese and English.
3. At Aioi:
- As above, put your tickets in the slot at the exit gate. Follow the
signs to the new bus stop. Check the sign on the front of the bus for the
destination. Note that not all busses go to SPring-8. From the website,
you can find the time when the correct bus leaves (they leave exactly on-time).
- SPring-8 is the last stop. Wait until the passes through the gate
to SPring-8 (there is a uniformed attendant in the building at the entrance).
The bus will stop at the main building ("Chuo-Kanri-Tou" in Japanse); there is a large metal sculpture
in front. You pay as you exit the bus. The fare is about 720 Yen, and it
helps if you have exact change.
- Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Aioi to SPring-8. The fare
is about $60, or nearly 8 times the price of the bus.
4. At SPring-8:
- From the bus stop, when facing the main office building, go right for
about 100 m, then turn right at the first road. Go up a gentle incline
for about 100m, and the small building at the top of the road is the residence
office. Please fill in the form with your name, and they will give you
your room key.
- Alternatively, you can stay at a hotel, but his is much more expensive.
The residence rooms at SPring-8 are very clean and spacious. Also, the
residence is quite close to the cafeteria, which is very convenient, and
internet connections are available in all rooms.