Travelling to Nara – Backup

1. From overseas

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2. Nara City

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3. Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Nara

3.1. By Limousine Bus
The easiest way to come to Nara from Kansai International Airport is to use a limousine bus. We recommend using the limousine bus because it brings you to JR Nara station without a transfer. It takes about 85 min. and the fare is JPY 1,800 per person.

Further information:

3.2. By Train
An alternative way is to use trains. You have to change trains at least once to come to Nara from the airport. You should prepare well in advance.

You can choose a route from the following for JR Nara station.

“Nankai Airport Line” (orange) — «Shin-imamiya» — “JR Yamatoji Line” (green)
The minimum fare is JPY 1,430. This is the cheapest. However, at JR Shin-imamiya station, you cannot use neither escalator nor elevator. Thus if you have big luggage, you should select another route.
“JR Kansai Airport Line” (blue) — «Tennoji» — “JR Yamatoji Line” (green)
The minimum fare is JPY 1,660. On your return journey, you should be careful when you take Kansai Airport Rapid Service. Only the front 4 cars out of 8 cars, cars No.1 through No.4, are bound for Kansai-airport. You should check the car No. before taking the train.

Further information:

4. Osaka Itami Airport (ITM) to Nara
An alternative airport for attendees who cannot easily access Kansai International Airport is Osaka Itami Airport (ITM). Since the airport is only for domestic flights, you have to transit to a domestic flight at an international airport such as Narita International Airport (NRT).

4.1. By Limousine Bus

The easiest way to come to Nara from Osaka Itami Airport is to use a limousine bus. We strongly recommend using the limousine bus because it brings you to JR Nara station without a transfer. It takes about 70 min. and the fare is JPY 1,440 per person.

5. Via Narita International Airport (NRT)
For attendees from some countries, it may be easier to enter Japan at Narita International Airport (NRT). There are mainly two ways to come to Nara via Narita International Airport.

5.1. By Air
The easiest way is to fly from Narita International Airport to Osaka Itami Airport though the number of flights is limited.

An alliterative way is to move to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) by a limousine bus (approx. 75 min./ fare: JPY 3,000) and then fly to Osaka Itami Airport or Kansai International Airport on a domestic flight.

Further information:

5.2. By Train
An alternative way is travelling by train. After moving to JR Tokyo station by Narita Express or a limousine bus, you should travel to JR Kyoto station by Shinkansen (bullet train) and transfer to JR line to Nara Station. It takes approximately 5 hours in total.

Further information:

Acknowledgement: Most parts of this page are taken from DAS 2008 conference with permission of Dr. Masakazu Iwamura.