How to Travel from Kansai Airport to Kyoto via the Haruka Express

🚄 Getting from Kansai Airport to Kyoto – Taking the Haruka Express

Arraiving at Kansai airport, we need to head to Kyoto. There are several ways to make the tirp, but I chose to take Haruka Express - fast and easy to neviate. 

If you have an ICOCA card, you can get a discount as well. For one way ticket with an ICONA card cost 1,600 yen (the regular price is 2,200 yen).

💡 What is an ICOCA card?
It's a rechargeable smart card mainly used for public transportation around the Kansai region – like Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara.

🎫 Buying  tickets

Once you arrive at Kansai airport, just take escalator up and cross the bridge. That will bring you directly to the train station. You can buy Haruka Express ticket there. I have booked the tickets in advance through online through Klook to save time. It cost about 2,000 yen per person. Even though I could have used my ICOCA cards for a discount, I preferred booking ahead online.

🎫 Issuing tickets from Kiosk

When we got the station, the next Haruka was leaving in just 15 mins. My brother lined up at the kiosk to get the tickets while I went to check where we'd board the train (just go down the escalator and take train on the right side.)

▲ Kiosk for pickig up tickets booked online.

Back at the Kiosk, we found that all reserved seat were already taken, and the next train with reserved seats wasn't for another hour. So we decieded to take "non-reserved seat" teickets. 

1 . Scan the QR code from e-mail(Klook send you e-ticket in advance)

2. Select preferred train time

3. Confirm it's a non-reserved seat ticket

4. The ticket prints out.

📌 Note: If you get your tickets from the Kiosk, you can't pass through the regular ticekt gate. Instead, show your ticket to the station staff and they will open the side gate for you. 

📌 Note: Non-reserved seat are available in Cars 5, 6 and 7. Restrooms are in Car 4.

We boarded in time and the train left about 5 mins later. The ride from Kansai Airport to Kyoto station took about a hour and half. 

🚄 Heading Back: Kyoto station to Kansai Airport

🎫 Issuing tickets from Kiosk

Las time I visited, I bought tickets at the counter and it wasn't best experience. The staff didn't speak much English, my Japanese wasn't good enough, and honestly, the interatction felt unfriendly.

So I booked our return ticket through Klook agait. It cost around 2,000 yen  ― slightly more than before due to the exchange rate.

📌 When you arrive at the Kyoto station, please make sure you line up in the correct queue ―  there are separate line for different kiosks. It is better to ask a staff member if you are in the right line.

Here's how to issue your Haruka tickets through Kiosk. 

1. Scan your QR code

2. Scan you passport

3. Chose the date of your ride.

4. The tickets will be printed out.

If you want to choose a reserved seat, make sure to insert printed ticket again. I missed this step ( I didn't read the istructions carefully), so I ended up in a non-reserved seat agian ― same as before cars 5, 6 and 7.

With this ticket, you canpass through the regular ticekt gate. 

You can catch Haruka Express at platform 30. 

The Haruka express arrives at the same plaftrom where you boared it at Kansai aiport. So finiding your way back to airport will be easy. : )

Hope this helps ― have a great time on your trip!