How to Build an Itinerary Beyond the Standard Route

Preface

The “Osaka standard route” introduced in TourCast is planned around flights that depart in the morning ✈️ and return in the evening.

However, for many low-cost carriers (LCCs) that travelers use these days, flights in that time range are actually less common. In many cases, the typical pattern is “morning departure / morning return” or “afternoon departure / afternoon return.”

So, how should you adjust your itinerary to match these flight schedules? From here, let’s go through practical planning methods for each time pattern, step by step.

5 days 4 nights: depart in the afternoon, return in the morning

Unlike the standard route, let’s build an itinerary for an “afternoon departure / morning return” flight, with the assumption that you will not visit Universal Studios Japan (USJ).

In this case, you can plan 1 day in Kyoto, 1 day in Osaka, and half a day each for Kobe and Nara.
(You can freely change the visit order.)

• Kansai Airport → Namba: Nankai Rapit limited express train
• Kyoto: Day trip using an ICOCA card
• Osaka city: Osaka Amazing Pass (1-day) or an ICOCA card
• Nara · Kobe:
  From Osaka-Namba Station to Nara via Kintetsu Line (one-way 680 yen) →
  From Kintetsu Nara Station to Kobe-Sannomiya Station without transfers, using an ICOCA card
• Namba → Kansai Airport: Nankai Rapit limited express train

For Osaka city sightseeing, an Osaka Amazing Pass (1-day) is usually enough, and for other areas, you can travel with only an ICOCA card.

If you want an onsen trip instead of Nara, the combination of Arima Onsen + Kobe city is recommended.

In that case, it is efficient to use the “Taikono-yu Arima Onsen package,” which includes a Hanshin or Hankyu round-trip ticket + admission to Taikono-yu.

Or, you can take the Hankyu highway bus directly to Arima Onsen, then
take the ropeway to Mt. Rokko viewpoint, and come down to Sannomiya Station.

You can also connect Arima Onsen → Sannomiya by train using an ICOCA transport card.

4 days 3 nights: the art of a compact trip

For a “morning departure / morning return” flight schedule, let’s look at a 4 days 3 nights route where you spend one full day each at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) and Kyoto.

• Kansai Airport → Namba: Nankai Rapit limited express train + Osaka Amazing Pass (1-day) or an ICOCA card
• USJ day: Use an ICOCA card
• Kyoto day: Use an ICOCA card
• Namba → Kansai Airport: Nankai Rapit limited express train

If you plan to use the Osaka Amazing Pass to visit 3–4+ free-entry attractions on the first afternoon, the Osaka Amazing Pass (1-day) can be worth it.

But if you will visit fewer attractions and mainly focus on transport, it may be better to use an ICOCA transport card and pay admission fees separately.

With the same flight schedule, you can also plan a route where you visit Kobe on the first afternoon and focus on Osaka city sightseeing instead of Kyoto.

• Kansai Airport → Namba: Nankai Rapit limited express train + ICOCA card
• USJ day: Use an ICOCA card
• Osaka city sightseeing: Osaka Amazing Pass or ICOCA card
• Namba → Kansai Airport: Nankai Rapit limited express train

As you can see, even a 4 days 3 nights trip can be adjusted in many ways depending on whether you include USJ, and whether you add Kobe or Kyoto.
The key is to match your travel style and choose transport passes and routes flexibly. 😊

An itinerary that goes straight to Kyoto on day 1

1) How to get from the airport to Kyoto

• Limousine bus: About 1 hour 30 minutes to Kyoto Station, one-way 2,800 yen
• Jumbo taxi: Yasaka Taxi, MK Taxi, etc. About 4,300 yen per person (one-way), which is expensive, but convenient if you have a lot of luggage or want to go straight to your accommodation
• JR Haruka limited express: 3,640 yen (non-reserved seat), about 80 minutes
  • Discount fare: one-way 2,200 yen
• The most commonly used option is the JR Haruka limited express

1. Kansai Airport → Kyoto: Haruka limited express + ICOCA card
2. Kyoto city: Take buses using an ICOCA card
3. USJ day: Use an ICOCA card
4. Osaka city: Osaka Amazing Pass or ICOCA card
5. Return to the airport: Choose Umeda (Osaka) → Haruka / Namba → Rapit limited express

In general, this is a common style: go straight to Kyoto from the airport and travel mainly with an ICOCA card.

If you stay in Osaka first and spend the last night in Kyoto, you can simply plan the same route in reverse.

2) If you sightsee in Kyoto on day 1, then stay in Osaka

If you arrive at the airport and only visit a place like Kiyomizu-dera before staying in Osaka, it is fine to travel with just a one-way Haruka ticket + ICOCA.

However, using the “JR West Kansai Pass (1-day)” can be a more flexible and cost-effective choice.

• What the JR West Kansai Pass (1-day) includes (main items):
  • Haruka limited express reserved seat rides: 2 times
  • Kyoto Municipal Subway 1-day pass
  • Keihan Kyoto 1-day sightseeing pass
  • Hankyu Kyoto Line 1-day free pass

With this pass, you can freely use multiple lines in Kyoto, and you can also use the Haruka reserved seat again when returning toward Osaka.

For example, you can return by Haruka to Osaka Station or Tennoji Station, or cover Kawaramachi Station → Umeda Station with the Hankyu Kyoto Line pass.

If your plan fits this kind of structure, using the JR West Kansai Pass can be more efficient in both time and cost than a simple round trip.