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After finishing up my Spring tour leading stint, I was lucky enough to be able to fly back to the UK from Kansai Airport. My final tour, Hidden Japan, finished in Kyoto, and from there it is only a 90 minute train ride to the airport.
It was special for me because in February 2003, I set foot in Japan for the very first time at Kansai Airport. Like all my fellow colleagues at InsideJapan, I arrived in Japan to teach English. I was so excited and overwhelmed to finally be in Japan, that I didn’t take the time to study this amazing airport.
Built on an artificial island, Kansai is not only the longest airport concourse in the world, but at 1.7km long, it is the the longest building in the world!
The train journey out there is a treat, as you cross a massive bridge which connects the man-made island to the mainland. When you check-in, I definitely recommend getting a window seat so you can a good aerial view of this huge building.
Unfortunately, BA and JAL had stopped the direct flights from London to Kansai, however, there are some great indirect flights around. As our office is in Bristol, we mostly fly KLM via Amsterdam. Many airlines don’t charge much more if you fly into Tokyo and then out of Kansai, something worth thinking about when you are planning your next trip!