- Narita Airport
- Haneda Airport
- City Trains
- JR Trains
- Metro
- Private Rails
- City Bus
- Sightseeing Bus
- Taxi
- Highway Bus
- Suica Card
- PASMO Card
- Shinjuku Station
- Transport Passes
- Haneda Airport to Tokyo City
- Narita Airport to Tokyo
- Narita Airport to Haneda Airport
- Travel from Tokyo to Kyoto
- Travel from Tokyo to Osaka
- Travel from Tokyo to Nara
How to Travel from Tokyo to Osaka
It’s more than 550 km (342 miles) far away from Tokyo to Osaka, for which Shinkansen is the easiest mode of transportation to shuttle between the two places. Besides, flights, highway bus, and train transfers are also practicable for travelling.
Shinkansen Station
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Most Convenient: Shinkansen Bullet Train, about 2.5h & JPY 13,870
Shinkansen Train
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Features: Fast, Convenient, Expensive
Departure Station: Tokyo Station
If you are going from Haneda Airport, the nearer Shinagawa Sta. is also accessible for Shinkansen to Osaka.
Arrival Station: Shin-Osaka Station
It’s similar to that from Tokyo to Kyoto, as the Shinkansen trains stop over at Kyoto, the previous station before reaching Shin-Osaka Sta. In the same way, Nozomi series is the fastest with the most trains every day, while Kodama series is the slowest with much less trains.
Shinkansen Train Series |
Nozomi |
Hikari |
Kodama |
|
Speed/Duration |
2h 24-30min |
2h 54min |
3h 54min |
|
Ticket Fare |
Non-reserved seat |
JPY 13,870 |
JPY 13,870 |
JPY 13,870 |
Reserved seat |
JPY 14,520 / 14,720 |
JPY 14,200 / 14,400 |
JPY 14,200 / 14,400 |
See also: Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto
Another Option: Tokyo to Osaka Air Travel, overall 4.5h & JPY 9,900-17,800
A flight is definitely the fastest approach to travel to Osaka from Tokyo. However, it takes about 4.5h at least in total as the travelling time from Tokyo downtown to the departure airport, time for checking in, the airborne hours, time from the airport of arrival to Osaka downtown, etc. are included.Tokyo Airports: Narita Airport / Haneda Airport
Osaka Airports: Kansai International Airport / Itami Airport
(Itami Airport operates domestic flights only.)
All the 4 airports are accessible for flights from Tokyo to Osaka, combined in pairs between each other.
|
Haneda to Itami |
Narita to Kansai |
Haneda to Kansai |
Narita to Itami |
Duration |
1h 5-20min |
1h 30-40min |
1h 15-30min |
1h 20-25min |
Density of Runs |
30 flights a day |
6-7 flights a day |
16 flights a day |
2 flights a day |
First Flight |
06:25 All Nippon Airways (ANA) |
08:00 Jetstar Japan |
07:05 Japan Airlines (JAL) |
17:35 ANA |
Last Flight |
19:15 ANA |
20:40 Peach Aviation |
21:00 ANA |
18:25 JAL |
Ticket Fare (economy class) |
JPY 15,800-17,800 |
JPY 9,900-11,000 |
JPY 13,900-17,100 |
JPY 15,880-16,700 |
For the air routes from Narita to Kansai Airport, they are mainly budget flights. Thus, it’s relatively cheaper.
Airport to Osaka downtown:
Kansai Airport limited express train Haruka is the best choice to reach Osaka / Shin-Osaka Sta. in 47-55min, costing JPY 2,410 to Osaka Sta. or JPY 2,590 to Shin-Osaka Sta. (unreserved seats).From Itami Airport, you have to take the monorail first and transfer once to reach Umeda / Hankyu Umeda in the northern area of Osaka City. Transfer to Osaka Metro Midousuji Line / Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway at Senri-Chuo, which would reach Umeda in about 48min. Otherwise, transfer to Hankyu Takarazuka Line at Hotarugaike, which could reach Hankyu Umeda Sta. in around 29min totally.
Of course, airport bus is always a useful way to get to some sites in the city.
Cheap Highway Bus/Night Bus: 7-9h & JPY 4,900-9,000
Bus Terminal
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Departure stations: mainly Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal & Tokyo Sta. Bus Terminal
Arrival stations: Osaka Sta., Umeda, Namba, Universal Studios Japan...
Frequency: about 5 day buses departing in the morning every day
More night buses departing during 21:00-24:00, depending on the specific routes & bus operators (night buses arrive in Osaka during 06:00-08:00 the next morning)
Duration: 7-9 hours or so
Ticket fare: JPY 4,400-6,700 for the ordinary class on day buses
JPY 5,500-9,000 for the ordinary class on night buses
Viable Train Transfers: 6-8.5h & JPY 9,000-15,000
This is a demanding way to travel from Tokyo to Osaka. It’s workable indeed if you prefer to a long train journey instead of the Shinkansen train, flight or highway bus. It’s not a direct route that requires you transfer for once or twice at least, in which case that Hamamatsu, Nagoya, Maibara, etc. are the most popular stations to transfer.
JR Train Timetable
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It’s advised to search the transfer plan through the map or Japan train app. The routes are varied relying on the departure & arrival stations and the time you are going to depart. At the same time, the ticket fare is also varied in accordance with the train types, number of transfers, the total duration, etc. Generally, it takes about JPY 8,910-16,000.