If you're traveling through Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka to an exciting destination and have some layover time longer than a couple of hours, you have several options within a 20 to 30-minute travel time. Depending upon how much time you have, you could visit a nearby park or investigate dining and shopping opportunities.
One interesting layover visit could be Sennan Long Park. The park, also called Sennan Rinku Park, is a fun, fresh destination close to KIX. Located along the shoreline of Osaka Bay in Rinku Town, Sennan Long Park is only about 20 minutes away from the airport by bus and half an hour away by train. Other options like a taxi are also easily available, but at a slightly higher cost than the modest 200 yen bus fare or 400 yen train fare. The park and nearby attractions are designed with contemporary tastes in mind. The charming boardwalk and glamping cabins share inspiration and colors with Southern California and other sunny international resort destinations.
Visiting Sennan Long Park is a side trip with something for all tastes and interests while on a layover at Kansai International Airport. Read on to discover the close, convenient, and enjoyable destinations near Kansai International Airport.
• Address: 2-201 Rinkuminamihama, Sennan, Osaka 590-0535, Japan
• Operating hours: open 24 hours
Attractive and interesting, Sennan Long Park is set along a stretch of white sand beach in Sennan City. The newly-developed park's extensive, palm tree-lined promenade includes cafes and restaurants, a fun adventure playground, hot springs, and outdoor sports facilities.
There are four zones in Sennan Long Park, starting with the Activity Zone, which contains an outdoor adventure and sports park with unique opportunities for outdoor challenges. Imagine a structure that will allow you to try over 100 fun obstacles, much like organized parkour (outdoor obstacles and adventure). The large, four-story structure is nicknamed "Heart Throb" because of its many physical challenges that can get your heart pumping.
In addition to the "Heart Throb," you can also walk along several paths in Sennan Long Park and enjoy beach yoga, a skate park, and a soccer field. You will also find saunas and open-air baths at Sora Rinku, a beachfront hot springs resort right in Sennan Long Park.
The community area in Sennan Long Park features shops, cafes, and restaurants, including a western-style barbecue restaurant.
The park's promenade has restaurants offering sweets, American-style and Japanese-style hamburgers, tea (including matcha), and the BBQ Beach, where you can grill your own food and enjoy the outdoor air. Also on site are outposts of popular western chains, including Starbucks and KFC. Also along the promenade are Chinese and Korean restaurants and healthy food options.
• Address: 2-201 Rinkuminamihama, Sennan, Osaka 590-0535, Japan
• Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM weekends and holidays
The outdoor market at Sennan Long Park is located along the boardwalk. The casual market is open on weekends and some holidays. This cheerful market has many stalls with a variety of vendors, including those selling fresh fish from Okadaura Fishing Port. Foods offered at the market are casual and seasonal. You can find dishes including takoyaki (fried wheat batter filled with octopus chunks) and conger eel tempura, a popular Sennan dish. Market stalls also sell vegetables along with local crafts and handmade items.
• Address: 2 Chome-5187-101 Shinmachi, Izumisano, Osaka 598-0051, Japan
• Operating hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed Wednesday)
The Izumisano Gyokyo Aozora Fishery Cooperative Market is located at the Izumisano fishing port near Kansai International Airport. You can see fresh fish hours after they have been caught. The market originally began in the 1950s when local fishers and brokers began selling fish and shellfish outdoors. In the 1990s, the cooperative association built an indoor market, and now about 30 vendors offer fresh seafood from the market's stalls. Although the waters of Osaka Bay have been clouded by pollution from Japan's period of industrialization in the past, they are now clean again, and the fishing industry is thriving.
More than just a market selling fresh fish, you can also enjoy sushi and other fresh fish dishes at several restaurants on the premises. There is a nearby seafood grill where you can cook your own fish purchased at the market. If you're able to visit at 2:00 PM daily, a local fishing vessel will unload its fresh-caught fish and shellfish, and a siren will sound. The siren signals the start of the daily auction of the freshest catch from the surrounding waters.
• Address: 3-28 Rinkuoraiminami, Izumisano, Osaka 598-8508, Japan
• Operating hours: March through January 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and February 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Close to Kansai International Airport in Rinku Town are the Rinku Premium Outlets, a large, modern outlet mall with 250 stores. International visitors may download a coupon book for travelers using a QR code obtained when visiting the outlets. Many of the stores are tax-free for international visitors.
The outlets feature internationally-known brands, including Adidas, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Fendi, and more. Also at the outlets are locally-owned stores and a wide range of casual food options, including Japanese, Korean, and international foods such as crepes, ice cream, and coffee.
Also within an approximate 45-minute train or bus ride from Kansai International Airport, you can learn about the world-renowned traditional carbon steel knives and other tools made in Sakai City. Only a short distance farther is Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street, also called Doguyasuji Arcade, with dozens of choices of traditional Japanese carbon steel knives along with kitchen equipment and supplies.
• Address: 1-1-30 Zaimokucho-nishi Sakai-ku Sakai 590-0941
• Operating hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
The Sakai City Traditional Crafts Museum features educational displays and shops which sell Sakai knives of all varieties, along with other traditional crafts, including cotton fabric, rugs, kelp, seasonings, and green tea. When you visit the museum and shop, you will see a large Sakai knife blade balanced in an upstairs window. Cooks and chefs worldwide treasure and value Sakai blades, which are made from carbon steel. The traditional steel creates a sharp, well-balanced blade, but the blades require regular care and sharpening, unlike stainless steel blades.
• Address: 14-5 Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0075, Japan
• Operating hours: varies by store location, street opens at 10:00 AM
A three-minute walk from Namba Station on the Nankai Railway and also Osaka Metro Midosuji, and a five-minute walk from Nippombashi Station on the Kintetsu Railway and Sennichimae Line, Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street is a collection of small specialty shops which sell a dizzying array of kitchen supplies and equipment, including Sakai knives. In addition to beautiful lacquer bowls, stockpots, and kitchen implements, you can even buy plastic food typically used for restaurant displays.
Kansai International Airport is unique in that it is built on man-made islands in Osaka Harbor, but you're not limited to the airport for last-minute shopping or dining. If you have a layover of a few hours, you can easily leave the airport. Within about 30 minutes by bus or train, you have the option of recreation, shopping, and dining either casually or more formally. Find local crafts and merchandise as well as internationally-known shops and brands.
Located along the shoreline of Osaka Bay, Sennan Long Park is one of Osaka's newest recreation destinations. Enjoy a stroll along the charming boardwalk beside the white sand beach, and have a casual meal. If you have time and inclination, you may even be able to barbecue your meal and eat it in the open air beside the beach.
Explore Japan with the JAL Japan Explorer Pass, starting at $49 (USD) for any applicable route within Japan.
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