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Jay Tee

Are You Docking in Kobe or Osaka?

How do we get downtown? Is there a free shuttle? How do we get into the city? There is often terrible confusion and misinformation about arrivals in Kobe and Osaka.


Kobe, being a smaller city, places you directly within the city upon arrival. At Nakatottei wharf, you find yourself directly on the public waterfront (but the wharf is suitable only for small-to-medium ships).

Larger ships dock at Kobe Port Terminal (S4Q1/Q2), from which a five-minute Port Liner train ride to Sannomiya is available just outside the Terminal for a few hundred yen.

Additionally, from either wharf there is sometimes a complimentary shuttle bus service going to Nankin-machi, also known as Kobe's Chinatown.


In Osaka, ALL arrivals are directed to Tempozan, home to the new Osaka Cruise Terminal. From there, a short five-minute walk will lead you to the subway, so a free shuttle service is typically NOT provided.

(However, there is a free city ferry available to transport passengers to the Universal Studios Japan area, which I have detailed in another post here. https://www.jayteetours.com/post/a-free-ferry-to-usj)

To explore Osaka from Tempozan, walk 5 minutes to the nearest subway (Chuo line goes east-west, this stop is called 'Osakako') and board going toward Osaka. Ride to Hommachi (11min), where you can switch to either the Yotsubashi or Midosuji lines for north-to-south travel. (Umeda is to the north, Namba to the south.)

Or, continue east on the Chuo line all the way to Morinomiya (17 min) and you're at Osaka Castle Park. Beyond that, please carefully consult a map or hire a guide like me!


Important Note: While there is a Kyoto Prefecture port (in Maizuru, Kyoto), it is very, very far from Kyoto City, and there is no convenient train line across the mountains. It takes two-hour bus ride to reach Kyoto City from there. I recommend you see my other post about visiting Kyoto from a Kobe or Osaka port stop, instead. (https://www.jayteetours.com/post/getting-to-kyoto-from-osaka-or-kobe)






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