The Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line

The Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line runs between Osaka-Abenobashi Station in central Osaka City, and Kashiharajingu-mae Station in the city of Kashihara, Nara Prefecture. It is an important rail link between Osaka and the southern part of Nara Prefecture.

At Kashiharajingu-mae Station the line connects with the Kintetsu Yoshino Line, and many through trains run directly between Osaka-Abenobashi and Yoshino Station. Yoshino is a popular tourist destination in Nara Prefecture and this is the main route to access it from Osaka. As Kintetsu Railway is a private railway, this route is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. However, other discount rail passes for Kintetsu Railway are available and these are listed at the end of this article.

Key Destinations

There are 28 stations on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line. The key destinations and transfer points are given below with fares and train times given from Osaka-Abenobashi Station.

Osaka-Abenobashi Station

Osaka-Abenobashi Station is located beneath and within the 300-meter Abeno Harukas complex. Abeno Harukas also holds Kintetsu Department Store, Abeno Harukas Art Museum, Harukas 300 Observatory on floors 58-60, and Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel. Other attractions in the surrounding area include Tennoji Park, Tennoji Zoo, Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, and Shitennoji Temple, which dates from 593 and is the oldest state-sponsored Buddhist temple in Japan.

Osaka-Abenobashi Station is very close to Tennoji Station and is useful for transfers to the Osaka Loop Line, the JR Hanwa Line, the JR Yamatoji Line and Osaka Metro’s Midosuji and Tanimachi Lines. From Osaka-Abenobashi Station, standard transfer times are about 6 minutes to JR lines, 5 minutes to the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, 7 minutes to the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line, and 8 minutes to Tennoji-Ekimae Station for the tramway Hankai Uemachi Line.

Koboreguchi Station

This station is close to Bishoen Station on the JR Hanwa Line.

Harinakano Station

Harinakano Station is an eight minute walk from Komagawa-Nakano Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line.

Kawachi-Amami Station

Kawachi-Amami Station is located in the city of Matsubara and is convenient for Hannan University.

Fujiidera Station

This is the main station of Fujiidera City and is very convenient for Fujiidera Temple. Both the city and the station are named after this temple which was constructed in the second half of the 7th century and is famous for its National Treasure statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of Mercy. The statue is shown on the 18th of each month. The temple is also a good place to view wisteria blossom in spring.

Domyoji Station

This station in Fujiidera City is convenient for both Domyoji Temple and Domyoji Tenmangu Shrine. The ancient shrine and temple were once united but were separated as a part of national policy in 1872. The shrine is famous for its plum orchard, which has more than 800 plum trees and about 80 varieties that bloom from mid-February to mid-March. Transfers can be made here to the Kintetsu Domyoji Line which runs to Kashiwara Station in Kashiwara City.

Furuichi Station

This station in Habikino City is close to several historic sites, such as the burial mound of Emperor Ankan, Konda Hachimangu Shrine which is just south of Emperor Ojin’s burial mound, and Shiratori Jinja or “White Bird Shrine” which is one of many locations across Japan that lay claim to be the final resting place of the mythological hero Yamato Takeru. Transfers can be made here to the Kintetsu Nagano Line which connects the cities of Habikino, Tondabayashi and Kawachi-Nagano.

Taimadera Station

This station is in the city of Katsuragi in Nara Prefecture. It is named after the nearby Taimadera Temple which dates from 612 and which is famous for its Taima Mandala, a woven mandala that represents the Buddhist Pure Land. Also not far from Taimadera Station is the city’s Katsuragi City Sumo Museum Kehayaza. Katsuragi claims to be the birthplace of sumo wrestling and is very proud of this heritage.

Shakudo Station

Transfer here to the Kintetsu Gose Line which links the city of Katsuragi with the city of Gose.

Kashiharajingu-mae Station

This station in Kashihara City is the terminus of the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line. It is convenient for Kashihara Jingu Shrine, which was founded in the Meiji period on the legendary site where Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, ascended to the imperial throne. Transfer here to the Kashihara Line for Kyoto and Yamato-Saidaiji and the Yoshino Line for Yoshino.

Traveling on to Yoshino

Mount Yoshino is a famous scenic spot in Nara Prefecture which has long been celebrated in poetry for the beauty of its cherry blossoms in the spring. Many through train services run directly between Osaka-Abenobashi Station and Yoshino Station, so you may not need to transfer at Kashiharajingu-mae Station. The regular fare between Osaka-Abenobashi Station and Yoshino Station is 1,170 yen, and direct express trains usually take about 90 minutes. An ordinary Limited Express train can make the journey in about 75 minutes, but you will need to pay a Limited Express charge of 520 yen on top of the regular fare, for a total of 1,690 yen.

The sightseeing limited express Blue Symphony also runs between Osaka-Abenobashi and Yoshino. It generally operates two round trips a day, with no service on Wednesdays, and requires the regular fare plus a 730 yen surcharge, for a total adult fare of 1,900 yen.

Discount Tickets

A variety of discount passes are available for Kintetsu Railway, which can be used to visit Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Nagoya and Ise-Shima. Current Kintetsu Rail Pass options include 1-day, 2-day, 5-day and 5-day plus digital tickets.

The KINTETSU RAIL PASS 1day costs 1,900 yen for adults and 950 yen for children, and covers a designated Osaka, Nara and Kyoto area for one day.

The KINTETSU RAIL PASS 2day costs 3,700 yen for adults and 1,850 yen for children, and covers a designated Osaka, Nara and Kyoto area for two days.

The KINTETSU RAIL PASS 5day costs 4,900 yen for adults and 2,450 yen for children. This ticket gives five days of unlimited rides on all Kintetsu lines for travel around Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Mie and Nagoya.

The KINTETSU RAIL PASS 5day plus costs 6,700 yen for adults and 3,350 yen for children. It adds bus coverage in the Kintetsu area to the five-day train coverage. Limited Express trains require separate Limited Express tickets unless your ticket conditions state otherwise.

For ordinary journeys, use Kintetsu’s official route and fare search to check the latest fares and train times before you travel.

Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 08-Aug-2026.