It is possible to travel from Osaka to Nagasaki by train, plane, or overnight bus. Let’s take a look at these alternatives.
Nagasaki Skyline
Traveling by Train
The simplest rail route from Osaka to Nagasaki is to take the Sanyo Shinkansen Line from Shin-Osaka Station to Hakata Station in Fukuoka City on the island of Kyushu. At Hakata Station you can then transfer to the Kamome Limited Express service for Nagasaki. The complete journey takes 4 hours and 41 minutes and costs 17,270 yen.
This trip can be made more economical if you have a Japan Rail Pass, however you should remember that the pass does not cover two of the shinkansen trains that run on this line: the Nozomi and the Mizuho. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you will have to use a slightly slower shinkansen, like the Sakura, and this will add 10 or 15 minutes to your journey time.
The Sanyo Shinkansen
Traveling by Plane
The low cost airline Peach runs a regular service between Osaka’s Kansai Airport and Nagasaki Airport. The travel time is just 1 hour and 15 minutes. Prices vary between 6,000 and 22,000 yen depending on when you travel and how early you book your ticket. ANA and JAL both run regular flights from Osaka Itami Airport that also take 1 hour and 15 minutes and cost around 31,000 yen.
However, for both of these routes you should also factor in the time and cost of traveling to the airport in Osaka, and traveling from Nagasaki Airport too. Nagasaki Airport is about 45 minutes by bus from the center of Nagasaki city and the fare is 900 yen.
Traveling by Bus
The Kintetsu bus terminal in Umeda
Kintetsu Bus run an overnight service from Umeda in Osaka to Nagasaki Station. The bus leaves Umeda at 21.35 and arrives at Nagasaki Station’s south terminal at 7.18 the next morning. The fare is 11,400 yen. The departure terminal is close to Higashi-Umeda Station, just outside SMBC Nikko Securities. Check the Kintetsu Bus website for a map of the departure point and other details. Kintetsu Bus tickets can be bought at Japanese travel agencies like JTB, Nippon Travel Agency, and Kinki Nippon Tourist (KNT) and also at major Kintetsu Railway Stations like Osaka Namba Station and Osaka Uehommachi Station.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
