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Kansai Airport’s open-to-anyone lounge is a great way to relax and refresh on your Japan journey

Casey Baseel Feb 19, 2019
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No loyalty program or first-class ticket required for this traveler’s oasis with free drinks, loaner Nintendo Switch systems, and shower booths.

When it’s time for your Japanese vacation to end, there’s a pretty good chance you’re looking at a long, possibly inconveniently-timed flight home. With Japan being so far away from many of its visitors’ home countries, late night departures, long layovers, and other factors can have you stuck at the airport as you wait hours for your flight to depart.

Luckily, if you’re going through Kansai International Airport (KIX), the primary international gateway for Osaka, Kyoto, and the rest of central/western Japan, there’s an extremely pleasant place to spend your time. Located on the second floor of Terminal 1 is the KIX Airport Lounge, and it’s not the kind of place that requires you be part of a special loyalty program or flying first-class in order to use.

The KIX Airport Lounge is actually managed by Aprecio, which also runs a chain of manga/Internet cafes found in Japanese cities. The lounge has a similar pricing structure, starting at just 310 yen (US$2.80) for the first 30 minutes, which isn’t a bad deal at all when you consider that all-you-can-drink soft drinks are included.

▼ Pour yourself a drink or two, and you’ve pretty much made back the initial cost of entry.

Three types of seats are available, starting with the open area pictured above. There are also private single-person booths and group rooms available for a slightly higher price (410 for the first 30 minutes). If you’re planning to stick around for a while, though, your best option is one of the multi-hour packs, which start at 1,540 for three hours in the open area and top out at 3,910 yen for nine hours in a private booth. Since the lounge is open 24 hours a day, it’s a doable alternative to heading all the way into town and booking a night in a hotel if you’ve got an early morning flight.

Of course, if you’re going to be spending the night, you might want to clean yourself up before you head back out, and shower booths are available for 510 yen. They’re not exclusively for multi-hour guests either, so if you want to hop in and rinse off the grime you’ve acquired during a short layover on a journey through Asia, you can do that too.

There’s free Wi-Fi for your mobile devices, and also PCs that can be used free of charge. If you’re looking for more entertainment, the KIX Airport Lounge also loans out Nintendo Switch consoles free of charge, and if you’d prefer to just relax as much as possible, there are also automated massage chairs.

Blankets and slippers are also on stand-by to help you get comfortable…

…and there’s also a huge selection of manga and magazines.

▼ Our reporter Masami takes a break and enjoys a drink.

If you’re feeling hungry, you can even order food in the lounge, with curry rice, ramen, and takoyaki octopus dumplings available. You can even get beer, wine, and canned chu-hi cocktails, all at reasonable prices.

Just don’t get so relaxed that you forget to get up and get on your plane before takeoff.

Lounge information
KIX Airport Lounge / KIXエアポートラウンジ
Address Osaka-fu, Izumisano-shi, Senshu Kuko Kita, Kansai International Terminal 1 2nd floor north side
大阪府泉佐野市泉州空港北1 関西国際空港第1旅客ターミナル 2階北側
Open 24 hours for guests 18 and older (5 a.m.-7 p.m. for unaccompanied guests under 16, 5 a.m.-10 p.m. for guests 16-17 or under 16 and accompanied by a guardian 18 or older)
Website