Kansai is one of the most vibrant regions of Japan and is home to iconic cities including Kyoto, Osaka and Nara. A large amount of Australian Rugby supporters are expected to follow their team to Japan for the World Cup. With around 600,000 of the 1.8 million tickets to be those of fans making their way to Japan for the occasion. Australia stands as one of the top three purchasers of tickets along with England and Ireland.

Fan's will experience a time-gap in between the game in Oita and the Semi-final in Yokohama, which will give them some extra time to enjoy the many destinations Kansai has to offer as they travel north through the region for the Semi-final.  

With around 600,000 of the 1.8 million tickets expected to be those of fans making their way to Japan for the occasion, and Australia being one of the top three purchaser of tickets along with England and Ireland.

However, with so many wonderful destinations in close proximity to each other, travellers can get easily overwhelmed when trying to plan a trip to explore this wonderful region.

Often seen as Kansai's backbone of transport, the Kintetsu Railway connects all major cities in the region including Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Mie as well as Nagoya. To ensure you make the most out of your journey, here's how you can spend 5 days exploring Kansai using the Kintetsu Railway.

Base yourself in Kyoto and/or Osaka

To make your stay more efficient, either of these cities are a convenient base to make day trips to other parts of Kansai. With so much to see and do, we recommend visitors stay up to 3 nights in Kyoto and 2 nights in Osaka. By doing this, travellers can enjoy the whole of Kansai without having to change their accommodation every other night.

Kyoto is a great city to base yourself for your travels and having accommodation around the Kyoto Station area provides convenient access as a transportation hub with the Kyoto Subway, buses, and trains going to locations throughout the city. Staying in this area is ideal for those who want to relax after a busy day of exploring.

Traveling on the Kintetsu Railway Kyoto line, only a 5-minute walk from Toji station you can visit the historic Toji Temple. Here you can see the iconic 5-storey wooden pagoda, towering at 55 metres it is the tallest in Japan. Toji Temple also houses 21 Buddhist statues that are some of the oldest in Japan. On the 21st of each month Toji Temple holds a flea market with over 1,000 stalls selling antiques such as ceramics and Kimonos, as well as hand crafted goods and local food.

On the same line you can also take a day trip to Nara with only a 45-minute train ride to Kintetsu-Nara station. Here you can visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Todai-ji Temple, feel the retro vibes of the old shopping arcade Higashi-Muki Shopping street and see the deer who wander freely in Nara Park.

In Osaka, visitors can see Japan's tallest skyscraper – Abeno Harukas which stands 300-metres tall situated on the top of the Kintetsu-Osaka-Abenobashi-Station. It hosts multiple shops, restaurants, as well as Japan's largest department store 'Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Department Store', an art museum and a hotel. Make sure to go to the observation deck to see the panoramic night views of Osaka city.

Around the Kintetsu-Nanba Station you can see the photogenic neon-signboards at the Dotonbori Bridge, and get your shopping done at the various shopping arcades with many of them offering tax-free purchases for overseas travellers. Osaka is well known as being the food capital of Japan for its' down to earth dishes that come at reasonable prices. Taste the Osaka classics: Takoyaki, Kushi-katsu (deep-fried meat and vegetable skewers) and Okonomiyaki (savoury meat and cabbage-pancake). We also recommend that you try Negi-yaki (savoury meat and green onion pancake) and the luxurious Sashimi of Fugu – Puffer fish.

From Osaka, visitors can take the Kintetsu Railway to Mie Prefecture to Ise to try their top-class local seafood, especially the Ise-ebi lobsters. For hundreds of years high numbers are caught here as Ise Bay is a perfect habitat due to its warm and shallow sea waters. The best season to eat them is October to April where their flesh is firmer and sweeter.

In Mie travellers can also visit Toba Aquarium which has the largest number of marine animal species in the whole of Japan (1,200 species) and see the dugongs, walruses, sea otters as well as all the other cute critters.

The Kintetsu Railway offers fast, frequent and affordable transportation for travellers planning to visit some of Japan's most vibrant and memorable attractions. With various passes and discount tickets to suit the needs of all travellers, make your trip memorable with Kintetsu Railway.

One of their most popular passes is the 'The Kintetsu Rail Pass', which gives travellers unlimited rides on all Kintetsu Railway lines for 5 days. It is available for overseas tourists at a discounted rate of only 3,700 yen from October 1st, 2019. The pass can be pre-purchased online or bought at various Kintetsu Stations within Japan.

For information on the pass, please visit: https://www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/ticket/krp.html

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About Kintetsu Railway

Founded in 1910, Kintetsu Railway was originally an electric tram system operating between Nara and Osaka. Over the past 119 years, the company has become one of Japan's largest operating railway networks that connects major cities in the Kansai region including Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu, Ise and Yoshino. For more information, visit: www.kintetsu.co.jp/foreign/english/

For Australia and New Zealand media enquiries, please contact Mihoko Kurosawa at m.kurosawa@thedoq.com or call 0498 651 422.