[Travel] Sleeping in Kansai Airport

So there, my Japan experience is off to a luxurious start, spending a night at Kansai International Airport (KIX) haha. Thanks to my airline cancelling a flight, we were moved to an earlier flight  two days before my original schedule. That left me without a hotel booked for three nights. It being the weekend on a peak season, I couldn’t find anything available unless I’m willing to part with half of my travel allowance. Miraculously, after emailing ALL guesthouses listed in Kyoto and going through airbnb listings, I was able to book two nights except for the night of my arrival. It was a no brainer at this point. I’m arriving past 8 PM and I figured I’d be out of immigration by 9 PM which means I could catch the last train going to Kyoto. But I didn’t wanna get there by midnight nor do I want to head out to Osaka and-get-lost-on-my-first-night-in-Japan. Besides, the first train to Kyoto leaves the airport at 6:40 the following morning so I decided to just stay put. According to my research, the safest area is the one next to Lawson and a police station on the second floor. I needed to charge my phone though and I couldn’t find any wall socket nearby so I ventured farther off. There were a LOT of people sleeping over and every seats were taken. The seats are comfortable and long enough so I could stretch out. In fact, when  I woke up, I found another girl occupying the other half of my space. A couple of policemen also asked to see our passports and asked where we’re headed. I guess they were making sure we had legit reasons to be there. In any case, I didn’t feel unsafe or anything. Everyone knows Japan has like the lowest crime rate ever. I was apprehensive of the other foreign travelers however so I still made sure to keep my things close. Spending a night in KIX wasn’t bad at all, in fact, I’m glad I decided to stay there. The wifi was strong and free, there’s food and drinks in Lawson, clean restrooms with bidet-toilets,coin lockers, and coin shower.

The coin shower.

If I remember it right, it costs only Y300 for a 15 minute shower. It’s actually more than enough time since the time stops when you turn the shower off and resumes again as soon as its back on. They handed me a basket with the coin, the key, and a hairdryer. One thing you have to remember though especially if you’re catching an early train like I was, be there early. Don’t expect to just waltz in and be escorted to the shower room as soon as you walk in. I had to wait a good 20 minutes before a shower becomes available. Although the train stations are just on the same floor, remember you’re in Japan. The train arrives and departs on schedule.

Besides Lawson, there are also other food establishments if you want a fancier fare than the konbini’s bento meals (though I love them!) In one of these shops I saw my first display of plastic food replica. This is really handy since the price is shown along with the dish and if you wanna save yourself from a lost-in-translation moment with the waiter, you can just whip out your handphone, take a photo, and show it to them. Ah, the bidet experience. I wish that fixture is as common here in my country as it is in Japan. One can really get used to it! I loved the heated seat too!

If you wanted to stash your luggage for convenience, there were coin lockers for rent. It costs Y300, Y400, and Y600. I decided not to get one because I had a 45L bag and I didn’t wanna spend Y600 just for a few hours. My rule of thumb is to always spend the least during the first few days of travel. If you like manga, there’s a manga shop and a Pokemon pop up store too although they’re not open for 24 hours.

As for if I did get some shut eye, yes. I actually slept for about 4-5 hours without interruption. Admittedly, I found it hard to sleep in the beginning but its because of the couple bickering at the other side of my seat. Overall, it was a different type of adventure for me, and I loved it! Not only did I save some money but I also got to experience camping around the airport with the other travelers. I never had any second thoughts about staying overnight in KIX. This is Japan after all. If it’s in another country, I’d think twice. And hard.