Three of us will be flying into Osaka airport and my travel agent set up a transfer for us to the hotel but it is very pricey ($280.00). I wonder if a limosine would be less expensive. Does anyone have any information on this? What about a taxi? She says the airport is 25 minutes from the Hotel Nikko.

Osaka Itami airport (ITM, mostly domestic), or Kansai airport (KIX, mostly international)?

Whichever airport, the transfer is too expensive. Both airports offer limousine buses, which is what the vast majority of passengers use.http://www.okkbus.co.jp/eng/

As the limo buses don't go to the Nikko, you could take the limo bus to Herbis Osaka and get a taxi from there..about 1000 yen. It's easy, and will save you lots. $280 is double the price of a night in the Nikko.

Also, any particular reason you chose the Nikko? It is neither particularly nice nor well located for transporation or sightseeing...

KimJapan

Thanks for the reply. I will definitely cancel the transfer and we will take the limo bus. My travel agent picked the hotel. Can you suggest something better near the train station. We plan to go to Kyoto the next day. Would the JR rail be the one we want?

Thanks.

Which airport are you flying into? Kansai or Itami?

If you are going to Kyoto, why not stay in Kyoto? The Granvia is right in Kyoto station.

If you have some compelling reason to stay in Osaka, then across the street from Osaka station is the Osaka Hilton which is very nice, and next to that is the Ritz Carlton, which is even nicer. Limo buses from both airports get you to those 2 hotels. Generally, in Japan, direct booking with hotels yields the best rates...travel agents outside of the country and online booking sites often have rates double or triple the direct booking rate.

Check train schedules on www.hyperdia.com

We are flying into Kansai airport.

We wanted to go on to Kyoto but the Granvia was totally booked and I tried several others with no luck. It seems like a lot people go at this time for the color.

Thanks for the hotel info. I'll try both of those hotels.

If you mean in November, yes, Kyoto is popular and the best hotels get booked out early.

If you stay at the Hilton, the limo bus will bring you to Herbis Osaka, which is across the street from the Hilton, about a 1 minute walk. If you stay at the Ritz Carlton, the stop is the same, and you will be right at the building the hotel is in.