How to exchange for JR Pass at Kansai International Airport (KIX)

The JR Pass can be exchanged at major JR train stations and airports. In this post, I will share my experience in making the exchange at Kansai International Airport.

For more in depth discussion on the JR Pass, please refer to my other posts "When and How to purchase the Japan Rail (JR) Pass" and "Tips on making full use of the JR Pass".

The KIX Airport has 4 floors. International arrivals should exit to the lowest floor of the airport. The Tourist Information Counter is to the left of where you exit so you may want to grab some information brochures and maps first. 

The JR counter and train station is very near the airport at level 2. Go up to second floor and exit through the doors on the right.

You should immediately come to a walkway like below. The red square is the name of the Kansai Airport train station (関西空港駅).

Walkway to JR counter and KIX train station

Walk towards the yellow square highlighted in the picture above. It is the back of a big signboard which looks below when seen from the front.

Kansai Airport Terminal 1 Signboard

When you reach the big sign board, you should see the ticketing machines on the left like below.  

Ticketing counters at KIX Train Station (JR office at far end)

Look to the far end in red highlighted box above and you should see the JR ticketing office. The close up shot below.

Close up shot of Kansai Airport JR Office

Enter into the office and queue up to exchange for your JR Pass. The counter staff should understand basic English, if not you can just show your exchange order and they will know what to do. 

Your exchange order should look like this.

Exchange Order for Japan Rail Pass (cover)

Exchange Order for Japan Rail Pass (inside)

You will then be asked to fill up a form which includes the date that you want to activate the pass. Tip: You can put a different activation date for the JR Pass and do not need to be on the day that you exchange for the pass.

If you have activated the JR Pass, you can also make your first reservation at the counter. I recommend that you write down the train station names (departing and arrival) on a piece of paper and show it to the JR counter staff for faster processing. If you have the names in Japanese, all the better. The JR trains have specific train departure times at each station so if you already know which specific train you want, write it down together to speed up the process.

Below is a sample of a reserved ticket. The yellow box is the departure and arrival station names. The green box shows the date and departure and arrival times. The red box is the name of the train. The blue box gives the reserved car (i.e. carriage or train section) and seat information.

Sample of Reserved Ticket

And as usual, here's the disclaimer.